Written by Cheryl Smith    Monday, 31 January 2011 10:21    PDF Print E-mail
MHS grads Jamestown Revival plan Tomball debut

jamestown revival Former students from Magnolia High School Zach Chance and Jonathan Clay have created a two-man band and plan to debut their new album in Tomball.

 

Clay and Chance will be performing at Main Street Crossing for their first time as a duo on Feb.5 at 8 p.m. The two have previously performed solo shows at the location but have merged together to create Jamestown Revival.

 

Pictured are Zach Chance (left) and Jonathan Clay (right)

 

They have described their music as “Indie, with a southern slant.”

 

“Immediately, you can hear the influence of pop music upbringing, but it’s infused with different elements of rock, bluegrass, country, soul and blues,” Chance and Clay wrote in their biography. “It’s a ‘rootsy’ sound, and it’s refreshing.”

 

According to Chance and Clay, songs written specifically for Jamestown Revival retain the elements from each songwriter’s personal style but also incorporate what they describe as “much more experimental” music than their solo albums.

 

“It has more character and more attitude,” Clay said.

 

While the two have been recording together as Jamestown Revival for six months, they say they have been writing together for years. Behind Jamestown Revival lies a musical background.

 

Clay and Chance became childhood friends while living in Magnolia. In high school the two say they realized they had similar interests in music and began writing songs together at 16.

 

The two said rhythm and blues was an initial influence in their musical taste, but they began listening to artists such as Eric Clapton, James Taylor and Simon and Garfunkel.

 

“We were influenced by what our parents listened to,” Chance said. “My dad listened to a lot of classic rock.”

 

Chance said they even created their own CD while attending Magnolia High School.

 

Later, they traveled to San Marcos to attend Texas State University and each pursued different careers with their music.

 

“We went parallel ways, I would say,” Chance said.

 

Their solo music has been featured in television series such as, “Son’s of Anarchy,” “Private Practice,” “The Hills” and “Newport Harbor.”

 

While involved in their solo albums, Clay and Chance co-wrote songs such as, “Gypsy Woman” and “Bring Your Love” and described their music together as “uninhibited.” Soon after, Jamestown Revival was created.

 

“The reason we started Jamestown Revival was, really, completely an effect of what we love doing,” Clay said.

 

Chance said Jamestown Revival is a compilation of everything coming together.

 

“It was a matter of time. We’ve written together, toured together,” Chance said.

 

The two say Jamestown Revival is an experiment in the beginning stages.

 

“It feels like the musical Columbus. We thought we were going to drop off the face of the Earth but we found a whole new America and we have just dropped anchor,” Clay said. “We have lots of exploring to do.”

 

Their music and style of writing allows them to escape, they both expressed. The name of the band also allows them to tell their story.

 

“The name is symbolic to our personalities,” Clay said.

 

“It’s an ode to a simpler time,” Chance added.

 

Chance plays the keyboard while Clay plays the electric guitar, but both expressed that they do not limit themselves to two sounds.

 

Jamestown Revival will release its first CD, “The Knives and Pipes,” Feb. 3. The duo has a lot of touring ahead and is featured in an upcoming movie starring Demi Moore.

 

For more information about Jamestown Revival, visit www.jamestownrevival.com.

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