Untitled Document
Indie-rock group The Graduate was formed about a
year-and-a-half ago from the remains of two central-Illinois bands, Best of
Winter and Jack. After a few gigs here in town at such all-ages hotspots as
Bread Stretchers and Club 10, The Graduate hit the road hard, playing dates
across the States. Within four months of its inception, the band recorded a
six-song EP that, in Graduate guitarist Max Sauer’s words,
“took off fast.” By the time The Graduate reached its first
anniversary, the band had been signed to Icon-MES, an established
independent record label. The band recently finished recording a CD and is
poised to push for national attention. “We really focused on writing good
songs,” says Sauer on the secret of the group’s dramatic change
from struggling local outfit to a band on its way to bigger things.
“When we were younger, we didn’t pay much attention to
writing.”
Buzz about The Graduate began building after Horror Show, the EP recorded
early on, became the “Most Added Record” on the CMJ college-radio charts. (The
College Music Journal is considered the Billboard or Rolling Stone of the indie-rock/college-radio scene.) Soon after the
“most added” accolade was conferred, the members of The
Graduate found their smiling faces on the cover of CMJ.
“It was a big surprise. We weren’t
familiar with the magazine,” says Sauer of one of the biggest coups a
young rock band could score. “Once we realized how cool it was, we
got really excited.”
Capitalizing on the sudden attention, The Graduate
quickly got to work recording a full-length album with producer Brian
McTernan (Thrice, Senses Fall, Circa Survive, Moneen) at Baltimore’s Salad Days
Studios, building a good collection of songs in the hope of propelling
themselves into the stellar reaches of indie-pop stardom and perhaps the
larger world of Top 40. “Working with Brian was one of my favorite
experiences in music,” Sauer says. “He taught us to grow a
lot.”
The new disk, named Anhedonia (a medical term that refers to a lack of pleasure in
usually pleasurable experiences), is set for an April 10 national release.
The band has decided to celebrate the occasion with a show back home in
Springfield, but then The Graduate is back on the road for the rest of 2007
to support and promote sales of the disk. “When we got signed, we picked up a booking
agency,” Sauer says. “We’ve been across the country since
January.”
In March, The Graduate hit Austin for a showcase at
the South by Southwest music conference. June brings a Summerfest
appearance in Milwaukee, and the band plans to spend July and August on the
Vans Warped Tour, performing on the Smartpunk Stage. The increased exposure
will undoubtedly push The Graduate to another level of professional
success, provided its members can withstand the demands of life on the road
and living music 24/7, which right now doesn’t appear to be a
problem. “We’re all pretty much in love with the
lifestyle right now,” Sauer says. “We can’t believe
it’s our career. We just want to thank all our family and friends for
supporting us all these years.”
The Graduate performs at the Capital City Bar &
Grill (3149 S. Dirksen Pkwy., 217-529-8580) on April 10, with The Struggle
Against Silence and Asteria. Doors open at 6 p.m.; tickets are $10.
Contact Tom Irwin at tirwin@illinoistimes.com.
This article appears in Mar 29 – Apr 4, 2007.
