The Variant treats audience to outstanding acoustic preformance
Beverly Manning
Issue date: 1/26/10 Section: Entertainment
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Everyone felt at home at the quaint studio as coffee was served and The Variant covered classics such as "Landslide" along with six of their own original songs.
"Playing acoustically presents a challenge to us in the sense that we had to relearn how to play our instruments. Everything was slowed down, so it became a whole new take on the songs," bass player and ABAC student Brandon Ellis said, "We're not just that band that wants to crank our amps up and blow your ears off."
The band has been performing locally for years, throwing in an acoustic set every now and then to add a little variation.
"As we played people were singing along and we loved that," drummer JD Lippincott said, "It makes you think they are actually thinking about the lyrics and what the song means."
Members of The Variant, including Hagin Henderson (vocals), JD Lippincott (drums), Matt Bosch (guitar/vocals), Brandon Ellis (bass) and Joe Potash (guitar/vocals), were childhood friends who realized their passions at an early age.
"Our love for music brought us together as children. By the age of 12 we had formed the band. From there our sound has gone through many changes as we have grown musically and mentally, creating our own unique type of music," Henderson said.
The Variant started out as A Day to Die For but have been performing under their new moniker for two years after the group decided a change was necessary.
"The goal of starting over was to try to create something different and to start writing music instead of forcing it. We write what we feel and without limits," Ellis said.
The title change brought about a whole new feeling and meaning to the music. The Variant released their first full-length album independently in June of 2009 titled "Alive and Well."
"The whole concept is basically about life and our experiences," Lippincott said.
The band is influenced by analyzing humanity, love, fear, the spirit world, and time, which is apparent on the album. They describe their music as a soulful extension of their lives.
"Our passion for music and the pursuit of progression is really our driving force behind the band," Lippincott said.
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