fORMER

What’s in a name? In the case of fORMER, quite a bit. Rising from the ashes of several defunct Nashville acts, and seemingly dominated by former members of this or that band, the moniker was at first intended to be a lighthearted stop-gap, but when a more fitting handle failed to materialize, and realizing that The Beatles and Aerosmith were already spoken for, the decision was made to accept the christening of fORMER as something more than an inside joke. With the hard part out of the way, ...

What’s in a name? In the case of fORMER, quite a bit. Rising from the ashes of several defunct Nashville acts, and seemingly dominated by former members of this or that band, the moniker was at first intended to be a lighthearted stop-gap, but when a more fitting handle failed to materialize, and realizing that The Beatles and Aerosmith were already spoken for, the decision was made to accept the christening of fORMER as something more than an inside joke. With the hard part out of the way, the songs took precedent, and primary songwriter and frontman Denny Smith’s penchant for wrapping introspective; if slightly cryptic, lyrics around unforgettable melodies became the band’s calling card. Pop hooks backed with a wall of guitars, a powerhouse rhythm section, three-part vocal harmonies, and just enough ivories and strings to earn their ELO merit badge, has proven to be a potent combination that may not always march in step with what passes for contemporary modern rock, but that's one "problem" the band loses little sleep over. Classifying themselves “loud pop”, they opt instead to concentrate on crafting songs that inspire them the way they’ve been inspired by artists as diverse as Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers and Cheap Trick to The Twilight Singers and Foo Fighters. Putting the music before all else and respecting the band as something more than the sum of it’s parts has served fORMER well. Their live show plays on the respective strength of each of it’s players without ever losing sight of the song as the big picture. Such focus has earned the band multiple nominations in Nashville Modern Rock station WBUZ102.9’s Local Rock Awards, winning “Best Song” for their tune “Lies”, as well as “Best Alternative Band”, and “Best Bassist” honors in their annual Listeners’ Choice Awards. The band have supported such national acts as Staind, Breaking Benjamin , Luna Halo, Night Ranger, The Exies, Nonpoint, Eve 6, 12 Stones, Cowboy Mouth, Evan’s Blue, Three Days Grace, Bang Camaro, John Corabi, and more, and continue to perform throughout the Southeast and Midwest while wrapping up work on their debut full-length to be released in the Fall of 2008.