O D D C Z A R

Greensboro, North Carolina quartet, Borrow, craft sophisticated, well thought-out alternative rock music. Plain and simple. There is little in the way of gimmick or bells and whistles; only passionate, bellowing rock. By releasing two full-lengths and playing numerous shows over the last couple of years, Borrow continue to expand their fan-base…or rather, perhaps we should call them Borrow’s flock? For as much as the outfit is expanding their fan-base, they are equally converting a congregation.

For Fans Of: The Republic of Wolves, Seahaven, Touché Amoré   Social Sites: Facebook, Tumblr, Bandcamp

<a href=”http://barrowband.bandcamp.com/album/being-without” data-mce-href=”http://barrowband.bandcamp.com/album/being-without”>Being Without by Barrow</a>

Please list all of your band members and their roles in the band. Travis Schuster - Guitar and Vocals Zach Tobin - Guitar and Vocals Jacob Beeson - Bass and Vocals Matt Clark - Drums and Vocals What’s your hometown (or what are your hometowns)? Greensboro, North Carolina is essentially our “home base,” for lack of better words.  It’s where we’ve all ended up even though we grew up in smaller, adjacent towns. How did the band come together? How long has it been? Matt and I (Travis) were in a band together for a few years and we had always enjoyed playing together, so it was only natural for us to continue doing so.  Zach and I have been very close friends since we were young and we basically learned to play guitar alongside one another, so even after we had numerous failed attempts at seriously playing music together in the past, it was extremely exciting for me to finally be able to play with him, as I think we’ve always been happy playing and writing together.  We recorded our two song demo with a different guitarist (Wil) in the beginning of 2010 and had a whole lot of inactivity between then and recording Being Without in June of 2011.  Up until May of 2012 our good friend Tyler played bass for us, but after being offered an awesome job, he asked Jacob, who had been a good friend of ours and roommate at the time to take over on bass.  Now we’re here, in 2013, preparing to release a second record. Why should people listen to your band? That’s a great question! (laugh)  I don’t know, for me I feel like Barrow is something that we devote an enormous amount of collective energy to; physically, mentally, emotionally, everything.  Why should you listen to us?  I’d say because we’re honest; we mean what we say and we truly enjoy what we’re doing.  I won’t sit here and say we’re entirely unique or original, but I can guarantee that everything we’re doing is passionate and heartfelt.  We think it sounds okay, too, but all we can do with that is hope that you feel the same. How have you grown since you started? In a lot of ways, actually.  We really started without trying to do anything serious and after experiencing a lot of the really negative sides of the music scene in past projects, we knew exactly what to avoid and what to strive for in this one.  Musically?  I think we’re a lot more comfortable in our own skin, at least I am.  I think we’ve got a solid lineup of people who mesh well and our second record is something that I feel to be more mature than our first by leaps and bounds; it’s simpler, more cohesive, and honestly just a straightforward example of what we want to be doing with music.  As people?  We’ve certainly learned a lot about one another, but we’re taking this one step at a time with the mindset of “let’s go where we go without expectations and simply hope for the best.” What sets you apart from other bands? Once again, this is kind of a difficult question.  All of us really listen to completely different music — there are things I listen to that I don’t think any of the other guys would even be a little bit into and I can say the same about some of the things they’re into.  We’re not some band where everyone’s mostly into heavy music or soft music or anything like that; actually, I think Jacob and I are really the only ones who get super into heavier stuff.  I think those influences and opposing forces are really what might set us apart in one way or another — it’s almost like we’re constantly working against each other and it helps to create a certain kind of end product.   What’s the best part about being in your band? There is nothing good about it.  I hate them all.  Kidding, of course.  I think that might be the best part, though; we don’t really take ourselves too seriously.  We play music that is, for the most part, “serious” in tone and nature.  Pretty dark, actually, I think, but we’re all around fun enough people.  We enjoy one another’s company when we’re not stressing over one thing or another and we’re always going to be there for each other when we need it.  Our friendship, our personal lives, our families, all of those kinds of things will always come above our “band stuff” and we’re totally understanding of that.