Convey is an experimental rock band from New England, notable for being one of the earliest American rock bands to license their recordings under Creative Commons. The band was officially formed in 2003, but has since gone through several prominent lineup changes. The members cite influences such as Tool, Radiohead, Circa Survive, Deftones, and Dredg, and their sound is characterized by dynamic and progressive song structures, unconventional time signatures, ambient guitar layering, hard-hitting piano riffs, and powerful vocals. While gaining a substantial local and international fan base, the band has intentionally avoided record labels, promoting their music entirely themselves.

History

Convey was formed in 2003 by Waldorf schoolmates Leif Hede-Brierley (vocals/guitar), Chris Calabro (drums), Jahan Rajabi (keyboards), Will Clements (bass) and Sam Powers (guitar). As the band transitioned into high school, the departure of Hede-Brierley and Powers resulted in Rajabi becoming Convey's new vocalist, and Bill Dunn and Tim Chu joined as guitarists. In early 2006 Chu was replaced by David Oxnard. Under this lineup the band released a three-song demo, and distributed it amongst their fan base. Dunn left the band early the following year due to creative differences. To preserve the band's dual-guitar attack, Rajabi replaced Dunn as guitarist, and Ben Cohen, a local Berklee student, joined the band as lead vocalist. In May of 2007, the band released a self-titled EP. Upon its release, the band licensed all of their recorded material under Creative Commons, utilizing the open-source streaming website, jamendo. This led to an email interview with the reputable Red Hat Magazine. The next year, guitarist David Oxnard was forced to leave the band, due to a sudden decision to attend an out-of-state school. Since then, the band has begun to incorporate synthesizer and piano into their sound. Convey is scheduled to release more recordings in the fall of 2008.

External links

Official Website

Convey on MySpace

Convey on Jamendo

Convey in Red Hat Magazine