| | Soulful Southeast Exhibit - The Loft
Despite the no-no of putting their adopted genre in their album title,
The Loft actually is fairly soulful. It helps that their album is
well-recorded and well-mixed, the better to hear the rich textures of
Nathan Johnson's Hammond organ. Johnson achieves a single sound
throughout the album, threading through the album's 13 tracks.
Likewise, his piano - on tunes like "For Medicinal Purposes Only,"
which breaks down into a rave-up - is recorded with the same crispness.
A big reason for the band's professional sound is John Banzhoff's
urgently (and earnestly) growled vocals. It doesn't really matter what
he's singing. He makes it work. The album is soulful, funky, creatively
arranged, and cool. Even if the music is never profoundly original, it
transcends the generic in just about every aspect. A well-played debut
of which to be proud. Oblique Strategies sez: "Use 'unqualified'
people."
| | 05.21.04
Although their style of music isn’t my usual cup of tea, their sound begs to be recognized. With background organs that swirl and a lead vocalist who knows all too much about soul singing, this jam band creates lush tracks full of emotion. “Brown Hair Blue Eyes” was a power-packed song with diverse vocals and an uptempo sound. This is the kind of band that you can only get into when you see live, which is where I believe their best element lies. Fooling April fiends won’t be disappointed!
Favorite Tracks: For Medicinal Uses Only, Universal Intro
Rating: 3.5 stars
| | The Tennessean (Nashville Publication) |
| http://tennessean.com/entertainment/music/columnists/embry/archives/04/04/50272446.shtml?Element_ID=50272446
John Banzhoff, the charismatically intense lead singer of Nashville
rock band The Loft, can at least laugh now while conjuring up the
band's comically nightmarish first live gig from several years ago.
"It was at a club called Gentleman Jim's in Murfreesboro," he begins.
"They had no stage. In fact, there was an indention in the floor, so you played 'up' to the crowd.
"Everybody in there was really old and really drunk. We were told right
from the start, 'Do not play until their jukebox gets done!' " says
Banzhoff, who at the time was still a teenager, as were most of his
bandmates.
"After the very first song we played live, a guy came up, waved a $100
bill, and said he'd give it to me if we stopped playing right now.
"You know, that hurts really bad when someone says that to you."
Banzhoff and crew shook off the slight and continued playing, of course
— the $100 bill perhaps redirected to either a bar bill or a bail
bondsman. The Loft celebrates its first-ever studio recording, the
just-released Soulful Southeast Exhibit, at a record-release show
tomorrow night at 12th & Porter, where the new record will sell for
a fan-friendly $3.
From humble beginnings in the Gallatin loft of Banzhoff's bass-playing
big brother, Phil, the band slowly but surely built a fan base while
expanding from a four-piece to a six-piece. The Loft justifiably draws
comparisons to soulful, R&B-influenced Southern rock outfits such
as The Black Crowes and The Allman Brothers Band — particularly the
former, considering Banzhoff's Chris Robinson-by-way-of Otis Redding
vocals.
Early on, The Loft's key local dates included regular bookings at the
appropriately loftlike Windows on the Cumberland on Second Avenue. "We
have the most amazing fans. So many people have been there from the
very beginning," says lead guitarist John Burke, a Canadian transplant
who joined the band four years ago.
Burke's the baby at age 21. His bandmates — the Banzhoffs, drummer Jon
Biggs, rhythm guitarist Chris White and keyboardist Nathan Johnson —
are not much older. Neither are their fans.
"There is no better feeling than having people singing my words right
back at me," says the younger Banzhoff, 24, who writes all of the
band's lyrics.
Touring has been at a relentless 100-dates-a-year clip for each of the
past three years, in college towns and roadhouses, Thursdays through
Saturdays on the wheels of a rehabbed airport shuttle bus purchased at
an auto auction for $4,500.
"We kind of fell into a groove with the touring," Burke says.
"We're used to it by now. If we don't play for a week or so, we really miss it."
The Loft earns its reputation as a working-class band. Each continues
to work a day job. Burke toils at CD Warehouse in Rivergate. Phil
Banzhoff's a painter. Lead singer John makes sandwiches at a chain deli
in his hometown of Gallatin.
"Nathan does something with computers. He's really the only one of us getting by pretty well," Burke quips.
Thankfully, Soulful Southeast Exhibit's production from Eric "Honky"
Tonkin at Nashville's Omnisound Studios keeps the band's
blood-sweat-and-tears live groove intact.
