Before Braille brings emo to Salem

Angela Yeager - Statesman Journal (Salem, OR)

Call them modest, but the members of Before Braille seem to be about the only ones not hyping their band these days. Jensen Communications, the company handling their publicity, asked me if I could be a part of "breaking them big." Their record company, Aezra [Records], emphasized that the band opened for Jimmy Eat World, a popular rock band from Before Braille's hometown of Mesa, Arizona. But talk to the band themselves, and they're just a bunch of hardworking guys who have toured nonstop since their debut album. "The Rumor," came out in September, 2002. They will play in Salem on Friday at the Governor's Cup Coffee Roasters. Local band The Widgets will headline the show. On their way to Fresno, California to do a performance at Tower Records store, guitarist Reggie Patel said the band had just played a disappointing show the night before. Before Braille went on last after three other bands. By the time they played - - well after midnight - - few people remained to hear them. Such is the life of a touring rock band trying to make a name for themselves. While their first single "Twenty Four Minus Eighteen" made substantial waves on college radio and "The Rumor" has had decent sales, they are by no means a household name. But they do have national distribution. The first leg of their tour will wrap up April 12 with a show in Tempe, Arizona. After that, the five guys get a short rest before heading to the East Coast. Patel, 18, is the youngest member of the band and the newest as well. He joined Before Braille while they were making "The Rumor." He was playing in a Mesa rock band at the time and was a big fan of Before Braille. "It was kind of an ironic and weird thing that I ended up being in the band," he said. I just loved their music. About 300 other bands in the East Valley of Arizona all play emo - - the same kind of music Before Braille makes. Emo sounds substantially different depending on the group, but some of the unifying factors include intense, melancholy lyrics coupled with loud abrasive guitars and piercing vocals. So what makes Before Braille stand out from the dozens of other bands that come from their city? After a long pause, Patel answered: "We play louder than most of them." Musically, Patel cites influences such as the Foo Fighters and Fugazi. He said the band is digging the new Cursive album and listening to a lot of Led Zeppelin on the road. "And I love The Shins," he said. "They're my favorite right now." Guitarist and singer David Jensen writes most of the lyrics, which tend to be full of angst and irony. The band also includes Kelly Reed on drums, Brandon Smith on bass guitar and Hans Ringger on guitar. While the band has played plenty of bar gigs, Patel said they prefer all-ages shows, which is why they ended up in a coffee house in Salem. Before Braille already had dates set in Eugene and Portland and had an extra day available. "We don't like to play 21 and over shows," Patel said. "The kids that come to all ages shows are there to appreciate music, not to drink beer." They asked to play with a popular local band - - which is where The Widgets came in. The Salem foursome has played with Helio Sequence and Audio Learning Center in the past and are looking forward to playing again with a touring group. "They sound like cool guys," said Nick Samarin, guitarist for The Widgets. "Hopefully they'll like us. I guess we'll know if they walk out." And Salem will be just another loop in a long line of cities for Before Braille. They've been writing new songs on the road and hope to get back to the recording studio eventually. Until then, they'll just have to enjoy the attention. "We're not focused on the business side," Patel said. "We're just trying to get our music out through touring as much as possible. We want to get the word going, you know?"

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