Artist description Original Rockers that play RAW Guitar Pop.

Music Style Alternative Rock

Musical Influences Clash, Beatles, Sex Pistols, Dylan, Elvis Costello, Graham Parker, Tom Petty

Similar Artists Cracker, Wallflowers, Green Day, Matthew Sweet, Nirvana

Artist History Bio: Because they lived in Clarksburg, West Virginia where everyone seemed to be listening to Southern Rock, Heavy Metal or Country, Evan Jones (guitar & vocals) and Brian Cottrill (guitar & vocals) were surprised to find each other. Neither thought there was another musician in town who not only liked the Clash, Graham Parker and Elvis Costello, but also wrote songs in that style. They called their new band Drain Babies and, after playing only three live shows, recorded their self-titled debut CD. It contained eleven songs of original roots rock and punk songs with a raw guitar pop sound. The CD and live shows were met with critical acclaim from the local media. Original drummer Larry Norman left the group in 2000. Dilip Chandran (bass) and Raj Chandran (drums & vocals) joined in 2001. The band has just released “The Blind Charge” CD featuring sixteen songs ranging from folky pop to grindy alternative. The band blindly followed their instincts instead of trying to fit any musical category or genre. Check out drainbabies.com for live dates, song samples, photos, lyrics, and more.

Group Members Brian Cottrill- Vocals, Guitar ... Evan Jones- Vocals, Guitar ... Raj Chandran- Drums, Vocals ... Dilip Chandran- Bass

Instruments Guitar, Bass, Drums

Albums The Blind Charge (2001); Drain Babies (1997)

Press Reviews Reviews for the 2001 CD "The Blind Charge"- Daily Athenaeum Newspaper- "...Overall, the album shows a strong musicality, with Jones, Cottrill and drummer Larry Norman all taking turns highlighting their individual skills. The beats are tight, and the rock guitar solos are some of the best in the area. Their mix is something that is rarely done well, but they manage to keep it from being watered down and overly inane. They also provide 78 minutes of music, which is amazingly long considering that most modern releases don’t even come close to the hour mark. ... They have strong punk/rock voices that are more than capable of carrying the music... Make sure to check out this local powerhouse. They have proven their staying power and are well worth your attention. The Blind Charge is one of the better discs to hit the local scene in the past few years, and the Babies are sure to keep rocking the town well into the future. .... Reviews for 1997 debut CD- Listen.com says... Roots rock with guitars that expel cone-shaped tones and blistering George Harrison-esque leads. Drain Babies seem to pay special attention to melody and songcraft, which puts them head and shoulders above the many neck-bearded recluses uploading music these days. The singer sounds like Johnny Rotten -- if he'd been born in the Ozarks. ... The Daily Athenaeum Newspaper, Morgantown, WV lists "DRAIN BABIES" as one of the TOP TEN CDs released in 1997 [in the world] .... Graffiti Magazine says "This Clarksburg guitar rock trio distinguishes itself from the considerable competition..." .... David Virr, DJ for WHAT Radio, Bradford, MA calls the Drain Babies "by far one of the best unsigned bands I've heard in some time." .... Ken Bays, The Daily Athenaeum, WVU, Morgantown, WV says "This debut from Clarksburg's Drain Babies is one of my favorite regional releases in some time ...Drain Babies have made a great album..." .... Eric Hansmann, Backstreet Records says "we have three guys churning out a solid collection of edgy roots rock" .... Picked by WRLF 94.3 FM as the #1 All-time live performance on the radio show "Sunday Spotlight" ... The Music Corner (online music reviews) says "refreshingly diverse" and "Definitely one of the best releases I've heard coming out of WV"

Additional Info http://www.drainbabies.com

Location Clarksburg, WV - USA

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