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After moving to California to record the new album, Ingram Hill singer/guitarist Justin Moore noticed something surprising: L.A. gets awfully chilly once the sun goes down. Turns out SoCal's endless coconut-scented summer isn't everything the mythmakers would have you believe. For Ingram Hill, musical myth busting is just part of the job description. In their new Hollywood Records CD, "Cold in California," the band masterfully wields rock ‘n' roll fundamentals to turn conventional pop wisdom upside down.
"That title is as figurative as it is literal," says Moore from his Memphis home. "It's about the surprises of everything that goes into making a record for a major label: what you think will happen and what actually happens." Indeed, "Cold in California" tackles all manner of subjects, many related to the inconsistencies of love and romance. With producer Oliver Leiber at the helm, the CD boasts 11 new songs, all invoking a Southern rock vibe that informs but does not define them.
"A lot of this was done collectively," adds Moore. "And a lot was co-written with outside writers. It was nice to get those fresh ideas." Teaming up with the band were writers like Whisky Town's Mike Daly and Better than Ezra's Kevin Griffin. Though fans of Ingram Hill's 2004 CD, "June's Picture Show," will instantly recognize the band's signature sound, this time the members took a "less is more" route. "The last record we did on Pro Tools," recalls Moore. "We'd fix everything, but in doing that you take the human element out of it. We made a conscious effort to avoid that as much as possible this time, and make it feel like four guys that went in there and played."
With the opening track "I Hear Goodnight," Ingram Hill establishes the parameters at the outset: stripped down guitar-centric arrangements, engaging melodies and Moore's supremely confident vocals front and center. Rockers like "Why Don't You," "Million Miles Away" and "Something to Cry To" comprise a musical fight club, with Moore and Bogard's stinging twin guitars battling it out. "Four Letter Word" employs the same wall of sound, but with the band's wry wit as added leavening (by the way, the song's four-letter word is "Mary," a bad-ass ex-girlfriend).
Their sense of humor also surfaces in the frenetic "Finish What We Started" and "Impossible," a droll meditation on love and money. The band brings it downtempo on ballads like "What You Want" and the stunningly intimate "Troubled Mercy," perhaps the album's most complex song. The CD ends with the title track, which sums up the band's nomadic life on the road and their longing to return home to Tennessee.
Of course that move to L.A. was only temporary. The members of Ingram Hill are true blue Tennesseans, native to the bluffs and bottoms of Memphis. Moore and Bogard had known each other since childhood, sharing musical interests as diverse as Elton John and Radiohead. Of course, growing up in the birthplace of the blues didn't hurt either. Ingram Hill first took shape in 2000 when Moore and Bogard enlisted drummer Matt Chambless, Moore's college roommate, to form a band.
Right out of the gate, they toured non-stop, averaging 200 shows a year. Their strategy: play great and have a good time doing it. "One of the biggest things in our show is we have fun," says Moore. "When you're out supporting other bands the audience has no idea who you are, but if they see you having fun, then suddenly its fun for them. We don't take ourselves too seriously. Life isn't that bad."
In time life got even better as they graduated from small clubs to larger venues, opening for artists like Maroon 5 and Lisa Marie Presley, and eventually headlining their own shows. Fans responded to the band's brash hold on the basics. "If there was one conscious decision we made," says Moore, "it was just be a rock ‘n' roll band, no matter what happens with the trends. People will always like it." In 2002 Ingram Hill recorded their debut indie EP, "Until Now," which sold more than 10,000 copies. Ever the hometown favorites, the band saw their EP reach #5 on the Memphis retail charts.
Having honed their writing and playing chops, Ingram Hill then entered the studio with producer Rick Beato (Shinedown, Trey Anastasio) to record a debut full-length album, "June's Picture Show." They had planned to support the CD with more regional touring, but a month after release, Hollywood Records found them, loved them and signed them, re-releasing the record. This pumped steroids into the promotional effort, with the band reaching new cities and new fans. The album drew rave reviews and raised Ingram Hill's profile far beyond its southern base. "Your job is to make people cheer for you," reflects Moore. "If you're an accountant, and you turn in your report, the office doesn't stop and applaud for you. But that instant gratification of the crowd is what you become comfortable with as a band."
Once "Cold in California" ships, things begin to heat up for Ingram Hill with a massive national tour on tap through the rest of 2007 and into next year. And though Moore and his brothers in arms are satisfied with their efforts on the new CD, they don't expect audiences to merely take their word for it. Better to the let the music do the talking. "We're still a good old fashioned rock ‘n' roll band," says Moore. "If you hadn't heard us before, you should hear us now."
