Band members expand on country genre and get back on track

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By LIZ STINSON / GZO

On Sunday afternoon, the four guys from local band AM Revival were sitting outside at Yia Yia’s musing about the ups and downs of being in a band.

For Chris Bowling (vocals and guitar), Eric Harris (drums), Matt Moeller (guitar) and Bryan Klopping (bass), playing music with one another is almost like being in a relationship.

“It’s like four people in a very polygamous relationship,” said Bowling.

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Bryan Klopping (from left), Matt Moeller, Eric Harris and Chris Bowling are the member of AM Revival, which will perform Friday at 8 at Anti-Oppression Art. (Photo courtesy Alex Jochim)

Bryan Klopping (from left), Matt Moeller, Eric Harris and Chris Bowling are the member of AM Revival, which will perform Friday at 8 at Anti-Oppression Art. (Photo courtesy Alex Jochim)

“I think that once you start playing music with people, there’s this honeymoon period where everything is great, and once that first problem arises then that’s the true test of a band,” Harris added. “If you can get through a problem and actually grow from that and realize what went wrong, then you probably can survive.”

The band has endured its fair share of rocky experiences since its beginning back in 2005. Bowling and Moeller started playing music together under the name The Awful Truth. During that period of time, they would convene in a garage and bang out country song after country song.

They found inspiration from old-time country songs and regularly played at The Zoo Bar to an oddly mixed crowd of youngish punks and older country lovers.

“For a long time, we were playing shows to random drunk punks drinking out of pitchers of beer, then like from there, I don’t know, we kept on playing and meeting new people,” Bowling said. “It’s kind of weird — all of a sudden people are finally recognizing us.”

With the addition of Harris in 2006 and Klopping in January, AM Revival has grown up and developed a new sound. Instead of twangy country tunes reminiscent of Townes Van Zandt and Hank Williams, the quartet became a drawling, country-tinged rock outfit. Without giving up their country roots, AM Revival has expanded its musical influences and allowed Bowling to play around with his songwriting.

“Basically, I write really weird songs,” Bowling said. “The time signature changes often, and there are a lot of stylistic differences.”

The band began recording with Ian Aeillo at ARC Studios in the fall of 2006 and is continuing to work on the album, which should be finished sometime later this year.

“It was a learning experience,” Bowling said. “We thought we were ready, and basically we were just a bunch of wide-eyed kids going in there, like, ‘Oh my god, this is George Martin’s mixing board — we’re going to make a great album,’ and we didn’t know what were doing.”

The guys are looking to go out on tour this summer, but first they’re navigating the muddy waters of getting signed to a label so they have resources for crossing the country.

“Hollywood idealizes the whole situation where, you know, the band is a great band and then all of a sudden the A & R rep is at their show and they’re, like, ‘We want to sign you and give you a million dollar deal and all this stuff,’” Harris said. “It’s the same as anything else. It’s not what you know, it’s who you know. I feel like that’s a big part of being successful in almost anything.”

“I know we’re saying it’s who you know, but I also think we have a genuine sound. We all bring our own different tastes,” Klopping added. “Were not trying to recreate anyone else’s sound. Were just trying to do our own thing.”

Reach Liz Stinson at 473-7254 or at estinson@journalstar.com.