Maida Vale’s story begins the way good stories should: over a breakfast of eggs, bacon and grits…
Future bandmates Eric Case and Justin Barfield sat in the late summer morning, dreaming about a band that would be organized around nothing but great music. No hype, no crap, just great songs that people would love to hear.
Six months later, old friends Nathan Lee, Josh Fruit and Stratton Glaze joined Justin and Eric in, of all places, a church sanctuary, and the first notes and beats drifted out onto the air. By mid-May, the band was tentatively exploring the boundaries of sound, and when Nathan joined as Eric played the first few peaceful bars of “Heart”, the band knew they had seized onto something: the shock of silence, or what they also refer to as “the full dynamic range” of music.
By October 2007 the band had released a three-song EP and made its much-hyped live debut. Unexpectedly, iTunes featured the EP on the front page of its “Folk” store, and the attention boosted the release into the best-selling charts, eventually peaking at 51.
Maida Vale built on this success by returning to the studio in March 2008 to begin recording what would be come American Sun. The sessions went quickly, and this second CD was released in May. Again iTunes decided to feature the band’s work, this time featuring the CD in a banner display. American Sun went on to become a best-selling iTunes folk record, eventually peaking at 44.
The band has already played choice nights at some of the best venues in the Midwest and south, and has shared the stage with national acts such as Matt Costa the Delta Spirit.
The band continues to push at the margins of its songwriting and playing, crafting an increasingly compelling story. To join us, e-mail maidavalemusic@gmail.com or follow us on Twitter ("maidavalemusic").
Check out the new FACEBOOK SONG and if your a Facebook member be sure and join the group "Fans of AJ Downing". Stay tuned on a new album due out by the end of the year!
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