Friday, November 21st @ 7:00 PM

“Most people don’t realize how difficult it is to compose a truly great song. We all grew up listening to bands that wrote amazing songs, ones that are still getting radio play. If we can write something meaningful today, and have it continue to be relevant 10 or 20 years from now, that will be the true measure of how we’re doing.” A four-piece modern rock outfit from Southern California, the exies blend an unmistakable penchant for classic song crafting with the intensity and refinement of today’s post-modern tip.

In the midst of a relentless tour schedule in the summer of 2000, the exies rocked the City Stages Festival in Birmingham, Alabama, garnering the attention of Grammy-winning Producer Matt Serletic. Nearly all of 2001 found Serletic and the band holed up in the studio, patiently constructing the eleven tracks that make up Inertia. Aggressive and smooth, organic and polished, sweeping and focused, their sound warrants otherwise contradictory adjectives, and provides a dynamic progression not found on many rock playlists. Perhaps even more notably, their lyrics diverge from the standard rage and disillusionment that has dominated the airwaves in recent years.

Thematically, the band’s songs sing of human interaction, encompassing a broad spectrum of issues ranging from personal tragedy, to relationship highs and lows, to redemption and forgiveness. In My Goddess, the exies warn against the pitfalls of an unquestioned existence: “Now you see what you get when you lose yourself, when you don’t know who you are.” The title track finds the band breaking free from the past, while letting life run its proper course. And perhaps most poignantly, the enigmatically titled Creeper Kamikaze digs deep into the anguish of depression and its crippling effects, while offering hope for absolution and rebirth. Despite the lofty and introspective themes, the band’s songs remain remarkably accessible and refreshingly relevant, striking a chord that resonates with the audience and begs to be sung.

Sonically, the band simply rocks. The album flows with urgency and calm, with pacing and sequencing that remind us that records really can take you somewhere, rather than leaving you feeling cheated with one or two great songs and a dozen throwaways. Utilizing inventive programming, rich harmonies, and even a full orchestra, the exies serve up ear candy in tasteful helpings. But in the end, this is a guitar band, rock to the core, with infectious melodies and phrasing that will appeal to a wide range of listeners. From start to finish, the songs are memorable, the production crisp, the vibe contagious.

So tune in, turn up, rock out.
“Inertia comes around.” – the exies

» www.theexies.com

» Check out the rest of the bands performing on the LG Music Stage