In the world today, many people are held in esteem for the mistakes they have made, rather than the efforts they make to correct them. In the case of Sacramento's JAMIES ELSEWHERE, a rare band of six are determined to make a name for themselves in the right. A Guidebook for Sinners Turned Saints, their Victory Records debut, is a true tale of lessons learned, told through melodic and incredibly detailed rock.
JAMIES ELSEWHERE began with roots in family, with brothers Matthew (guitar) and Anthony Scarpelli (drums) writing songs together throughout their youth. In December 2005, they set a goal to make a career out of their love for music, and went forward with a search for the perfect mesh. Anthony Carioscia (guitar) flew over 2,000 miles to audition, and was welcomed along with locals Mike Spearman (keys) and Nick Rodriguez (bass) shortly thereafter. The five came together under the name JAMIES ELSEWHERE, taken from an 80's Chicago area venue that
held warm memories for the Scarpelli's father. A year and a half long writing process began while continuously looking for the missing piece: a vocalist. Chris Patterson, who had missed an original audition due to an auto accident, happened to be playing acoustically at a party attended by a few band members. His voice was what the band needed; JAMIES ELSEWHERE entered the studio the next day.
The self released EP that was the result of that studio session would go on to put JAMIES ELSEWHERE on the map. They began touring the entire west coast throughout the next year, speaking to every individual they could about their goal at hand. Over 5,000 copies were sold entirely D-I-Y style, an incredible fete for any band. This mantra of hard work is what caught the eye of Victory Records; JAMIES ELSEWHERE was welcomed to the family at the end of 2007.
Carefully picking a producer to complement their intricate sound, the band selected Casey Bates (Chiodos, Fear Before the March of Flames) to light up every harmony and scream. They joined him in the studio in February 2008. "Working with Casey was really an amazing experience, we all learned a lot and grew as a band," says Matt Scarpelli. "All of our songs tell a story, a story of life, regrets, love, hate, happiness and forgiveness. Our vocalist is a talented writer and put the songs together in a way that anyone can relate to." Hence, the name A Guidebook for Sinners Turned Saints was chosen. "We called the album A Guidebook, because it is a tale of personal experiences. We are all human, we all make mistakes. The key is to learn from them."
A Guidebook for Sinners Turned Saints hit shelves everywhere in May of 2008. JAMIES ELSEWHERE's unique blend of singing and screaming, as well as their gift for blending the heavy with a beautiful sonic quality, comes through on every single track. The lyrics flow smoothly with an urgency to reach to the heart of those who hear them, which is exactly the mission this band was trying to accomplish.
/ XBTT (1) by Dejavu