B.A.HOLLOWAY

I once posted about B.A.Holloway this semester, but must do so once again.

B.A.Holloway is a local band in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA that is doing wonders for the local live music scene. Chris Simmons, Adam Stephenson, Christian Naquin, and Dean Treloar formed as a result of friends converging on the LSU campus and deciding to pool their musical talents together. For a while, Adam and Chris were the band, till Dean and Christian joined up in Fall of '04. Adam and Chris both played acoustic guitar and surprisingly created an attention-demanding live show with just two acoustic guitars and two mics. Now with Dean and Christian, they rock just as hard...a bit harder actually.

But they stay true to their acoustic roots. As a friend of mine who runs Cafe Chi Alpha (where the band just played a rocking show tonight) says, "Not many people do acoustic music right. But B.A.Holloway does." Acoustic music takes a certain amount of necessary innovation to keep it interesting, but at the same time, a certain stripped down melodic goodness that makes the soul smile. Holloway consistenly pulls this off. Their live show is fantastic. Give Chris Simmons a stage to perform upon, and he'll give you a good show, even if his only instrument is a pepper shaker. His hilarious spontaneity and people skills combined with the rest of the band's ability to flow together is a stage performance that has been enjoyed by audiences in places from Christian coffeehouses to local pool halls/bars.

Better yet, Holloway's first full-length 11-track CD "Maybe It's Just Me" will be released Tuesday, May 3. It will be the follow-up to their 6-track EP "Garageband." I can tell you that if they were ever a "garageband," they're so much more now. I gave a pre-release copy from a Christian cafe a listen and I can say the CD blew my expectations out of the water. It's definitely going to get HUGE playing in my CD player all summer when I get my copy next Tuesday.

Holloway uses a straightforward approach to song-writing with a emotional yet common sense approach to life. All of us can relate to the lyrics...which is why the music is appreciated in both secular and non-secular arenas. The band members are all about the love of Christ: love shown in not just lyrics...but in the way they live their lives.

If you've read this whole blog post, then you've obviously got the time to also check out the band's WEBSITE. Check out music samples at the band's PureVolume Page.

Love and Peace,
Bean