MAKING THE EPIC LEAP
Local acts make the Epic leap

Local stars Mason Jennings and Queitdrive took wildly different paths to release their CDs on the same Sony rock label this month.

It’s the first CD for one for the acts. For the other, it’s his fifth. One hooked up with arguably the hottest pop-rock producer in the country. The other stuck with a little-known guy he admired. One album sounds tailor-made for radio and MTV. The other sounds like little else on the radio.

For all their differences, Queitdrive and Mason Jennings share a common link this month. They join the rare group of Twin Cities musicians with major-label recording contracts, and their deals happen to be with the same company: Epic Records, the fable Sony label whose roster runs the gamut from AC/DC and Audioslave to Celine Dion and Sharkira. Epic released Jennings’ “Boneclouds” last week. Quietdrives “When All That’s Left Is You” is due May 30. Inside we look at the making and marketing of each disc – and the different paths the acts took to make it to the majors.

B.E. (Before Epic)
Jennings: The 31-year-old singer/songwriter became a local favorite in the late 1990s via weekly gigs at the 400 Bar and a self-titled, self-released debut album. He released three more discs on his own label and built up a strong following on tour, especially at college campuses and festivals.
Quietdrive: Only about a year passed between the quintet’s formation and its signing to Epic in 2004. In that time, the five members – barely out of high school then – focused on songwriting and recording.

How they got signed
Jennings: Came to the attention of Isaac Brock, frontman of the hit alt-rock band Modest Mouse (“Float On”). Brock started his own division of Epic last year, Glacial Pace Recordings, and made Jennings his first signing.
Quietdrive: Shopped its demo recordings to numerous labels, including Interscope, without ever releasing an album on its own. Epic executives came to Minneapolis to see the band live and signed it soon afterward.

Producers on albums
Jennings: After talking with a few bigwigs, he chose to co-produce with newcoming Noah Georgeson, who has worked with indie songwriters Joanna Newsom and Devandra Bahhart.
Quietdrive: Two tracks were made with big-name record-marker Butch Wlaker, who produced hits for Avril Lavigne, Pink and bowling for Soup. Local guy Matt Kirkwold recorded the rest. All of the tracks were remixed by Chris Lord-Alge, kingpin of radio-ready rock mixers.

Epic’s Involvement
Jennings: “The only person I really had to answer to was [Brock],” he said Instead of looking over Jenning’s shoulder during recording at Pachyderm Studio, the Modest Mouse frontman visited only near the end of the sessions. “And all he did was cook us dinner,” Jennings said. “He’s actually an amazing cook.”
Quietdrive: “They really tried to get us to go with their ideas at first,” said guitarist Matt Kirby. The band eventually gained the label’s trust to do their own thing, he said. Still Epic asked for a few remixes on the CD after it was recorded. It also pushed the band to record (fellow Epic artist) Cindi Lauper’s “Time After Time,” which the guys had played as a goof – although they say the wound up liking the finished version.

TV Spots
Jennings: Last month on CBS’s “Sunday Morning,” veteran rock critic Bill Flanagan lined up Jennings alongside Beth Orton, Jenny Lewis, and Rhett Miller as four current singer/songwriters with timeless, would-baring appeal.
Quietdrive: On the same day, NBC’s “Dateline” ran a report that spotlighted the band’s success on MySpace.com, where their songs have been heard half a million times.

Radio Potential
Jennings: it’s debatable. The album’s organic, roomy, in-the-moment sound is part of its appeal but doesn’t fit corporate radio formats. A few of the mellowest tracks, such as the first single “Be Here Now,” could find a place alongside such soft favorites as Jack Johnson or David Gray. Still count on airplay from adventurous, noncommercial stations.
Quietdrive: No question, this CD has prospective radio hits all over it. In fact, different songs sound geared for different FM formats, including the Top 40-ready power ballads “Rush Together” and “I Lie Awake” (think KDWB locally), the emo-flavored “Get Up” (Drive 105) and the noisy, bombastic first single “Rise From the Ashes” (just shy of 93X heaviness).

Critics Review
Jennings: “Boneclouds” is an ambitious and astonishingly open-hearted disc, but ultimately a mixed bag. He riffs on love and religion with absolute coolness and clarity throughout the CD. “If You Need a Reason” and “Jackson Square” are classic-sounding Jennings ditties – some of his best to date. His clear attempt to step out more in the studio results in a few genuine ascents (including the bouncy and vibrant “Gentlest Hammer”) but also a couple of stumbles (the electro-frazzled “Where the Sun Had Been”).
Quietdrive: “When All That’s Left Is You” is polished to a fault and nakedly formulaic. A rambunctious and electrifying band in concert, QD’s energy is hobbled by the disc’s slick, saccharine production. Singer Kevin Truckenmiller’s voice must have been overdubbed 500 times, and too often it overpowers the guitars. The songwriting is compelling guy-vs.-world drama-rock, although its seriousness is undermined by the trite and genuinely insufferable Cindi Lauper cover. But in the end, the CD probably will be a huge seller.