As Ian Harrod and Rich Nelson were driving to Robbie Johnson’s warehouse for band practice last summer, they were trying hard to come up with a good name for their new rock band. After about the tenth trip from Tryon to Gramling, they saw a sign, or rather noticed the signs. The band would be called 176.
The guys began jamming and writing music in June of 2013. Harrod plays bass and does most of the singing; Nelson plays guitar and keyboards, and sings backup vocals along with drummer Johnson. They gelled very quickly and began playing their original music at local venues in Landrum, Tryon and Saluda.
By autumn they had about 15 original songs, and began recording in Nelson’s basement. Their record ‘Enjoy The Ride…” was released in early March, getting positive response and some radio airplay in the region.
On Friday, May 30 they are having a Record Release Concert at the Tryon Fine Arts Center Auditorium. The concert starts at 7:30 p.m., and the general admission tickets are five dollars.
“We’re very happy with this record,” says Nelson. “We tried to keep the energy and instrumentation we have when we play together live. It’s pretty easy to go berserk in the studio piling on instruments and overdubs. We don’t use any kind of click track or auto-tune. We’re just an honest rock band. Often all three of us are singing too, so we spend a good bit of time on vocal arrangements”.
All three of the members of 176 have played with many other groups over the years. This band is an opportunity for them to do exactly what they want with the experience they have garnered in that time.
The Enjoy The Ride… CD is available locally at Skyuka Fine Art in Tryon, and in Asheville at Harvest Records and Studio 352, and online at CDbaby. You can listen to it and download it at the band’s website http://176band.com. It is also available for download at iTunes, Soundcloud, Bandcamp, Amazon, etc.
176 recently released their first video, for the song Enjoy The Ride. It was put together by Landrum photographer and videographer Erik Olsen, using footage he filmed at their practice space. You can see it on the band’s webpage and YouTube. http://176band.com/videos
You may of heard their music on WNCW, and they were recently interviewed by the station’s Laura Blakley to be featured on an upcoming Local Color show. The band played four songs live in the studio as part of that segment.
They have been playing shows in the area, as well as Asheville and the Upstate, and they will be performing at this year’s Foothills Barbecue Festival.
But the concert at TFAC is certain to be a highlight for 176. The band is inviting local musician friends to get on stage and jam with them to celebrate the new record. As Harrod says, “We want to do Tryon proud.”
Tickets and CDs are available from the Tryon Fine Arts Center box office, Skyuka Fine Art and from the members of the band.
– article submitted
by Kim Nelson