"We laid all the tracks down in a week," John Banzhoff says. "I did my
vocals in a couple of days. The way we recorded the album lended itself
more to the live show. We sat in the studio at the same time, played
live and recorded just the drums and bass. . . . Another reason to do
that is that a click track just drives us all insane."
Ditto mentioning the phrase "jam band."
"That's a pet peeve of mine," he says. "It's inevitable, because we do
jam in the songs, but there's not like 10-minute jams or anything.
We're really straightforward rock and roll, with some funk."
The stage dress is funky, too, all jeans and untucked shirts. "Most of
the time," says John Banzhoff, explaining what should be the obvious,
"we're coming straight from work."
On the Web: www.lovetheloft.com.
Pat Embry is general manager/editor of The Rage. Check out his weekly
On My Mind column in The Rage each Thursday or at www.nashvillerage.
com. E-mail him at pembry@nashvillerage.com.
| | Nashville Rage (Nashville publication) |
|
http://nashvillerage.com/
On My Mind
By Pat Embry
CD of the Week -
The Loft, Soulful Southeast Exhibit. Great live rock bands don't
necessarily get captured appropriately in the studio, particularly
Southern acts. New Orleans' R&B and funk veterans The Neville
Brothers come to mind, as do Florida's The Allman Brothers Band. Ditto
Atlanta's now-defunct Black Crowes, to whom Nashville's young rockers
The Loft are most compared. Fortunately, The Loft's first-ever studio
release manages to stay true to the band's nightclub-tightened grooves
and emotion.
Producer Eric
"Honky" Tonkin and the band knocked out the record in a week or so at
Nashville's Omnisound Studios. As in the band's frequent concert
appearances, lead singer and chief lyricist John Banzhoff's expressive
vocals on standout tracks such as Home, Brown Hair Blue Eyes and Disco
remain at the front of the mix.
This makes for a
great roadhouse record, better suited for a car stereo than a living
room. We'll hope for more change-of-pace ballads on the next record,
but for now this is "mission accomplished" in capturing the power and
passion of these road dogs. The Loft plays a record-release show at 9
pm Sat., Apr. 24, at 12th & Porter ($7 21-and-over, $10 18-20),
where the new record will be sold for $3. See my Night Life column in
the Friday, April 23, Weekend section of The Tennessean
(www.tennessean.com/entertainment) for an interview with the band, as
well as www.lovetheloft.com on the Web.
Sherraden's 20th
year at Hatch - Congratulations to Hatch Show Print manager Jim
Sherraden, who on Mon., Apr. 26, marks his 20th year at the venerable
Lower Broadway letter-press print shop. Hatch, now owned by the Country
Music Hall of Fame and Museum, is best known for its concert playbills
that have featured everyone from the days of vaudeville to Coldplay.
Hatch last week kicked off its yearlong 125th anniversary celebration
with an art opening at the Arts Company, 215 Fifth Ave. N.
(www.hatchshowprint.com)
Pat Embry is
general manager/editor of The Rage. Check out his weekly Night Life
column in each Friday's Weekend section of The Tennessean.
www.tennessean.com/entertainment. Email him at pembry@nashvillerage.com
| | The Rage (Nashville publication) |
| http://nashvillerage.com/
The six young musicians who make up The Loft can't seem to sit still long enough to record a studio album.
They planned to release one last year, but their 100-date-per-year touring schedule, on top of their full-time day jobs, didn't allow much room for studio time.
Now, the group has not one, but two CDs in the works: a live disc to be released by Halloween, and that long-awaited studio album, due out early next year. ''Of course, we said that last year!'' guitarist John Burke tells The Rage, jokingly.
During the past seven years, the sextet has brought their groove-laden mix of rock, soul and funk to hedonistic crowds throughout the Southeast. The Motown-inspired bass and keyboard riffs on the aptly titled Disco set a head-bobbing pace for tunes such as Who to Believe, which give a nod to mentors such as the Black Crowes, Blues Traveler and Van Morrison.
As their fan base grows in ''driving towns'' ó cities such as Knoxville, Atlanta and Bowling Green ó The Loft played to their first live audience at the tiny Second Avenue jam band-friendly Windows on the Cumberland.
''We owe a lot to (club owner) Boots (Hill),'' Burke says. ''Actually, we think he's the coolest club owner in Nashville.''
ó Heather Johnson
The Loft headlines the Rage Against Hunger benefit on at 8pm Thu., Oct. 23, at Mercy Lounge, 1 Cannery Row. Mile 8 and Lower Level also perform. Admission is $7. Call 251-3020 for more information.
| | Sidelines, the MTSU paper |
| http://www.mtsusidelines.com/main.cfm?include=detail&storyid=523012
Dance Up To The Loft
Nashville band of 6 tells tales of road hijinks
By Leslie Carol Boehms
Media Credit: www.lovetheloft.com
The Loft gives one of the best live shows in the Middle Tennessee area.
