Having toured on their last CD for the past two years, locally based band Darkroom is ready to release their second album.
The release date for "Stay Here With Me (For Better or Worse)" is Tuesday. The CD release party is scheduled for 8 p.m. Feb. 5 at New Horizon, 1300 Wooster Road, Winona Lake. Cost is $5.
During an interview Tuesday afternoon, band member Corey Drake said the type of music Darkroom plays is often called indie rock or post rock. Some people might compare their sound to Coldplay or Death Cab for Cutie, he said.
Darkroom's music is all original. Songs are usually written collectively.
"We've been together for four years. Some of us met at Grace College. We've had some member changes over time, but most of us are from there," Drake said.
Along with Drake on keyboards, guitar and vocals, other band members include Kyle Steury on guitar and keyboards, Lucas Huffman on drums and Jason Bodley on bass.
"We've done a few semi-national tours," said Drake. They've been all over the East Coast, south and throughout the Midwest. "We've done four or five laps around. We also do regional stuff like Fort Wayne, Chicago and we were in South Bend last week."
Darkroom's first CD was released in March 2007. At that time, Drake said, the band had three different members. While performing during the Cornerstone Festival in Bushnell, Ill., Drake said they sold out of that CD.
Plans for the second CD had already started. Songs had been written, but it would take two years for the CD to be finished.
"We started it in one studio a couple years ago. We ran into some problems ... and had to start over. We also were on the road for six months of those two years, so that slowed us down for recording it," Drake said.
The second album was recorded in Colorado Springs, Colo., in July. The band spent two months out there tracking, and it's taken three more months of mixing, Drake said."Stay Here with Me (For Better or Worse)" features 12 tracks. On it, Drake said, the band pushes boundaries in song writing, rhythm and melody. They experimented with different layering techniques with string and brass instruments.
One song on the new CD is "Time Traveler". Drake said it's about taking the idea of time traveling to show how you can get stuck living in anticipation of the future, when sometimes it's just good to enjoy life in the here and now.
Another song, "Acrobat", Drake said, includes the line "Love isn't safe, it has the heart of an acrobat with skill and grace". He said that line wraps up the main theme of the song, that love is often a risk but a worthwhile one.
The artwork for Darkroom's CD was done by Angie Rich, a friend of Drake's from Washington, DC.
For the CD release party Feb. 5, Darkroom is pushing a performance boundary. Drake said they are planning to perform in the round to create a more intimate feel with the audience. As the CD makes use of orchestration, Darkroom also will have a seven-piece orchestra at its CD release party.
"Several people are helping us out that night to make it more like the album," said Drake.
Opening act will be Bro Stephen from Louisville, Ky. He plays acoustic guitar and sings.
Stephen is an example of another thing the band wants to do in the Warsaw and Winona Lake area - get people around here excited about music and the arts. Drake said six to eight years ago, there seemed to be more of an interest in local music. Not so much anymore.
"That's something we're passionate about," he said.
In the past, Drake said the band has brought acts from New York, Chicago and Michigan to play in Winona Lake. He said they want people to embrace the local music scene.
"It's a good area even for national bands with Chicago just down the road," Drake said.
For the future, Drake said, the band will be pursuing whatever they can. They want to take the music of the second CD on the road, and will look to see if there is any label interest in the band. In the past, he said, they've had some label interest.
"Stay Here with Me (For Better or Worse)" will eventually be on iTunes, Drake said. Darkroom's MySpace Web site is at www.myspace.com/darkroommusic The band also has a Facebook account.
The CD is $10, and also can be purchased through a link on MySpace, Drake said.
