Music Style Rock/Pop/Acoustic

Similar Artists Ocean Colour Scene, REM, Crowded House, The Blessing ...

Artist History In the early to mid 90s, Neil Smith (vocals, guitar) and Andy Wood (bass) were performing in a band called Pez, playing mostly "grunge" covers of the time. Neil and Andy were also performing quieter, more melodic original compositions around some songwriter’s evenings in Bristol. As Neil & Andy headed towards these numbers, the band split.Meanwhile, Neil had also been in a recording project, called Westborn, co-writing material with vocalist Dean Robson. The material had begun as electronic compositions, but gradually took on a more acoustic based feel.In 1997, Neil & Dean visited an acoustic songwriter’s night in Bristol, to air some new compositions. Feeling a need to round the sound a little, Andy joined on bass, and after a brief period as DNA (the compere of the evening read the initials of Dean Neil and Andy out, as they hadn’t written down a band name!), States of Mind was formed.The trio then recorded a debut demo album, "Full Circle Moon", featuring 11 original tracks, and being completely recorded and produced in Neil’s back bedroom studio!States of Mind played various acoustic gigs in pubs around Bristol for the next few years, including several at the band’s local, the French House Inn. The landlord of the pub, Simon Edwards, turned out to be an ex-session drummer and, following a few jam sessions, joined the line-up in 1999. More original material had been written during this time, including Hardwood Floor, a track completely improvised by the band during a practice session, following Simon’s opening drumbeat. The lyrics were finalised later, but the melody remains exactly as Neil improvised. Hence recording started on new demo material in January 2000. Again, the band elected to record and produce everything in house, the drums being recorded entirely in a room above the pub. The 6 track demo EP "Praying for the Rain (the French House sessions)" was the result. The style of the music has changed dramatically, with the studio sound evolving to give a much more "live" feel.

Group Members Dean Robson (Vocals) ...Neil Smith (Guitars, Vocals, Keyboards) ...Andy Wood (Bass) ...Simon Edwards (Drums)

Albums Full Circle Moon, Praying For The Rain (The French House Session Demo)

Location Bristol, Bristol - United Kingdom

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