After a long tour and a short break during which they recorded another album, The Myriad is back on the road "Like lime sherbet for your ears and your heart." This is how The Myriad's Myspace describes the band's sound. However, listeners aren't the only ones getting the sweet end of the deal.
With a growing fan base nationwide and a new record in the works, the future looks bright for this Seattle-based band. The Myriad is composed of Jeremy Edwardson on vocals and guitar, John Roger Schofield on bass, Steven Tracy on guitar and keys, Jonathan Young on guitar and Randy Miller on drums. Their album "You Can't Trust a Ladder" has earned rave reviews and the distinction of being selected as Relevant magazine's staff pick upon its debut in 2005.
"We needed something quirky and not boring and emotional," said Schofield about the title of the band's previous album. "Giving someone the tactile experience [that everyone's had of being] on a ladder and kind of freaked [is what] we thought [of as] an interesting way [to look] at life -- striving to climb the ladder, but freaking out as well." As the Myriad have continued to climb the ladder of success, they've had to deal with the difficulties that come with life on the road.
"We left home September 2 and we get home on December 10," Edwardson said. "That's like [an entire] year. You have breaks every now and then, [but] we're in the early stages where you just get in your van and you go go go go.
" "Last year we were out for about eight months out of the year after recording an album in January," Young adds. "I can say that none of us would probably be out here if we didn't have a lot of strong support from our families," Edwardson said. "We get a lot of [people saying] 'How can you do that?
!' My wife is expecting our first [child] on December 5 and technically we're not supposed to be home until [after]," Young said. "But I'm going to leave the tour a little early to fly home.
I'm missing the whole third trimester of my wife's pregnancy. Stuff like that is really tough, but it's also part of the life that we have." "You've got to really like doing this if you're going to do it," Schofield adds.
"A lot of up and coming bands [ask me] 'What do we have to do to get on the road?' [I say] you have to like music, but you have to love driving. [When you're on tour], you're a professional trucker.
Then you've got to be a professional retailer when you get to the shows. Retail, retail, drive, drive, drive." His advice for aspiring musicians: "Love driving.
Write music for the audience, not yourself. Don't write things that make you love yourself and [make you] super excited to sit in your room and play an 18-minute song, but think about people who [will be] listening to it. Try to draw them in and light up their lives.
" "I've gone to listen to some artists [play songs from albums] that I really enjoy, and [after] I saw them live, I've wanted to break the disk," Young confessed. "Every time I listen to [those albums] I keep seeing [the artists'] pretentiousness [or] whatever the case may be." Luckily nothing of the sort can be said about The Myriad.
Known for their electric and engaging performances, the band pulls out all stops during shows. Accented by burning incense and dueling guitars, The Myriad's live performance is arguably among the best. Their energy and showmanship is captivating and includes elements like Young using a cello bow to play the guitar (a very Led Zeppelin-esque sentiment).
"I want to take people out of their lives and take them to another place [through our shows]," Schofield said. "Our best shows are when we are aren't thinking [but are just] being ourselves." "I like to think that our live performance is an extension of our recorded music," Young said.
"In the live performance you actually feel the base, feel the kick drum and it adds to the whole ambiance of the music. [It is my hope that] if you see a Myriad show you walk away [with] memories of incense smelling or lights [flashing] or the movements and the smiles." "We once played in Independence, Missouri, at a metal club," Schofield said.
"And we're not a metal band. [At first we were wondering], 'Hmm, should we play?' We played in front of about 10 people [that night].
The bartender had ram's horns tattooed into his head, [though] he was actually a pretty cool guy. One girl that was there was having a rough time. I guess she broke up with her boyfriend and was going to leave and [run away from home].
She was really distraught, but liked the song 'Disappointed Together.' She came up crying afterward and wanted to meet us. She said she'd been hurting all day and [the song] really affected her.
" Continuing the story, Young said: "The sole reason she wanted to come there was just to forget about [her pain], to drown her sorrows and drink and totally get hammered. But [that song] touched her so much that she decided that she just wanted to go home. So she just went home, probably cried a little bit and went to bed.
But that's what [the song] meant to her. That's what it wanted her to do. Maybe inside she didn't really want to get drunk to forget everything.
It was only a temporary fix. I think she understood that. I think that after listening to the song she decided 'I just want to go home and face this head on.
' I like to think that that song gave her courage." "[I hope people will] remember us by our music and by how much it affects them. We're thankful for everyone that chooses to take an interest in our music, and I hope that it affects them," he said.
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