In these troubled economic times it’s hard not to notice the subtle irony in the tale of a young band called The
Graduate, who are unemployed, without a record label and looking for work. But
the indie-pop-rock quintet, based here in Springfield, isn’t standing in a line waiting for a bailout. These guys are busy working on new
songs, shopping for a record label and making plans for the future with a
well-respected music business manager.
The group came together in 2005 when two central Illinois bands, Best of Winter
and J.A.C.K., dissolved into one and became The Graduate. Members Corey Warning
(vocals), Matt Kennedy (guitar, keyboard, vocals), Max Sauer (guitar, vocals),
Jared Wuestenberg (bass) and Tim Moore (drums, vibraphone, keyboard, vocals)
have been close friends as well as band mates from the beginning of the
adventure. That’s a good thing since they spend an immense amount of time doing most everything
as a unit, including riding thousands of miles in a van, rehearsing for hours
on end in a practice studio, and being truly connected professionally, socially
and artistically.
Immediately after getting together, the guys started doing the time-honored,
several-bands-on-a-bill, couch-surfing method of the traveling
indie-emo-pop-punk bands, making fans and friends along the way while
constantly working at crafting memorable songs and developing a killer live
show.
The hard work and persistent touring paid dividends for The Graduate quite
quickly as compared to the usual slow steps required in climbing the music
industry ladder. In April of 2006 they independently released an EP called Horror Show, and stepped up the touring. Soon they signed with Icon MES, a small, but
aggressive record label, that gave the extra push needed to help The Graduate
to rise to the next level. By late 2006 the band saw their picture on the cover
of the prestigious college music magazine, CMJ New Music Report, as the most added band on college radio in early December.
The label then financed a studio effort with producer/engineer Brian McTernan
that produced a full-length, radio-ready album, Anhedonia. After an April 2007 release the record received a fair amount of college radio
airplay and the band became the buzz of the business. That summer they played
the Warped Tour, Lollapalooza and a major concert in Europe, then logged many
miles across the USA, playing all kinds of venues in support of the record and
seeing the accumulating sales results.
The year 2008 seemed to be heading the same direction, with constant touring
throughout the summer and label plans to release a deluxe edition of Anhedonia, including vinyl copies, set for early fall. Then rather suddenly on Oct. 31,
Icon MES folded and The Graduate was without a record label. The band members,
all relatively young in their mid-20s, took the loss in stride, holing up in
the group’s practice spot on Springfield’s north side to write and develop another album’s worth of material and take a break from the hectic touring schedule.
They take this business seriously while still having lots of fun with it. At the
rehearsal house the practical tools of modern musicians — iPhones, Macbooks and digital recording hardware — rest right alongside acoustic instruments, wire cables and music industry
magazines. The band camaraderie is tight and after four years of successful
togetherness the group exudes a confidence in the future and in the ability of
the band to keep going and make a mark in the music business.
They just signed with a heavyweight music business manager, a good sign that
industry people see the group as a viable product, and the prognosis for an
upcoming record deal looks good for the spring. If all goes well, and it seems
to for this combo, they will be back in the studio by summer, on the road by
fall, and supporting a new record by winter, putting The Graduate back on a
path for career success.
The Graduate performs at Club Chrome, Saturday, Feb. 7, for an all-ages show at
8 p.m.
This article appears in Jan 29 – Feb 4, 2009.
