Artist description Article of Faith are Jeff Blumer (guitars, vocals, songwriting, production), Mark Evans (bass, engineering, production) and Mark Zavala (keyboards, sampling, production). Guest drummers appear with us both live and in the studio. Instrumentation: guitars, guitar-synth, bass, keyboards, drums, vocal. Article of Faith delivers a solid, experienced blend of the best of pop, rock, metal and alternative influences. They're seasoned club and concert performers with considerable studio experience and extensive musical backgrounds. Thoughtful - sometimes even elusive, yet accessible - lyrics are thematic. The band focus is and has always been a tendency toward delivering QUALITY music, with thought-provoking (perhaps even disturbing) lyrical content, with decided topical discussions encompassing Life, Love, Relationships - and the Creator of it ALL! Well, we're STILL in the studio working on our NEW release (a YEAR later!!). Mostly, we've been taking our time (obviously). It's a luxury we've longed to experience! The LORD has truly blessed us with all the recording gear we need - we own a completely digital studio. I won't bore you with the technical details, i.e.: what software we're using, and all the equipment jargon, but I can tell you that it's quality stuff, and seems to suit our needs well. Since we are currently working with our new (returning) drummer, Sam Joens, we've been experimenting with different musical concepts, and learning to work together harmoniously. Although we are aiming toward consistency among all the material, there's still quite a bit of diversity among the styles in the material for the upcoming CD. Some of the songs we're currently working on: "Stand Before You" - a powerful picture of "going home"; "(I'll Just) Wait & See" - perspective from the fence-sitter's viewpoint; "It's Not Fair" - a very pop/funk/rock tune that takes a tongue-in-cheek jab at popular World-view Christianity; "Get Higher" - an encouraging, get-closer-to-God theme; "I See"; (from early DFS days!), to name about 1/2 of the tunes we've been working on. We may even bring in a "ballad" or two, as well as some eclectic/experimental progressive instrumental material. There are always multiple topics interwoven in the lyrics God has given me to write. I don't readily sit down intentionally to write any of these - somehow they just come. Some would say "inspired". Perhaps so. My perspective of what happens in my songwriting goes something like this: I start with one singular train or even a set of thoughts. That thought or thoughts tend to spawn other ideas. So, rather than writing a new tune with that secondary or ancillary thought flow, I tend to move into what I perceive as coexistent and relative topics, and then make an attempt to bring back into focus the main theme, tying it all together. Sometimes that works, however, I must admit, occasionally I never quite end up back where I started! That can be a serious flaw in songwriting, according to some critics and experienced songwriters. I'm not so sure they are correct. This is all art, inspiration, innovation and epiphany in a total process. I prefer to operate outside of the confines of the "traditional", as you might have guessed... not so bad a trait, if you understand what I mean. :)

Music Style sub-alternative progressive pop/rock

Musical Influences Beatles, Rundgren, Creedence, Rush, ELP, Yes, Depeche Mode, Kansas, Lifehouse, Creed, Jesus of Nazareth

Similar Artists We've heard Jeff's voice sounds a little like a cross between Bowie & David Byrne and Tommy Shaw (from Styx); The Cure + Rush + Cars??

Artist History This band began as a renaming of a previously published band: Dress for Success - Which was slowly evolving out of it's "80's" format into something a bit more palatable. While the band members remained intact, we set the course for a full CD release in late 1997. With the artful engineering expertise of Greg Freeman (formerly of The Call, and now: Pell Mell), and utilizing his production skills, created a notable effort (released on a limited basis in early 1999, full release Spring of 2000) "Everything". The band began performing in a variety of venues, such as coffeehouses, bookstores - large auditoriums, as well as festival settings. Article of Faith has managed to "transform" into a veritable production "machine". Currently embarking on the work of producing their SECOND offering. Early releases of some singles are expected in early 2002, with a "special" seasonal release in December of 2001!

Group Members Jeff Blumer Mark Evans Mark Zavala

Instruments Guitars, guitar synth, bass, keyboards, voice, samples, drums

Albums Everything - 2000 Remedy Records/Global Rx, LTD.

Press Reviews "a saner version of Devo" Cliff Rath, SFC (wait a minute - that was a DIFFERENT band!) ".....melodic vocal finesse, and soaring guitar riffs..." - a local critic. "..if they keep working on it, they might just get somewhere...." a former friend in an email to one of the Marks. Hey - send us an email (be nice, now)! Either aof@articleoffaith.com, or jeff@articleoffaith.com works! :) Article of Faith STUDIO update I've finally gotten around to writing something to all our FAITHFUL fans! Yep, we're still in the studio working on our NEW release. Mostly, we've been taking our time - a luxury we've never experienced before! We want to feel good about putting out NEW material, to be good stewards of both kinds of "talents". Actually, the LORD has truly blessed us with all the recording gear we need - completely digital. I won't bore you with the technical details, i.e.: what software we're using, and all the equipment jargon, but I can tell you that it's quality stuff, and seems to suit our needs well. Since we are currently working with a new drummer - we are aiming toward consistency among all the material. One day we'll introduce him to you. For now, let's call him "Alex". I can tell you a few things about him: he's VERY dedicated to his work, easy to get along with and has only a few of the usual quirks drummers come packaged with. We're very happy with his performance so far - and we're certain you will agree. On the song "(I'll Just) Wait & See", he's added some really cool fills. Now, this tune has to be almost 15 years old! That's right - we've been playing it since the DFS days, and never recorded it! I thought it was a shame to let it disintegrate into memorial oblivion among our "live" fans (and in our minds!). That tune has to be one of my favorites - and I didn't even write it! (Well, I did write the chorus, some lyrics, and a few licks here & there....) My hope is that "Alex" will figure out how to accurately interpret the emotion of the remaining songs. Like, for instance: "Stand Before You" - a very passionate, and heavy sounding look forward to our meeting Him in Heaven. And "It's Not Fair", a very pop/funk/rock tune that takes a tongue-in-cheek look at the non-believer's attitude toward the Gospel, and more.... There are always multiple topics interwoven in my lyrics - somehow, I must have developed AADD!! Since, one train of thought, sort of spawns another; rather than writing a new tune with that secondary thought flow, I tend to move into what I perceive as coexistent and relative topics, and make an attempt at bringing back into focus the main theme. However, I must admit, sometimes I never quite end up back there! (I know, a serious fault in songwriting, according to some critics.) When will we release it & WHERE? This is difficult to determine, but I believe we're getting very close to finishing one of the songs. We'll keep you posted as to its status, as well as the rest of the project. How can YOU help us? Prayer is always good, but we also need something tangible from you - in the way of encouragement. A quick email, checking in on us - even some encouraging words, is always a big help. Another is to visit our mp3.com site and play several or all of our songs from the first release. (go to http://www.mp3.com/articleoffaith) Another way would be to BUY (yes BUY!) the Everything CD! It's available direct from mp3.com, and comes with both Audio and mp3 formats - along with band info! The NET CD is also downloadable for about 1/2 the price! Please do this today, if the LORD is leading you, prayer or otherwise. Please let us know how we can be praying for you & keep in touch! More about "Alex" in the next letter. In Him, Jeff / AoF Article of Faith is a band of rock musicians expressing their world view in their music. Visit www.articleoffaith.com Listen & Watch: http://www.mp3.com/articleoffaith Write: aof@articleoffaith.com PO Box 2727 Napa Valley, California 94558

Additional Info Peace! - Internet only Video link @ mp3.com site (original debut: April 2000

Location Napa Valley, CA - USA

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