The eyebrows are interesting body parts," Jay Garrigan says. "They're the windows to the soul and they frame everything."
They also give their name to Garrigan's spikey yet melodic rock trio, The Eyebrows, and nowadays they're framing a bright and expanding picture for guitarist and singer-songwriter Garrigan, drummer Shawn Lynch and bassist Darrin Gray. The Charlotte trio has completed their latest album Volume, ten punchy and emotional tunes that recall the snarky smarts and wiry grooves of new wave performers like Nick Lowe and Athens, Georgia's Pylon.
But don't take our word for it. Volume, which gets a physical CD and vinyl release party at Snug Harbor on September 1, has garnered effusive praise from publications like No Depression, Magnet Magazine and The Big Takeover.
All the positive attention for Volume is a little bit disorienting to Garrigan and Lynch, who have been playing together off and on in various rock combos — including Poprocket and Bruce Hazel's transcendent Temperance League — since 1999. What distinguishes this Eyebrows record from previous releases is a new strategy, according to Garrgian.
- Jay Garrigan (Photo by Daniel Coston)
"This record is not a last hurrah," he continues. "It's about, 'Let's do things differently.'" For starters, Garrigan and crew made a conscious decision to work with seasoned indie rock veterans. Volume was produced by Mitch Easter at Fidelitorium Recording Studio in Kernersville, North Carolina and mastered by Greg Calbi at Sterling Sound in New York City. If you swap the now-shuttered Reflection Sound Studio in Charlotte for Fidelitorium, this is the team and facilities that produced and mastered R.E.M.'s classic debut album, Murmur.
Originally Garrigan and crew were going to host a listening party for the new album and call it a day, but instead they decided to approach Athens-based public relations firm Team Clermont.
"Shawn and I grew up a little bit and realized it's not just about sitting in the basement writing songs and having fun in the studio," Garrigan explains. "You have to get with the right people who want to call attention to the record."
The partnership with Team Clermont has exceeded The Eyebrows' expectations. On only the second week of the PR firm's radio campaign, the band has gotten play on 22 stations, a figure that is likely to expand exponentially, Garrigan says.
"It's like a dream come true," he continues <<more>>
read the entire article by Pat Moran here at Creative Loafing.
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