Greetings all,
So I’m between conventions and drafts (though the alpha draft for Betrayed is almost done), that means things are a bit quiet on the Weech front. What that does is give me a chance to offer my humble support for a group of young people I think should get more attention than they currently do.
The band’s name is First to Eleven. From what I know about them, they have been together for quite a while (since 2009). They were a School of Rock group that has been doing covers since at least 2016. Here’s their 100K subscriber video.
I first stumbled into them when I heard their cover of Sunflower. I thought they were a pretty okay cover band. I didn’t think much more about it. I thought they had a lot of talent, but they hadn’t brought it together yet.
Then I heard their cover of Decode. That’s when I started listening more. I’m of the opinion that they’ve hit a new level since working with Kurt Hugo Schneider on their cover of So Am I.
Here’s what I like:
The lead singer, Audra Miller, is ridiculously talented. Her voice is effortlessly beautiful. In fact, a lot of the reason it took me a while to think they were ready is honestly because I think it took a while to get a vocal style and song list that challenged her. But when she’s at her best, she shows her potential to be a true star front woman. No, I’m not stating she’s the best female vocalist of all time, but I’d have no problem comparing her to Hayley Williams, who Miller is a big fan of. What I know is, I like Miller’s voice for the same reasons I like Williams’s voice. Is one better than another? People can debate that all day. Miller has the right mix of range (the number of octaves and notes she can hit) and power (how much energy she can put into her songs). If this band were to go on America’s Got Talent or some other show of that sort, I’d vote for them. If just Audra went, I’d also vote for her, but I think she’s supported by an amazing group of young me.
Guitarist Matthew Yost is, without-a-doubt, the second coming of Slash. I think that highly of him. At their age (I don’t think any of them is even 20), their talent leads me to think of them the way I think of some of the great singer, guitarist combos have come about. The right agent and the right songs can easily launch this band into the stratosphere, and I what I like most is that as talented as they are together, they make one another better. Yost really is skilled. He plays rhythm guitar with an unselfish, understated reliability, but when he’s given the chance for a solo, it’s sick! Also, he’s just fun to watch jump and head-bang around. You can see he loves what he does just watching him.
This doesn’t mean that Sam isn’t a great drummer or the bassist, Ryan, isn’t good, but it’s hard to stand out when you’re a drummer or a bassist. They don’t often get solos or front stage.
The thing that held me back (and I’m still waiting to see) is that they’re a much better cover band than original band. They’ve said on social media that they are working on more original material, and I’m very interested to hear it. They have some originals out, but those songs need to be remastered, and a number of them just don’t come together the way their newer covers do. This makes sense as the more they cover and experiment, the more quickly they’ll find the sound I think will make them stars.
That’s not to say all of their originals are bad. In fact, I’m a huge fan of their song Eighteen (I’m very angry this doesn’t at least have a performance video on Youtube). I think that song is a preview of who they could be in terms of style, musical talent, and sound. In fact, I also like Carried Away.
I’ve been watching the band’s Youtube page for about a year now, and I really think you should check it out, particularly if you are a fan of Paramore.
I’m sure they’d appreciate a subscribe and a few likes on their Youtube page, and I know they’d appreciate it if you downloaded a few of their songs (covers or originals).
With little to report on the writing front, I wanted to take a few minutes to offer a genuine endorsement for a band I think has the potential to really be something. With your help, they can get their.
Thanks for reading (or, in this case, listening),
Matt
M.L.S. Weech 