No Relief tour hits Milledgeville
The sounds of acoustic, folk and soul mixed with a little pop and R&B filled Blackbird Coffee and provided a laid-back experience.
Most shows consist of each artist playing their own individual set; however, the four young men, who all attend Georgia State University, entertained the audience by learning each other’s songs and playing them together.
“The whole idea was to create an artist community, rather than a competition, where we all play together,” said Seibel. “We all value each other’s music rather than try to beat each other’s music.”
Junior psychology major Meagan Shorey called the performance refreshing.
“I liked that they played together and meshed well as far as sound and singing,” said Shorey. “They had a lot of unique personality, but they formed a great unit when they played together.”
These singer-songwriters came together for the tour, and each made a name for himself with his own distinctive sound.
“I could go for a lot of different sounds,” said Seibel. “I really like the R&B influence.”
Some of their influences are John Mayer, James Taylor, Elvis Costello, Johnny Cash and Bob Dylan.
The four musicians have been playing together for about two months, practicing once a week to learn each other’s songs, but each of them have experienced the music world on their own.
Sechrist, 21, was taught how to play the guitar at an early age by his father and has been writing his own songs since eighth grade. His extended play, “Still I Believe” can be found on iTunes.
“I love how playing shows brings together people who would probably never otherwise meet,” Sechrist said. “Music has the power to bring people together, despite their ‘supposed’ differences.
Cashwell, 20, just finished his first Extended Play, an acoustic sample titled “American Sketches” that can also be downloaded on iTunes.
Seibel, 22, has been playing guitar for eight years and was also in a band where he played the trumpet. It was not until he started writing and playing the guitar that he really invested himself in his music.
“I’m doing this because I love writing, I love performing and because it’s awesome experience,” said Seibel.
While he enjoys being on stage and singing his songs, Seibel is also interested in the recording and producing aspect of music.
“I love to work with young bands and help them figure out how to mature their sound,” said Seibel.
He put together a compilation CD for the tour that features two songs from each artist and one song of all four men together. Seibel is ready to join his friends on iTunes with a new EP that he will be recording in June.
Lyle, 23, whose father is also a songwriter and musician, has been playing for about eight years. His EP, “Some Songs” is also on iTunes.
On his MySpace, Lyle writes about why he makes music.
“I think this life is beautiful and tragic and so full of motion and life, and I think music is the only way that I can attempt to capture that in an honest way,” wrote Lyle. “Music for me is a way to connect to this story that we all share. It’s a dialogue of life affirming life. It’s a bold and brilliant thing- even if we rarely know what it is.”
The No Relief tour will continue through mid-summer, hitting cities such as Valdosta, Savannah, Charleston and Atlanta. Check out any of their MySpace pages to hear their songs and for more information on the tour dates and locations.
Posted by Colonnade Archives
on Apr 3 2009. Filed under Features.
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