Dark, mysterious songs with acoustic rock roots. Deep lyrical content and skillfully woven musical passages.

10 MP3 Songs
ROCK: Jam-band, ROCK: Folk Rock



Details:
Formed in 2002 by guitarist Jim Noland, Medium Underground offers an alternative to what many consider to be an arid modern music landscape. The songs reach out from that inner place where many of us feel there is mystery and great possibilities in life. The music has a dark quality that reflects the heavy forces at work in the world but also a message that inspires hope. âThese songs come out of a sincere desire to offer something a little deeper than what is usually heard in contemporary music.â notes singer and lyricist Jim Noland. âThis music doesnât dwell on the ordinary; it exists to feed the soul.â

Many of the songs began to take form just after September 11th 2001, in a time when the very foundation of western life was shaken. âIn that time I felt as though there was an opening for something that spoke to more than booty calls, broken hearts, and rage.â explainâs Noland. I turned my attention to writing and drawing on my love of the mysteries in life, the Pyramids, Stonehenge, ancient civilizations and the mythâs that surround them. Many people suspect that there is some deeper purpose and meaning to life. Many of us have had experiences that fall into the paranormal or we find ourselves looking at the Pyramids and thinking âthis means somethingâ. Itâs those places and moments that inspires this music.

As the songs took shape Jim reached out to a few friends to complement the instrumentation. Jon Perry and Jim have been writing and playing together since they were in their teens, Frank Peaker played in other groups with musicians Jim and Jon have known for years. With Jon and Frank working out the rhythm section the songs began to develop a life of their own. âFrank and Jon made these songs legitimateâ says Noland. âThey believed in the content of the songs and saw the potential for other people to really dig them. They put a lot of skill and detail into the foundation of the music, and it shows.â

Medium Underground continued as a trio for nearly a year until they met up with Larry Wilson. There was definitely room for another element but it would have to be the right fit given the nature of the lyrics and the well structured rhythm section. Jon brought up the idea of asking Larry to join after seeing him play in a local club one night. The fit is perfect. Wilsonâs approach to the complex voicings of Nolandâs open tunings is magical, complementing and expanding the already rich sounds and rhythms.

In 2006 Rob Reid joined Medium Underground bringing another excellent drum and percussion talent to the group. âThis opens up a lot of possibilities for usâ Noland explained. âPerry is not only a great drummer heâs a great guitarist and keyboard player. Having Rob on board give us plenty of muscle in the rhythm section and gives us an opportunity to expand the sound a bit more live.â

The group made the investment and assembled a studio to give them free reign to record and produce at will. While other musicians such as Ray Ray from the Mayan Factor have recorded in the groupâs studio, it remains primarily a tool for Medium Underground to craft the songs that have become their unique trademark sound. âI have a background in engineering and I enjoy working with other musicians in the studio and live, but recording with Medium Underground has been my main focus.â Says Noland. âbut I have to keep a healthy balance between the âleft brainâ technical role of being an engineer and the âright brainâ creative part.

Songs like âAs I Amâ, âFrontiersâ and âExilesâ speak to getting out from under the forces that hold us down and the indomitable quality of the human spirit, while âNight In Babylonâ evokes that sense of ancient mystery. âWhere They Willâ is like a rhythmic romp through the Book of Revelations. âItâs not all heavy dark mysterious stuff thoughâ admits Noland. âTunes like âRoom for loveâ and âLight of the Museâ are really feel good songs with a bit of tongue in cheek humor. Youâve got to mix it up a little bit to keep it flowingâ