“Other people’s music is my biggest inspiration,” Sinch drummer Dan McFarland says, “and I just want to create something that affects other people in the same way that the music I listen to affects me.” This pretty much sums up what Sinch has been doing in vocalist Jamie Stem’s parents garage since their humble beginnings in 1994. It’s no surprise that four bored, white suburban kids might decide to start a band in high school, maybe play a few “gigs”, maybe even stick together for a few years and try to make it in the “big city”. Despite hitting a myriad of roadblocks along the way, the group has remained completely intact for the past ten years and continues their pursuit of a dream that never seems to die. Sinch consists of five essential members that come together to create, to construct, and deconstruct the art in their surroundings. They seem to interpret feelings and emotions in such a way that it comes out through their pores when they play. From guitarist Tony Lannutti’s dark ominous guitar tones, to Jamie Stem’s ability to switch, with ease, from soft passionate melodies into taut unnatural screams, the band creeps its way into explosions when performing. With Mike Abramson’s driving bass lines and Dan McFarland’s intricate drumming providing the engine and fuel, there is just something special about this band that you can’t quite put your finger on, and maybe don’t want to. Anchored in the Philadelphia suburbs, Sinch’s popularity has grown year after year, and in 2001 it became impossible for record labels to ignore their success. Sinch soon signed on with Roadrunner Records and began recording their self-titled debut album with Malcolm Springer (Full Devil Jacket, Saliva, Greenwheel), a producer known well for his antics, but known better for his capacity to make an incredible record. This artist/ producer combination proved to be quite powerful and soon after completion of the record their first single, “Something More”, was released to the airwaves of radio stations worldwide. With no expectations and every ounce of hope Sinch was able to witness their message spread at a frightening speed. “Something More” became one of the top 100 active rock singles of the year in 2002, and Sinch’s self-titled album had one of the best first week sales in Roadrunner Records’ debut release history. Even with all that and a video on MTV to boot, there is an element of Sinch that remains in the shadows until you actually see them perform for yourself. Armed with an Ocular Noise Machine and a hard drive full of CNN footage and odd visual loops, (like Osama Bin Laden morphing into Jesus morphing into Hillary Clinton, and so on), Sinch’s fifth member Jay Smith, edits and cuts at breakneck speed on stage, playing alongside the band, sweating out each and every loop of video brilliance. His contribution is essentially unexplainable. You really have to be there to see for yourself the connections between the images, the lyrics, and the sound to completely understand what Sinch is. After ten years of the same line up of players Sinch has progressed beyond the boundaries of tradition and formed a creative brotherhood that is not only apparent on stage, but also within their every note. There are no choreographed antics or rehearsed speeches, just five guys operating on a different plane than any band I’ve ever seen. Taking chances and mixing innovation with tradition, the Sinch boys have been dubbed the “brothers of invention” by Philadelphia Weekly and continue to evolve their already intriguing live show with each and every performance. With a new album, rumored to be recorded with maverick producer Drew Mazurek (Dog Fashion Disco, Linkin Park) and a documentary DVD on the way, Sinch’s future looks brighter than ever.