A Thoughtful Interview and Review of Think
By Matthew Toledo- 3/20/2003
Take one part "college rock", mix in more than a few dashes each of folk and "roots rock" and then swizzle in a pinch each of adult alternative and pop and you would have combined all the necessary ingredients to bake one debut CD by, the group Think.
Most of the songs on their CD entitled "Thank You For Your Misfortunes" are bright, upbeat danceable electric folk songs and ballads. There is a reason why this band is known for bringing a full crowd to O'hooley's and more recently the Blue Gator, O'hooley's has a long tradition of fostering danceable roots-rock and americana influenced college rock and pop bands like The Cactus Pears, Stella, Red Shift, Southeast Engine and so on. Think approaches their songwriting in a manner similar these other local acts, strong vocals, multi-part harmonies, and tasteful rock and groove drum beats that even people with two left feet can dance to.
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When asked what THINK sounds like, members of the band had varied answers. Think singer and guitarist Rob Peeples stated "I am reminded of Matchbox 20 or The Pat McGee Band."
THINK guitarist and singer "Smead" stated, "I don't think we sound like anyone when you hear us, but I can compare some elements of our writing and songs to Three Doors Down and Matchbox 20. I mean if you really want to think about it."
"I think that our songs are like The Eagles jamming with Ben Harper.", stated singer and guitarist Rob Peeples, "Yea that sounds good. But most people say we just sound like Think."
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Jewels on this well produced CD include "Dangerous Me" written by and soulfully sung by Carl Gonzalez. It was the first track on the disk that didn't utilize everyone in the band from the song's get-go. The track ended up sounding a lot more dramatic and emotionally intense as a result. When the electric guitars finally kick in towards the end, the overall effect is pretty intense. When you listen to the track, you can almost see the crowd holding up their lighters to it. Then, suddenly, some foam padding behind the stage accidentally catches fire. People stop and stare wondering if it's part of the act. Panic soon follows. A human log-jam forms at the door. But I digress.
Every one in Think but the bassist sings. Poor bassist. You'll hear them all stacking the harmonies on top of each other in "Jack Jones." It is another uber-catchy roots-pop song complete with drum breaks and punchy accents on the downbeat.
"Mesmerized" is the darkest song on the disk. Lyrically there is a lot of angst towards god and religion. It starts out with a very well executed acoustic guitar melody which only jumps out minor key to a major key for the choruses.
Still no CD is perfect. EVERYONE has room for improvement. I would have liked to see more of a variation in tempo between the tracks. Most of the songs are within a few beats per minute of each other and that can get a little monotonous for people with short attention spans. I also wish the guitars had a lot less chorus on them. That super chorused electric and acoustic guitar sound is very 80's and the band is not 80's at all.
"Thank You For Your Misfortunes" is a well produced and well executed recording for a young band in Athens. Nashville transplant and local recording studio owner Eric Webber is distributing the CD for the band via his fledgling label, Tempest Records.
I had a chance to ask the bands some questions about their band and their new CD.
AMN: How did you guys meet and form Think?
Carl: Rob and I lived in the same dorm freshman year and were roommates the following year. It was then that we started writing and the next thing I knew, my brother was drumming and we took the only guy that came to our bass audition, weird as he was. Smead, who had been in bands with me since our first one, transferred here from Otterbein College just in time to jump on board.
Bob: Carl, Smead and I met back in high school and formed a band shortly afterwards. We met Rob and Dave at O.U.
AMN: What would you say are some of the primary influences that have helped to shape the sound of THINK?
Rob: My influences come greatly from the singer/song writer genre of music. For instance, I take a song I write to practice and it always ends up changing somehow. Always for the better though.
Carl: A lot of folk for me, I always end up writing acoustic songs first and they evolve with my electric guitar and the band.
Bob: Vocal-talented groups such as the Eagles, the Doobie Brothers and Yes. The music itself is influenced by our own individual musical styles. For example, Carl is very blues-oriented in his guitar playing, whereas Jim is a metal-head. Combine those styles with the constant of an acoustic guitar, Rob, and you have three very distinct guitars going on at the same time. It makes for great arrangements!
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AMN: What are some of your favorite bands, local or national?
Carl: Dylan, The Doors, Queen, Counting Crows, Beatles
SMEAD: Ozzy, anything Zack Wylde does, Wes Montgomery, Alman Bro's, Black Crowes.
Rob: Coldplay, The Beatles for sure, Ben Harper, Howie Day, Dave Matthews, Counting Crows, and Eric Clapton.
Bob: My favorite bands include (but are not necessarily limited to) Genesis (Gabriel and Collins eras,) Rush, Yes, U2, Queen, Led Zeppelin, Frank Zappa, the Counting Crows, the Wallflowers, the Pink Floyd, the Sensational Alex Harvey Band, Journey, the Red Hot Chilli Peppers and the Police, just to name a few.
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AMN: How long did it take you to record the CD?
Everyone: Too long! We spent almost a whole year getting funds together and recording.
Bob: Too Long for everyone but me, anyway. The drums were done in 1 day, the rest of the thing took 8 months.
AMN: Do you think that THINK will survive the graduation of it's members?
Bob: Already survived two graduations, I think we'll survive the rest, if we survive college!
AMN: What are some of the goals you have. Do you want to tour and become pro's or are you all just making the most of your college experience?
Rob: First I want to take over Athens, Then Ohio, the midwest, the USA, and finally the world.
Carl: To be in everyone's CD player or at least most of them.
SMEAD: Yea, what Carl said, but also to make people happy doing what I love to do.
Bob: We want to do this professionally. Unfortunately, it takes a lot of time, and a lot of effort to do that. While you're "in college" it's hard to find as much time as you need to begin with; but we're working at this very hard now, and we are hoping for the best.
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AMN: What do you like and dislike about the current scene in Athens?
Bob: There's not much TO dislike. We have a great town here. There are so many bars uptown, it's hard to choose which one you like the best. Our only problem is with the size of the stage, and that's really my fault. If you don't know what I'm talking about, come to see a show.
Dave: I like the casual social scene.
Rob: There are not a lot of clubs with high quality sound systems Other than that I think Athens is a breeding ground for new art forms.
