Word's been circulating that one of the best things about the new iTunes phone is that it's introducing the world to "Highbench". iTunes hand-picked the band's song "Stand" to use on the demo models in all Cingular stores across the country and the band's already rabid fanbase has grown substantially. "It's kind of wild getting an email from someone in Kansas, telling us how much they dig our music when we've never even been to Kansas", says lead singer David Western.
The brothers Western, David and Andrew, Chris Muir and Shane Fillmore grew up on "High Bench Road" in Utah and have been playing music together since High School. Be it power-pop, straight-up rock or mellow ballads, the band won't be pigeon-holed. This could be attributed to their many, diverse influences, ranging from "U2", "Radiohead", "Coldplay" and "Sublime" to "Duran Duran", "INXS" and "Tears For Fears".
Moving to NYC five years ago, they have already accomplished more than most bands do in their entire careers. Besides forging a great relationship with iTunes, the band has attracted a loyal following by playing tirelessly in NYC's best clubs including, "The Knitting Factory", "Lion's Den", "Mercury Lounge" & "CBGB's". Their emotionally charged single "No Words" appears on the 9/11 tribute album "Songs for a New, New York" and they hold the distinction of being the only unsigned band to ever perform on the "CBS Early Show".
Their first EP, entitled "East" which features fan favorites "Stand", "One More Time", "Forever", "Strange World" and a cover of INXS' "Never Tear Us Apart" is available on iTunes along with countless of other sites. "The title comes from us packing our bags, leaving our families behind and heading East to follow our dreams", mentions Chris. "The exposure from iTunes is greater than we could have hoped for. I was emailing with a new fan in London the other night", says Andrew. "We just want to touch people with our music, to gain fans and continue what we're doing", adds Shane. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.