RedEcho is made up of Cory Carter (lead vocals/rhythm guitar), Michael Fortin (lead guitar), Chad Daulton (bass guitar) and Derek Phenneger (drums).
By Terrah Baker
Lead singer Corey Carter and his band mates have been writing music together for a year and two months. After more than 12 years, and over 30 combined years of band and music experience, they found what they were looking for in each other.
They like hard rock. They all want to put on an energetic live show. They all agree that an original approach at the lyrics, riffs, reaching the public and most importantly, their live show, is how they’ll set themselves apart.
“Our show is what everyone comes to see. We don’t just stand there and play music, we perform up to the venue we’re at,” Carter said. “Even in Jacksonville (Fla.) going there for the first time we got a lot of fans, a lot of respect and opportunities.”
Their drummer Derek Phenneger actually lives in Jacksonville, Fla., which makes it hard finding time to practice before shows. But his talent allows the band to practice without him, send him videos of what they’re working on, and then cram in hours of practice, sometimes 5 days in advance, for a live show.
Their main tool is energy, which they use generously at each show. They make their performance top priority, and with the occasional scream and overall deep tones, their music entices the senses of their audiences.
Their lyrics can do the same, said band manager Shane Hall. Carter writes most of the lyrics, while lead guitarist Michael Fortin writes what comes out of the guitar. Both say while they want to make what they write recognizable and they model some of their musical idols, they work hard to create their own originality.
“I don’t write the lyrics based upon healing, past events and this is what happened and that’s what happened. I like to think of concepts that maybe haven’t happened to me. I guess you could say gut instinct and feeling, but I like to be creative about the story lines. Not just sex, drugs and rock n’ roll,” Corey said.
One example is the song Dear Soldier, said Hall, about an American soldier that’s told from the perspective of both the family waiting at home, and an outside observer watching the action of a fallen soldier unfold.
“In this note she wrote, she said ‘soldier please, get your things together and come back home to me. Dear soldier, come back home and kiss your kids good night. Hold me close and tell me it’s alright … tell me you’re coming home.”
Truthfully, bass guitarist, Chad Daulton said, he’s never been a band that’s received so much attention and opportunity in such a short time. Just last year the band started playing live shows, took on a band manager, all in preparation for 2014 — set to be a busy year for the band.
It will start with a show in Montgomery, Ala. on Jan. 3, followed by a live performance in Fayetteville on Jan. 4, Then on March 6 they’ll be in Jacksonville, and most exciting of all, starting in February, they’re working with a recording artist in Atlanta, Ga. that has worked with the likes of Motley Crue, Metallica and is a long-time studio musician. This will lead to an album, hopefully by April the band said, following a national tour to promote and perform for their growing audience. They’ve also been endorsed by Kick Ass Cables out of Indiana and an energy drink company from Atlanta, Ga.
The songs that they’ve written so far they’ve been working on for the last year and a half, the band said. While they were written within just a few practice sessions, they try and study the songs and perfect them as they go.
“We didn’t want to take the seven or eight songs we had written and do an album, because we wanted to play them over and over and see what we could improve — how we could change them or make them better. What is it that’s not getting the crowds attention for the song, or what is,” Carter said.
See RedEcho before their album comes out in mid-2014 on Jan. 4 at 9:30 p.m. at the Phoenix on Dickson in Fayetteville. To learn more about the band and sample their music, visit http://goo.gl/gjUjry.
