Greenville Scene

Needtobreathe release their second studio album The Heat on Atlantic Records August 28th, 2007. The band is a four-piece rock/pop outfit from Seneca, SC.

Bear Rinehart: vocals, guitar, piano
Bo Rinehart: guitar, backing vocals
Seth Bolt: bass, backing vocals
Joe Stillwell: drums

by: Michelle Hannon

GS: Did you know that the photo at the top of our website is a
Needtobreathe photo? I don’t really know if its Bo or Bear but he kind of looks like Liam Gallagher.

Joe Stillwell: Well, we appreciate the graphic love. We are a “brothers band”, but we won’t make any Oasis comparisons until we start declaring ourselves the “best band in the world.”

GS: Is the current lineup all original members?

JS: For the most part, yeah. Bear and I started the band around ‘99, but that stuff was on a whole different side of the spectrum from what we’ve been doing since Bo and Seth joined. I like to think that we’re all the original members of NEEDTOBREATHE as it was meant to be…the version with electric guitars and only minimal hand percussion.

GS: I saw you open for Skypark at least 6 years ago in Travelers Rest. What has been your approach to building up your band since then?

JS: Wow, that’s old school! I remember that show. Well, we were playing regularly while all of us were still in college, so we were pretty used to being on the road already. Once we graduated we stepped it up about ten notches touring-wise. We held down some very flexible part-time jobs for a couple years until we signed with Atlantic, but it’s been nothing but the band since then.

GS: Seneca isn’t exactly a hotbed of musical activity. How did you push yourselves to make music a career? How did being from Possum Kingdom/Seneca affect that?

JS: Not a hotbed!? Come on, now. Not only is Seneca the home of NEEDTOBREATHE, it’s also the home of the one and only Jackyl! If that’s not a hotbed, I don’t know what is. We pushed ourselves by playing everywhere that would have us.

You have to be willing to spend some serious time on the road when you come from such a small town. But it’s great being from Seneca. We still live here. It keeps us grounded to be in a place where everybody knows us, and most of them knew us before we were ever in a band. They make sure we don’t get too full of ourselves.

GS: I believe that if you truly have talent, you can be from anywhere and just play out and get noticed. Do you think this is a fair statement? What would you say to bands in this area (the Greenville area) who are trying to pursue music as a career?

JS: I’d say that’s true. Really good music will always draw support, but like I said before, you have to be willing to really get out there and play. I would encourage bands from around here to play out every chance you get. No show is a bad show when you’re first starting out. And if you treat shows where you play to ten people like you’re playing to a thousand, it really makes a difference. It’s all about connecting with the crowd and giving them something real. People can tell automatically if you think you’re too good to be playing to a small crowd. The crowds do get bigger if you’re putting all of yourself into every show.

GS: Given that Bear & Bo grew up on a Christian camp in Possum Kingdom and that the band has recently toured with Jars of Clay, how does religion/spirituality influence your music, if at all?

JS: I don’t think we really have a choice in the matter. When you write songs, your personal life is always involved to some degree, and since we’re all Christians, our faith is evident in our music. Sometimes it’s intentional, and sometimes it isn’t, but it’s a huge part of who we are as individuals and who we are as a band.

GS: What is your goal in regard to the band/your music?

We just hope that people really appreciate what we do.
You want people to be fans of your band, not just of one song they hear on the radio. We want fans who would still support us if we decided to do a country record or an electronic record. You can build a very long career on fans like that, and we want to do this as long as we can.

GS: Who were your favorite bands as teenagers? What are you listening to now?

JS: As a teenager I was very into all the mid-90’s grunge stuff. Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, STP, Nirvana, all that stuff. Then I saw Jump, Little Children, and I was hooked! I followed their stuff ever since the first record. Lately I’ve been getting into the Kings of Leon, The Bravery, Joe Cocker, Mat Mayes and El Torpedo, The Racontuers, and Fiona Apple. It’s really a grabbag with us. We listen to whatever we can get our hands on, and everything gets at least one chance before it gets tossed out of the van.

www.needtobreathe.net
www.myspace.com/needtobreathe

Sign up for the GreenvilleScene email list and you will be registered to win two free tickets to see The Winter Sounds w/ Slow Runner, The Dirty Eighties and Everlasting Earle. The show is this Friday, August 31st at Gypsy G’s @ 9pm. Otherwise the show is $6 / $10 if you’re under 21. 18 & up only.

8.24 - Fernandina w/ Nick Pagliari and Vinyl Strangers. 10pm @ Gypsy G’s
also playing tonight: Niel Brooks & Michael King @ Coffee Underground, Stephanie’s Id @ The Showroom

8.25 - Ben Kweller. 8pm @ The Grey Eagle in Asheville.
also playing: The Gentle Suit w/ Coma Cinema and Portabella @ Ground Zero.
Mitch Easter. 3pm @ The Bohemian/Horizon FREE!

by: Daniel McCord

As the sun nestled into the trees surrounding Clemson Monday evening, the new freshman class were returning from the welcome back activities to find quite possibly the best (if not the first) indie rock show of their young lives, whether they knew it or not. Maybe there was some indie pop and folk thrown in for variety, but we won’t get technical.

The turnout was heavy on Bowman Field, with everyone lounging in the grass, giving the concert a festival feel. Dave Dondero ushered in the evening with his soulful storytelling on songs like “Rothko Chapel” and “South of the South.” Dondero attended Clemson almost two decades ago, forming rock band Sunbrain and later playing drums for This Bike is a Pipe Bomb. His recent songs give a certain credibility to the singer-songwriter oeuvre, forcing listeners to believe that he’s lived the tales of which he sings. With a single acoustic guitar, borrowing stylistically from classic country, and a gritty yet dulcet vocal presence, Dondero was able to take the young crowd down roads they’ve yet to travel.

Athens’ Elf Power took the stage next, with a promise of higher energy, even in the sweltering summer heat. They turned the tone of the night towards rock with their guitar-laced psychedelic sounds. Andrew Rieger’s smooth vocals charmed the crowd and Heather McIntosh’s fingers lit up the night, both on cello and keys. With a very tight sound, songs like “Back to the Web” hypnotized the crowd and brought them closer to the stage. McIntosh’s masterful cello gave the band the depth it needed, alternating between silky harmonies and violent wailings reminiscent of Cursive’s better days.

The Rosebuds, who hail from Raleigh but are no strangers to Clemson, brought their catchy, synth-fueled indie pop to Bowman Block Party yet another year. And boy, have they grown! For listeners used to the singalong acoustic stylings of Ivan Howard and Kelly Crisp, the new album is a swift kick in the pants. Crisp’s synths have taken a domineering post, inspiring dancing in all who listen. Of course, they brought back old school classics “Back to Boston” and “Boxcar,” but they also rocked out new songs like “Get Up Get Out.” The Rosebuds brought down the metaphorical house when they closed their set by inviting any and all members of the crowd onstage with them to sing backup on “I Better Run.”

Last but not least was Clemson’s own By’r Lady, burning the midnight oil – literally. The three-piece rockers sounded polished as always, playing old favorites and new songs such as – actually – “The New Song.” Dwight Hutchenson’s vocals were a pleasant lullaby as the night wore down, and Ben Shealy split vocal duty on a few songs, including a cover of Donovan’s “Riki Tiki Tavi.” Even drummer Jason Walter joined in, speeding up things with a fun cover of Richard Hell and the Voidoids’ “Love Comes in Spurts.” By’r Lady closed down the evening with their breakdown-laden “Bellyache,” and all was well in the city of Clemson.