Testimonials
Before:
Big S Adrenalin is a band from Skopje, Macedonia founded in January 2009. Every member has his own distinctive taste in music and because of this reason it looked like this line up won’t function at all. Only a few rehearsals proved this to be wrong because the five totally different people made a higher bond that overcame the interferences. The first delivery of sounds came straight from the band members’ hearts spiced with heavy distortions and dynamic rhythm. Soon the band decided to take its job seriously because something Big was going on. Their music is still evolving in a way they don’t know but certainly it won’t be affected by something that’s not good according to them. The band defined its style as full of alternative rock combined with almost everything, for a new generation of fans but with hope that the music of Big S Adrenalin appeals to everybody.
After:
Big S Adrenalin delivers a conglomeration of sound straight from the band members’ hearts, spiced with heavy distortions and dynamic rhythm. Founded in January 2009, this band from Skopje, Macedonia was with Pero Baldjiev on vocals, Filip Sahpaski on drums, Bojan Arnaudovski and Aleksandar Pavlovic Taci covering guitars, and Dimitar Mirceski on bass.
With each member maintaining his own distinctive musical taste, it seemed at first that the lineup might not function at all. Only a few rehearsals proved this notion wrong. The unique qualities of these five musicians collaborated into a sound that overcame their differences. The band quickly decided to get serious about their music; something Big was underway.
Big S Adrenalin is still exploring their sound, evolving in new ways, and consulting each other on which paths will serve their collective good. The band’s predominantly alternative rock style is combined with a multitude of other genre elements. In this way, they create sounds for a new generation of music lovers, with hope that Big S Adrenalin has a little something that appeals to everybody.
Before:
Although the story of To Light A Fire may seem to have just begun, in truth it began many years ago in the form of a burning passion for music, sown into the heart of a child.
Ben Smolin was born into a musical family and began playing violin when he was 5 years old. By high school, when asked what he was going to be when he grew up Ben would plainly state that one day he was going to be a rock star. "Thinking back, people would always laugh but I wasn't trying to be funny or anything," Ben explained, "I guess people could have taken it the wrong way like I was trying to show off or something. . . . . I just knew in my heart that I was born to play music and no matter what it took I was going to make it happen."
He played in several different projects but his sincerity and drive was not quite usual for someone in high school and the results were often less than stellar. "I remember this one group I started with another guy in my class," Ben recalls, laughing, "I was convinced we were going to be the next U2 even though we had never played before. I got to this kid's house and he told me that we couldn't practice because his parents said he had to mow the lawn and clean his room. I was so excited about playing music that I spent two hours mowing his front lawn and cleaning his room for him. After all that he told me that he had homework to do and so we couldn't practice anyway. I was always getting crushed like that." Meanwhile the answer he was seeking was surprisingly closer than he realized. Tyler Cody attended the same school two grades below Ben and they played on the same snare line together. Tyler began playing drums when he turned 12 but his musical revelation came a year earlier. "I remember walking into this big music store and seeing all the guitars up on the wall. There was this one guitar up at the top of the display and for some reason it just sucked me in. I couldn't stop staring. I didn't know how to play at all," Tyler remembers, shaking his head, "But somehow at that moment I understood that my purpose here on earth was to play guitar."
At 13 Tyler began practicing constantly, working his way through tab books full of Megadeth and Metallica licks. "Name any 80's metal song," he laughs, "I knew it."
During Ben's senior year the two became friends and when their joint love for music was realized they decided to try joining forces. The chemistry was immediately evident although their musical influences were far from similar. "It was interesting," Ben remembers, "We would write a song and I would be like 'How can we make this sound more like Coldplay?' Tyler would be like, 'This needs to sound more like Metallica.' "
After frequenting the local coffee house scene for a couple of months the need for other players became apparent. At the time Ben was dating a girl named Alison who enjoyed singing harmonies. It wasn't long before Alison joined the group, singing and keeping time with a shaker and a bass drum. Alison's inherent understanding of the drums became more and more evident and soon she began playing set, learning as she went. "It was awesome for me," Alison points out, "Most people learn an instrument and search for years before they ever find the right group of people to play with. I got to learn drums specifically to play in a band."
