Resolver

Formerly known as Blender, the guys (and gal) in Resolver play an up-tempo blend of indie rock that is sure to get your foot tappin'. Resolver is: Jacob Turnbloom - vocals/guitar; Brooke Tobey - vocals/guitar; Brad Chancellor - drums; Nicholas Friesen - bass.

Joel: Where are you all from, and how did you meet?
Brad: I'm originally from Kansas. I moved out to San Diego with a couple of friends after I graduated high school. I met Brooke at the first local show I went to out here. She was playing with her band Velcro at the time. I then met Nick at a Halloween
party through Brooke. A little over a year ago, I was introduced to Jacob through our friend Sarah.
Brooke: I was born and raised in San Diego. Like Brad said, I met him through my old band and we started "jamming". I too met Nick and Jacob through Sarah.
Nick: I'm originally from San Diego. I was living in San Francisco, until I moved back down to San Diego a while back. I had met Brooke through our friend Sarah, and through the both of them, I met Brad. I had played music with Brooke, Brad, and Sarah before moving up to San Francisco. After I moved back down, I met Jacob through them all, and soon after joined the band.
Jacob: I've lived in San Diego pretty much my whole life. I've also lived in Seattle and Hawaii, but I don't think those really count since I was only a toddler. I think the stories of how we all met have been well summed up by the others.

Joel: How long has Resolver been a band?
Jacob: A little over a year now.

Joel: Where did you get your name from?
Brad: It's actually the title of a Veruca Salt record. I had always liked the name of that particular album. We named the band Resolver after we had been using the name Blender for nearly a year. The main reason for the name change was the simple fact of us realizing there were about a million other bands out there named Blender. We went through with the name change in hopes of avoiding any future confusion in the matter. We officially registered the new name of Resolver on December 8, 2002.

Joel: Briefly describe your music.
Resolver: Well, it seems the way that people describe music is pretty inconsistent. Like just recently, we've seen bands/artists such as Weezer and Beck being thrown into the emo category. In 1994, those same two artists would have been considered to be some brand of grunge. We all know it's impossible to avoid being labeled. Every five years or so, there seems to be some new word that pops up to describe music. We just try not to think about it too hard. It's cool to let people describe music however they see fit. Some may relate differently than others. In the end, people will always have their own opinions and views, so descriptions will always vary. As for us, we'd describe our music as being melodic-driven rock.

Joel: Why should people listen to Resolver?
Resolver: We hope people listen to our band because they want to. We are writing and playing music that we enjoy, and we invite anyone and everyone to soak in our perspective.

Joel: Is there any certain message you try to get across in your music?
Brooke: I feel that people are free to make their own interpretations of our music. It's completely up to them to take what they want out of it.
Brad: I totally agree. I think that is one of the best things about music. A song could be written about one thing, and someone could think it means the complete opposite, and relate to it. If you can listen to a song, whether you know the real meaning behind it or not, and have it impact you in some way or another, that's awesome.

Joel: Do you have a single song that has a special meaning to you?
Nick: Every single one of them.
Brooke: Well for me it would be "As It Comes To An End". It's about my friend who just recently passed away. The song is basically about how you should never leave things on a bad note with someone, because there is always the possibility that you may never see them again.

Joel: What's the story behind your Close Configuration EP and the tie-in with Reggie And The Full Effect?
Brad: Well, there is enough story behind the EP to write an entire book on, but I'll try to sum it up as best as I can. The tie-in with Reggie And The Full Effect is basically the fact that we recorded the EP in Lawrence, Kansas with my friend Lance. Most people refer to him as Lance Attack. He plays bass and has been a part of the whole Reggie thing with his friend James since it started back in like 97-98. That's pretty much where the Reggie thing ties in. We recorded the EP with Lance in Kansas the same week my brother got married, so it worked out perfect for us to do it then. We had originally planned on recording in an actual studio, but that quickly fell through, and we ended up doing it in a living room, a basement, and an old storage space. If you go to our web site (www.resolvermusic.com), there is a link called "close configuration" that directs you to a short story about the whole experience. It was definitely a time I know we will never forget.

Joel: You played Sparta's Wiretap Scars CD release show in August last year. How did that all come about?
Jacob: I met their manager, Blaze, at a Sparta show down here in San Diego a while back. We had just gotten back from the Kansas recording around that time. I had a burned copy of our unmastered CD in my car, and so I gave it to him. It was all scratched up, but it was the only copy I had of it. He kinda gave me one of those "yeah, thanks kid" looks... haha. About a week later, we got an email from Blaze. He and the band were inviting us to be the "special guests" for their CD release show up at the Troubadour in Hollywood. We were the only band to play that show other than Sparta. It was our first show. No pressure or anything right?

Joel: What about Resolver are you most proud of?
Brooke: I think it's the fact that we have done pretty much all of the work ourselves up to this point.
Brad: Yeah, and I think it's probably one of the best feelings to know that we have done as much as we have on our own. It just makes the end rewards seem that much bigger. We've paid for everything out of our own pockets, and that's not always easy.

Joel: What bands, people, books, etc have had the biggest influence on you?
Brooke: Kurt Cobain.
Nick: I'd say bands such as Hum, Far, and Weezer have had a huge influence on us.
Jacob: I would also add the bands Failure, and That Dog to the list.
Brad: Definitely my family. Well that, and of course Motley Crue.

Joel: What CD's are currently in your stereo?
Jacob: Three Mile Pilot The Chief Assassin To The Sinister, Year Of The Rabbit (EP), Failure Fantastic Planet.
Brooke: Superdrag Last Call For Vitriol, Nirvana Lithium (single), Juliana Hatfield Gold Stars 1992-2002.
Brad: Weezer (blue), Helmet Aftertaste, Self Subliminal Plastic Motives.
Nick: Hum You'd Prefer An Astronaut, the Cure "Pornography", Fountains Of Wayne (self titled).

Joel: Do you have any closing comments?
Resolver: We'd just like to thank everyone who has supported us in any way. If you are someone reading this and have no idea who Resolver is, we invite you inside. It's always good to check out something new every now and then. ROCK!

Official Website: http://www.resolvermusic.com
mp3 site: http://mp3.com/resolver

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