That's really all there is to it. I mean sure, there's their energetic brand of toe-tapping songs, but really - what is music without the inspirational jive a band brings to a live performance?
"I guess [we're] soulful rock 'n' roll," said lead guitarist John Burke. "Its a high-energy live show - pretty heartfelt and honest. I think people connect with that."
Often likened to the Black Crowes, The Loft manages to infuse some Crowes musicality while still maintaining an originally composed musical overture. This six-piece definitely knows how to play some fancy rock 'n' roll music.
The Nashville-based band is composed of six members. There's Burke, John Banzhoff (lead vocals), Nathan Johnson (piano), Chris White (acoustic guitar), Phil Banzhoff (bass, backing vocals) and Jon Biggs (drums). They mastered this line-up in 2000 and have, in the past three years, managed to perform almost 100 gigs each year.
"We played Riverstages this year and it was great to be on a big stage playing with some of our favorite bands," Burke said. "Our bus was next to Gov't Mules' and we are all big fans of theirs ... that's all it takes to get us acting like little kids."
The Loft has also opened for artists such as Rich Robinson's group Hookah Brown and Lynyrd Skynyrd.
"Playing AmSouth opening for Lynyrd Skynyrd and again at Buzzfest was cool," Burke said. "And Exit/In with Col. Bruce Hampton - Exit/In was something we'd all dreamed about for years."
When you're playing around 100 shows a year, you can bet there are some pretty interesting stories to tell. And boy, does this band have a barrel full of stories.
"We actually have a fresh bad story," Burke said. "We were on the way to Memphis last Friday and blew a tire on the bus. We thought we could make it on one tire if we kept the weight off that side of the bus. Well, it turns out we couldn't. So, we spent the night at a truck stop and threw a little party for ourselves."
But wait - the stories get better.
"Another story was getting to Tuscaloosa and there was some miscommunication about the details," Burke said. "We basically drove four hours to lose a lot of money and play for no one - but we did however get free booze all night. I guess both of those had happy endings, actually."
You could say, however, that the inception of The Loft happened far before 2000. Brothers John and Phil Banzhoff grew up with rock music in their veins - or at least a rock band name.
"Well, the two brothers John and Phil had a loft in their room and that's kind of where we started doing creative stuff - like rapping when we were really young, before we could even play any instruments, just a place to hang out, really," Chris White said.
Musical influences for The Loft range from Stevie Wonder to Motown and the Stones to newer bands like Lucero and Drive By Truckers and, of course, the Black Crowes. Locally, Burke cites friends in Common Ground as having "had a big effect on us, too."
And then you bring in the concept of songwriting. With a group of six, this could be a complicated matter. However, The Loft has quite the "family" mentality when dealing with this topic.
"[Songwriting] is definitely a group effort between the six of us - it wouldn't be the same if one were taken out of the equation," Burke said. "Everyone is capable of bringing a song to the band and I think that's pretty special."
As for their ever-elusive debut full-length album, well, it's still in the works.
"We kind of got caught up in a lot of business stuff for a while and put things on hold we shouldn't have," Burke said. "I think we just decided it was best to get an album out to people that really represented us and good things would come if people just had access to the music."
So, the day after Christmas, the band embarks on a two-week recording retreat of sorts at Omnisound studios in Nashville - finally completing something they've had in the works for a couple of years now.
The Loft is one of the hardest working big-time local bands I've ever known. Their willingness to perform on an almost constant basis truly shows their commitment to the music they're making.
Their immense fan base across the Southeast is a tribute to all of the hard work this band has endured.
With that, I leave you with a band whose music is tumultuous, spirited and quintessentially rock 'n' roll.
For more information on The Loft, check out their Web site at www.lovetheloft.com. There, you'll find show dates, free live music tracks and tons of pictures.
| | The Amplifier (Bowling Green Kentucky publication) |
| The Loft
by Don Thomason
http://amplifier.ky.net/
Perhaps the big show in Bowling Green this month will be the final "official" performance by Floord at the Brewing Company on August 21. But along with Floord and Common Ground on the bill is a Nashville group getting more exposure in this area. The Loft, a six-piece band from Music City, is coming back to Bowling Green after their conquest of the Green River Catfish Festival Battle of the Bands in Morgantown on July 5.