About a year later the trio met Shane and within a couple of weeks he had officially joined the group. "We all knew that Shane was right from the start," remembers Tyler. "There was something about him that just fit. From the time that he first walked into the practice room we all knew that he was meant to play bass with us." With Shane's added influences the group started to write wholeheartedly and began performing in the local bars.
Andrew Flickinger had played guitar and sang in other projects with Ben and after hearing the fledgling group perform at a local open mic night he began regularly attending their shows. "Something about them just drew me in," Flick remembers, "It wasn't that they were perfect or anything. It was more that they seemed to approach the music from such an open perspective. I knew it was something that, if given the chance, I could really add to." He was not alone in his thinking. A couple of weeks later he received a phone call from Ben asking if he wanted to try playing with the group. "I was at the beach with Alison's family and we were sitting in Wendy's," recalls Ben, "I don't know why I thought of it, but I just knew it was what was supposed to happen next. I got so excited that I couldn't even finish my sandwich. I just got up, ran out of the restaurant and called him."
In January 2009, after a couple of months of playing together, the group self-recorded their first CD, a 5 song EP of mellow indie music. That summer they played shows almost every weekend, performing in the surrounding states. The response was encouraging, but as the group continued to evolve musically, the need for a new CD soon became quite clear. In January 2010 the group teamed up with local producer Joseph McQueen (Dos Amigos Recordings), and recorded their first full length CD, Inward Dwelling.
"I think our first EP could best be described as a stepping stone," explains Flick, "We are all proud of what that it represents but it’s not who we really are. Part of the reason we are all so excited about Inward Dwelling is because it is a record that really does accurately portray who we are and what we are about."
With the CD coming out in a couple months and new plans just around the corner, the members of To Light A Fire like to think that they are on the right path. "I think we are right where we need to be," says Ben, "We have a long road ahead of us but we've also come a long way. Right now everyone just feels very blessed to be a part of this group and to be able to do what we were put on this earth to do: to play music."
After:
To Light A Fire is blazing a trail throughout Alabama and the surrounding states. This five piece melodic rock group joined with Birmingham producer Joseph McQueen (Dos Amigos Recordings) to record their first full length album, Inward Dwelling, released April 2010.
The work was a response to the band’s frequent performances supporting their self-titled 2009 EP featuring mellow indie music. "I think our first EP could best be described as a stepping stone," explains TLF guitarist Andrew “Flick” Flickinger, "We are all proud of what that it represents but it’s not who we really are. Part of the reason we are all so excited about Inward Dwelling is because it is a record that really does accurately portray who we are and what we are about."
To Light A Fire is about the basic human struggle. Their single, “Damned” underscores questions of the afterlife while wrapping the intense lyrics in a captivating sound that is far more inviting than confrontational. View the video for “Damned” here.
To Light A Fire began with frontman Ben Smolin who always wanted to be a rock star. The problem was, he couldn’t find anyone else as serious as he was about pursuing a music career. “I just knew in my heart that I was born to play music,” says Ben “and no matter what it took, I was going to make it happen.”
Then in high school he met Tyler Cody, a classmate who played on the same snare line as Ben. The two became friends and quickly joined forces in music. The chemistry was immediately evident although their musical influences were far from similar; Ben would write a song and want it to sound like Coldplay while Tyler would tweak it to sound like Metallica. A melodic pop rock with spurts of driving guitar was developing, but first the group needed to fill out the line-up.
Alison Smolin began harmonizing and eventually learned drums specifically for the band. Shane Cardinal later joined in with bass, but there still seemed an empty space to fill. Andrew Flickinger who had previously contributed guitar and vocals on prior projects with Ben joined the group, drawn in by TLF’s open approach to music. With this five piece lineup the band began wholeheartedly writing and performing locally.
To Light A Fire’s 2011 schedule includes dates in Birmingham, Atlanta, and Nashville. With new plans just around the corner, the members of To Light A Fire like to think that they are on the right path. "I think we are right where we need to be," says Ben, "We have a long road ahead of us but we've also come a long way. Right now everyone just feels very blessed to be a part of this group and to be able to do what we were put on this earth to do: to play music."
