Extravery is a band whose music sounds exactly like their
name. Every song is filled with depth and emotion and it is sometimes hard
to put your finger on one particular style of music to describe the sound
of it. To say that it is melodic, harmonic power pop seems to be the closest
way to describe it yet there is more to their sound that is simply indescribable.
They are a band whose music is constantly in flux much like life itself.
To go from psychedelic to ska to funk to rap to disco to Beatlesque all
in one song is a common practice for Extravery. They are so consistently
intense in their lyrics and music it is impossible to not feel very much
alive when you listen to them.
In the past year Extravery has been drawing attention to
themselves at lightning speed and have made themselves known as a presence
to be reckoned with on the Chicago music scene. It,s more than just their
spiffy-70,s-thrift store-with-90,s-suave image or their cool boots or their
ever changing hair styles. For a band that has only been in Chicago for
a short time they have accomplished more than a lot of bands that have kicked
around town for years and years. Originally from Michigan, they came to
Chicago to pursue their ultimate dream of music. Their live show which has
been pumping up their ever growing fan base is something not to be missed.
They have performed shows where they have played anywhere from nine to forty
songs (although they currently have enough material to play sixty five)
and have provided their own sound system anytime needed depending on the
venue. All members are in their early twenties but when they get onstage
they perform with a certain seasoned professionalism that can only suggest
that they are wise beyond their years. They know exactly how to fill a stage
with an adrenalized energy that inspires crowd participation. During a recent
performance some people were frightened that the floor would give way from
so many people dancing. Although the audience is guaranteed to enjoy an
Extravery performance, the band members themselves enjoy it even more!
The primary focus in life for the four members of Extravery
is their band. Singer JT Free refuses to do anything else. To him, there
is no other way of life. They all live together in a huge loft in Chicago
(with a really great view) where they practice and record. There each member
is able to create his music on his own but yet the final result on any given
song is always a collaborative effort. They are extremely determined and
focused as a band as well as individuals. For them, unity is easy because
they are always friends before musicians and they never allow any distractions
from their common goal. When asked how they do it drummer Sloan simply stated
"patience is a virtue. And as most bands do, they have lofty aspirations
of becoming the biggest band in the world and having international fame
which is definitely not an impossibility for a band like Extravery. But
they also realize that the chances of that happening are about as good as
winning the pick six lotto at 7-Eleven. They consider themselves to be freelance
musicians and they all agree that they could be happy to just be able to
express their creativity and originality through their music and make a
living off of something that they love.
Extravery has a vast library of their recordings. If one
was to sit down and listen to everything that they have already recorded
it would provide hours of listening pleasure. Each song that they write
has such a unique quality that it would be easy to listen to them all day
long and not even realize that it is the same band. And the subject matter
of their music tends to become more interesting and fascinating with each
new song they come up with. Whether it,s a song about religion, chicks,
drugs, politics, masturbation or anything else that they are not afraid
to talk about it is guaranteed that anyone who hears this band will be walking
around afterwards with quite a smile on their face. They send forth such
an air of positive energy and good vibes that it is impossible to keep from
smiling and feeling good.
They have finally just completed their newest self-produced
CD titled "Selling For Cash, which they are proud to profess has been
a completely sober album. They had so much new material that it was tough
for them to have to cut out some songs to narrow it down to just fourteen.
For this CD they were determined to take as much time as needed to make
it precisely what they wanted and the result is their best work yet. Before
this CD was available the only way the general public was able to hear what
they can do was to see them play live. This now gives them the opportunity
to achieve another of their goals which is to reach as many people as humanly
possible. Presently unstoppable, the only direction for Extravery to go
from here is onward and upward!
Extravery will be headlining at Gunther Murphy,s at 1638
W. Belmont Ave in Chicago on Friday, August 22. Trolley will be opening
up the show. For more information and bookings contact Offbeat Productions
at (773) 549-9111 or email Offbeatpro@aol.com.
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