Getting noticed among nine other bands over a five hour contest is not a small thing, particularly with strong performances turned in by Disasterpiece and Slander. Yet the rock sextet kicked things a notch higher with their diversely energetic, alt - meets - jazz sound, and it was clear midway through their first song that The Loft would be in the top two at least. Less than a week after winning the $1,000 prize, The Loft got another feather in their cap by opening for Lynyrd Skynyrd on July 11 at AmSouth Amphitheater.
The line of John Banzhoff (lead vocals), John Burke (lead guitar), Nathan Johnson (piano), Chris White (acoustic guitar), Phil Banzhoff (bass, backing vocals), and Jon Biggs (drums) has only been together two years. Burke told the Amplifier that the group was a four-piece initially, then he joined in late 2000, and finally Ashland, Kentucky native Johnson came along in early 2001. The Nashville-based band melded together from other locals -- Burke is a Chicago native, the Banzhoff brothers were Alabama-born and Tennessee-raised, and Biggs hails from Gallatin, Tennessee.
Where does their adrenaline-soaked mix of rock come from? Burke related that The Loft is influenced by "soulful rock'n'roll," including Jameriqui, the Rolling Stones, the Black Crowes, Otis Redding, Led Zepplin, Motown music, and Screeming Cheetah Wheelies. The band has taken from these sources of inspiration and created music that turns heads instantly, that grabs attention and says "listen here."
So far The Loft on record has been limited to demo-length releases. Their latest, the five-song Demo 3, has sold 1,500 copies in the past year. The Loft are currently at work in Nashville's OmniSound Studios recording their first full-length album; they're shooting for an early 2004 release.
Interspersed with shows in Georgia and Tennessee, The Loft will be in Kentucky playing August 8-9 at the Boiler Room in Owensboro, then they'll do the final Floord show with Common Ground on August 21 at The Brewing Company, starting at 9:00 p.m. They'll also be in Bowling Green on August 29 at Tball's along with Mellow Down Easy; that show starts at 9:00 p.m. That is ample opportunity to check out a rising band that is keeping a presence in western Kentucky.
| | http://www.banner-republican.com/index.html
The Loft comes out on top
Born in the heart of Music City Tennessee, The Loft offers up a tasteful blend of back alley blues and step-ahead rock ‘n roll. The Nashville sextet is fronted by soulful vocalist John Banzhoff and his bass bound older brother Phil. The Banzhoff Brothers are joined by a gifted team of musicians in Jon Biggs with the sticks, Chris White on an acoustic flat-top, Nathan Johnson, a Kentucky native, tickling the ivories and a melodic lead guitar provided by Canadian born John Burke.
This group of musicians has proven time and time again that they have what it takes to make this hobby become a profession. Having shared the stage with national acts as John Mayer, Everclear and the Black Crowes, The Loft is definitely proving themselves as a band on the upswing.
Most recently The Loft participated in and won the 2nd annual Catfish Festival Battle of the Bands competition. They took home a hefty grand for their efforts.
“We had a great time here in Morgantown, everyone seemed to enjoy the music from all the bands,” Burke stated. “I know I did.”
The Loft was genuinely grateful for the win as they competed against many of the areas top local acts, including Disasterpiece (Glasgow), Wormwood (Auburn), Similar Jones (Cookville), Parallel (Bowlin g Green), Burly Cruz (Glasgow), 5 Man Trio (Bowling Green), Slander (Bowling Green), Dead to Silence (Nashville) and Morgantown acts The River Rats and Us.
Following the Battle of the Bands a special performance was given by the 2002 winner and hometown rocking heroes, Sixth Floor.
The Loft will be conducting their Bowling Green leg of the tour in the upcoming weeks. They will be featured at the Mark Black Memorial Battle of the Bands July 24th at the SOKY Fair Grounds, July 25th Bowling Green Concert in the Park Series held at Downtown Square Park and July 26th at Tidball’s. They will also be performing as the opening act for the legendary south rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd on July 11th at AmSouth Amphitheater in Nashville, TN.
The Loft has their album DEMO 3 for sale in Bowling Green at CD Warehouse, Replay Records and The Great-Escape.
Visit The Loft on-line at http://www.lovetheloft.com/
| | The Daily Beacon (UTK Paper) |
| http://dailybeacon.utk.edu/article.php/8505
John Banzhoff has crazy in his eyes.
One hand thrusts the microphone against his lips while the other alternately wads his shirt up against his willowy frame and messes with his shaggy hair. It's as though Banzhoff is struggling against some sort of internal centrifuge, facing the prospect of absolutely falling apart with a face that is half pleasure and half pain.
Frontman for The Loft, Banzhoff and his band injected energy and good times into everyone at Patrick Sullivan's Friday night.
