Lowerline

To put it mildly, Lowerline are promoting the hell out of themselves lately. With appearances on WWL-News and numerous articles in newspapers and magazines across the state, the New Orleans band has done everything but place a fan wanted ad in the newspaper. However, there is a reason for the media blitz of late. Lowerline is one of 25 bands competing in the national competition "A Shot at the Cabo Wabo." The grand prize is a trip to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico to perform with Sammy Hagar at the Cabo Wabo Meltdown in early October. The road to Cabo Wabo, a bumpy, tequila filled stupor, started in mid April. Cabo Wabo representatives selected Hard Rock Cafés at major cities throughout the United States to hold regional battle of the bands competitions. After a tumultuous competition, Lowerline was crowned the New Orleans champions. Now their attention has turned to Sept. 19, where six semifinalists will be announced. "If we can break into the top six…there is no doubt in my mind [we can win]," Lowerline drummer Jimmy Adams said. According to Cabo Wabo officials, five semi-finalists will be selected based on the number of Internet votes received, with the last semi-finalist being selected on a wild-card basis. The band showing the most determination to win the competition will walk away with the wild card slot. While Lowerline is confident that fans will show their devotion by casting votes for the band on the Internet, band members are not taking any chances. With a potential semi-finalist spot on the line, Lowerline has become unofficial spokesmen for Cabo Wabo. According to Adams, they have taken photographs of fans with Cabo Wabo tequila bottles, distributed posters, appeared on local news stations, and attached a link to the voting site on their official web page, www.lowerline.com. The contest winner will be chosen by a panel of industry professionals and celebrities, which makes Lowerline members even more relaxed. Throughout the past two years, the band has spent time carving their way in the New Orleans music scene. Recently, Lowerline has enjoyed interest from major record labels. This attention has led Lowerline to perform showcases in New York. "Every band is trying to be The Strokes or The Hives in New York," Adams said, noting that record executives labeled Lowerline as "very Metallica". With a positive response from New York executives, the band is looking forward to a possible future performance for regional record executives in Atlanta. The major label interest is due largely to their independent release "Branded," a deep-rooted, head banging, air guitar playing, creation that propelled Lowerline to the forefront of the New Orleans rock scene. Although Lowerline has sold 4,500 copies of "Branded" independently, the band craves more exposure. According to band representatives, Lowerline recently signed a distribution deal with Deevel Distributing that will send "Branded" to 300 college music stations across the country. This deal will enable Lowerline to track sales through soundscan reports. The key to a successful debut release lies in the music. Lowerline has produced some of the most aggressive modern rock to come out in recent years. While Metallica seems to be the obvious comparison, Lowerline takes a different approach to their music. Each band member provides an eclectic mixture of musical influences. "We all come from different backgrounds, so naturally our band doesn't sound like anybody," Adams said. "Four people can listen to us and have four different answers." Adams has been a drum fanatic for most of his life. This LaPlace native has cultivated a musical pallet that includes drummers from Alice in Chains, Tool, and Slipknot. He is into hard modern rock beats. Torres, also a LaPlace native, began learning chords when he was 12. He was weaned on to classic rock at an early age but later found his focus was hard rock. He describes his style as a blues ridden hard rock sound. Before Lowerline was a flicker in anyone's eye, Torres and Adams were playing together in a variety of local bands. Throughout most of the 90's, the two childhood friends played in five bands together. In 1998-1999, the two were in the band Peel with future Lowerline Lead Singer Matt Mysing. Mysing reeks rock' n roll. He has a gritty voice similar to Metallica Frontman James Hetfield, which has inspired Adams and Torres to refer to him as "Mini-Hetfield." With powerful stage presence, this New Orleans native is purely modern rock. The last guy to join the present day lineup is Bassist Juan Blake Acosta. After meeting Torres at college, this Chalmette native soon became a member of Lowerline. Acosta brings a punk rock influence to the heavy modern rock lineup. With the lineup set, Lowerline has now begun to take over the world. Their single "Pride" will be featured on the television show, "Northern California Ultimate Fighting League." "Pride" is also being considered for use in an upcoming independent film, Adams said. In addition to recording, the band also leads a rigorous tour schedule that takes the group across the southern United States. Playing an average of 12 shows a month, Torres feels audience participation affects the energy of the show. "We have a terrific live show," Torres said.