Show w Y Railroad ai roa Earth art at Zephyr e r By Melissa Miller Contributing Writer BOULDER COLORADO- COLORADO Railroad Earth came together in January 2001 in rural in-rural rural western New 4 Jersey There was hardly time for forthe forthe forthe the band members to get to know each other before things started happening for them After just three weeks of rehearsals they went into a local recording studio and tracked a five song demo 9 Recorded live with no overdubs except backing vocals The Black Bear Sessions as the band referred to themselves turned heads from day one Even before they'd played their first gig Railroad Earth was booked to perform on the stages of some of the country's most prestigious festivals and ven ven- ues Within weeks record companies were calling endorsement endorsement endorse endorse- ment deals were struck and a ai nationwide i n ide to tour r w was s in place B But t it was the intense reaction from their new fans that really brought things to the next level By the time Railroad Earth played their first few shows at the beginning of May the five Black Bear Sessions tracks had turned up on a number of download download download down down- load sites set up by enthusiastic new fans intent on spreading the word about the band The songs turned up next on and within a few weeks hundreds of people were trading music files of the demos and hunting down live versions of songs recorded during one of their small handful of live es To make it easier for people to find their songs online Railroad Earth allowed a friend to set up-an up official download site for some of Cf their songs In the first two weeks alone there were over 2500 down- down loads Todd Sheaffer was the songwriter and voice for RCA Records' Records From Good Homes whose huge nationwide following allowed them to tour the US for nearly a decade Tim Carbone and Andy Goessling were ere founding members embers of underground favorites rites The he Blue Sparks from Hell who toured the Eastern Seaboard for years to packed houses John toured the theUS theUS theUS US as a sideman playing guitar mandolin and piano for a number of notable recording artists Carey Harmons Harmon's wailing tenor vocals and rock solid drumming drumming drum drum- mi ming g made him a favorite session guy among tri-state tri bands Originally from the Bay Area Dave Von Dollen began playing upright bass with local jazz musicians when he was just 16 He joined the band right out of the New School in New York where he was study studying ng jazz While the musicianship is clearly there Railroad Earth considers considers considers con con- siders its it's greatest asset to be the natural musical synergy between its members It took only one rehearsal for the band to realize what they'd hit upon and after that session they devoted themselves full time timeto to getting ready to hit the road Combining bluegrass rock jazz Celtic and more with the soaring improvisational spirit of a jam-band jam and Todd Sheaffers Sheaffer's and instantly songs Railroad Earth has created a sound thatis refreshingly original At any given show the band will launch through a stellar musical journey into uncharted territory territory territory ter ter- ter- ter tw twisting sting and turning over son sonic c landscapes with strangely familiar themes then finding their way back to the Earth where the melody has a sing long vibe that makes you want to throw up your hands and shout out the words along with the band That is the true magic of Railroad Earth After recording an additional additional additional addi addi- five tracks to complete a full length album Railroad Earth released The Black Bear Sessions in mid-June mid to rave reviews from fans and critics alike The band will be perfo performing perform perform- ing at the Zephyr Club in Salt Lake City on November 6 For further information please call CLUB Melissa is a booking agent for Railroad Earths Earth's record company in ill Boulder A i d h l t t I 0 5 f. f t r c.- c. h r r y- y v |