TELL TALE HEART (Available on iTunes): General Info
Member Since
10/7/2005
Band Members
Joel Dodson (vocals, guitar, percussion) Andrew Carter (drums) Alex Hammond (bass, vocals)
Influences
Sunny Day Real Estate, Jeff Buckley, mewithoutYou, Pinback, Explosions in the Sky, Appleseed Cast, Mew, Roadside Monument, the Casket Lottery, Traindodge
You know that feeling of release and exhilaration and jubilation you get from shouting your beliefs and hopes and dreams from the top of a cliff into the sunset? The wind lifts your words and carries them, dispersing them, disseminating them so they can grow, thrive, be.
That’s the feeling you get while listening to Tell Tale Heart. Their music lifts you, washes over you, enfolds and uplifts you. This is music to shout to the sky to; this is music that says what you’re feeling and makes it so.
The three players known as Tell Tale Heart—Joel Dodson (voice, guitar), Alex Hammond (bass) and Andrew Carter (drums)—each bring a disparate set of influences and musical preferences. Andrew’s into math rock (odd time signatures and drum beats, naturally), Joel singer-songwriters (Jeff Buckley’s Grace remains both inspiration and motivation) and Alex, oddly enough, a mix of pop-punk, classical, and jazz (hey, the guy studied music theory in college). These divergent backgrounds contribute to the uniqueness of the trio.
“We want to make sure that all three of our influences come through,” explains Joel. “They’re each a different part of the puzzle.”
Since the band’s formation two years ago, the three have come together twice weekly to share ideas, hum melodies, work out chord progressions, determine time signatures. “I had some ideas that were all in my head,” explains Joel, “so I had to use this vehicle to get them all out. As we began to form this idea of what we wanted to do, Andrew and Alex started writing more songs.” Lyrics generally come last, after the composition is complete, often composed on the spot by Joel.
In late 2006, the band self-recorded and released a six-song EP which served as its calling card, something for the fans to take home after each moving and sweat-soaked live performance. And oh, what a live performance it is: Joel and Alex careening, crashing, never standing still, Andrew fully immersed in making the beats and leading the time shifts. It’s so electric, the guys have already shared a stage with many of their idols, among them Appleseed Cast, Decibully, Headlights, and Life and Times.
Though the members of Tell Tale Heart are, indeed, Christians, this is not a Christian band. Joel sums it up beautifully: “As individuals, we have so many things that are going on in our lives that are real and hard and great and terrible, and it just seems very difficult to swing that into being a Christian band. As soon as you do that, you’re saying part of you is gonna be put on hold so you can always deliver a positive message. And that’s very hard; that’s an unnatural thing to make yourself do as a human.”
Tell Tale Heart is currently at work on a yet-to-be-named full-length album. They’re targeting a spring ’08 release, with regional touring to follow.
As for the name, Tell Tale Heart really isn’t an ode to Edgar Allen Poe, though he did coin the phrase. Explains Joel, “The heart has something to say, and there’s really no way that we can speak it. I guess the best we can do is make our music somehow express that. We’re telling the tale of what’s inside all of us.”
in case you were wondering... i'm playing monday, july 28 8pm the underground (the red sea) delmar $7 probably the last show i'll be playing for a while. come hang out.
joel! i was going to call you last night, then i remembered my phone is screwed up... i road over to coffee cartel twice from my house... plus, there is a new video on my page you need to see. we need to do some shredding soon! cheers
hey guys. are you playin at cruisin rt 66 on monday the 14. alex came into my work and mentioned it. just wanted to make sure. would love to see you live.
in case you havent heard,some one hacked into my youtube account & deleted all of my videos,almost 800 of them,so if you were using a youtube code for your video on your page then it wont play anymore,i am working around the clock trying to restore all your videos but it takes an hour for each one & its ALOT of videos,so as soon as they are done i will send them to your comments so you can repost them,but plz dont delete them from your page until i send you the new ones that way i can see who needs to replace their videos & try to get those done first,ok?
I just bought you off iTunes!! and now listening to you on my ipod...wow...can't believe it..i miss your shows...maybe I will have to sneak in and out sometime
i bought your cd on iTunes yesterday and i fell in love. joel remember the documentary i made about you guys for my school project? what you said totally relays in your music. you guys did an incredible job at capturing emotion. i just thought i would drop in and tell you how much i love the new album. i miss you guys a lot! hopefully i'll see you in july!!
Hey TellTale Heart, tomorrow is the last day to sign up to Rock The Revolution, so don't miss out on your chance to open for Linkin Park, Busta Rhymes, Chris Cornell, The Bravery, and Ashes Divide! Click the pic for all the details and good luck!!
Happy Birthday Joel! Sorry I couldn't make it to the party; were you surprised? Actually Sat. was my little bro's b-day too, so I went out to dinner with the fam. Hope you had fun anyway!
So how are sales? Did my shout out cause a spike in demand for your new album? Speaking of your new album, whan can I come get my copy? Wait, let me guess, this Friday night?... I'm there! See you homies soon.
hey dude's. a new song is up. the vocals are a little sketchy but that's what happens when you do it all in one day with a program you've never used before (or i just can't sing but whatev's )!!! let me know what you guys think!! it's called "Geanie's Song" for the new 2009 album "Love Songs for Acoustic Girls".
Hey guys, congrats on your awesome show! I was totally impressed. You guys rocked it out! The only problem is I forgot to grab a c.d. What a dummy, at the c.d. release party no less. Anyway it was a blast and the crowd loved you- so Rock On!
Hey im good, hope your well. Im moveing back to the STL very soon, so we must meet up sometime. Sorry I cant send messages, theres something wrong with my myspace account. If you were wondering.