One gets the feeling that to sing is his medicine, and the audience wants a spoonful of wherever his energy came from.
Though The Loft has gone unknown and unsigned as of yet, the Nashville sextet isn't a garage band on its way out. Instead, the band's sound is a drug that everyone will want to take.
Banzhoff's voice is a little Jamiroquai, a little Jonny Lang, a little 70-year-old blues man and still wholly his own - a well-seasoned instrument of both grit and satin.
Each member lends a certain integral part to The Loft. Jon Biggs sets the heart fluttering with his drums, and Chris White makes intricate melodies on acoustic guitar. Phil Banzhoff is in charge of bass and backing vocals, while lead guitarist John Burke dazzles with his guitar solos. Burke is 100 percent rock star, sporting a red flying-V Gibson guitar and a look that screams cool.
The Loft has penned songs that are cocked, aiming infectious energy and intelligence at every bystander.
During their song "Cons," Banzhoff breaches the universal subject of a love that is withering away.
He wails, "And I've never, never been one who could take advice / And I thought we had it all / But I got myself a step back and a better look / And I realized you weren't giving me nothing at all / I don't know what you need / But I know what you don't need / And you don't need me/ We've come so far so fast / And we both knew it wouldn't last / And I blame you cuz I know you blame me/ Sometimes the memories ain't all they're cracked up to be / And I can't shake free from the things that aren't gone to me/ I'm a fool."
Meanwhile, keyboard player Nathan Johnson sends his fingers flying. You may think for a moment that his keys run down the length of your spine. Clad in a beret (though not a raspberry one) and armed with a pack of cigarettes, his keys peppered all evening by a snowfall of ash.
"Sometimes it's as easy as opening up your eyes," Banzhoff sings and continues to flail and fidget and bewitch audience members. "Sometimes you've got to think and open up your mind/ This time it's a matter of the heart / So open up your heart and let me in."
The Loft may harbor some lofty dreams, but its ship is destined to come crashing to shore.
For tour information, visit the band's Web site at www.lovetheloft.com. Its independently released five-track CD can be purchased for only $5.
| | The Daily Beacon (UTK Paper) |
| http://dailybeacon.utk.edu/article.php/8317
Contagious, mind-blowing energy. This is The Loft, in a nut shell.
The six piece Nashville-based band makes its way to Patrick Sullivan's this Saturday night to spread the joy of unbridled rock and roll.
The Loft has been playing in Nashville for two years and is working on its first full length album, due out in early 2003.
It currently has an independent EP, Demo 3, which features five of their original songs. But as fun and impactful as it is, the EP doesn't say enough for the band. Only a live performance does The Loft justice.
The band is composed of John Banzhoff (lead vocals), John Burke (lead guitar), Nathan Johnson (piano), Phil Banzhoff (bass, backing vocals), Jon Biggs (drums) and Chris White (acoustic guitar). Together, they apparently hold a secret formula for making pe
ople smile, because this is what continuously takes places throughout their live shows.
One would find it very natural to fall in love with lead singer Banzhoff's energy and pure passion at first sight. As he bounces around barefoot on stage, he looks as if he is having a conversation with the crowd, and it's impossible not to believe what he is telling you. At random moments it seems he cannot contain himself anymore and goes on to let out a stirring, unrestrained scream. The crowd loves these moments.
Lead guitarist Burke looks as if he is straight out of 1973, and his stage presence, as well as his performance, is pure rock star style. His techniques range from the likes of Pete Townshend of The Who to Rich Robinson of The Black Crowes.
Pianist Johnson remains cool and composed throughout the shows and seems to play his instrument effortlessly. The Loft would lack a huge chunk of itself it were missing Johnson; on many of the songs, he carries a strong melody that ties it all together.
The not-so-secret driving force of The Loft is its extremely dynamic rhythm section, consisting of drummer Biggs' infectious grooves, White's unceasing rhythm guitar and bassist Banzhoff's smooth style, which truly shines during the tunes "Disco Song" and "Cons." His backing vocals are in perfect harmony with his lead singer brother's and add an innocent, fun feel to the songs. He seems to feed off of everyone else's energy and occasionally flashes a smile of excitement to one of the other band members just before jumping energetically into the air.
The band is equally excited about the show.
"We are really looking forward to making it to Knoxville, because nobody parties like Knoxville!" White said.
The Red House Project, a newly-created Knoxville band, is the opening band. The band features former members of Oversoul, Limit Nine, and The American Plague, and lead singer Jonathan Sexton says that they have some amazing surprises in store.
The show will begin at 10 p.m. and cover is $5 at the door.
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