WASHINGTON – Somewhere between Greensboro, S.C., and Atlanta, Ga., Portland-based rock band 6gig is on the road, stopping along the way to fuel radio play of their first album, “Tincanexperiment,” and reach out to audiences outside New England.
Efforts have paid off as the single “Hit the Ground” will be featured next month in the ESPN Winter X Games and is serving as the theme song of Baltimore Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis, gaining airplay during the team’s games.
“We’re really psyched,” front man Walter Craven said during a recent phone interview. “We’re really into what we’re doing, and the reaction has been good.”
Naturally, the band predicts the Ravens will win the big dance in Tampa, and Craven noted their invitation to perform at a pre-game party during festivities leading up to the Super Bowl.Craven and
guitarist Steve Marquis agreed that
one of the highlights of the band’s career has been their performance at an all-day radio concert that featured the Foo Fighters, Everclear, and the Mighty Mighty Bosstones in Florida.
“It was cool to see a different side of everything,” Craven said of the gathering of bands. “It was relaxed. They’re regular people and really down to earth.”
While the band lacks a limo or posh tour bus, it’s not lacking all the comforts of home – the television, videocassette recorder and the Sony PlayStation made the cut into the conversion van they drive from venue to venue.
“It’s a big party on wheels,” Craven joked, comparing it to spring break, with only a few exceptions – there’re no beaches or bikinis, the food is bad and they’re broke.
On a more serious note, “We like meeting different people, seeing different parts of the country, and playing music that’s ours,” Craven said. “This is our job; it’s a cool feeling to wake up and know this is what we’re doing and we’re having a good time.”
For now, the van and the carbon-copy cheap hotel rooms have become the band’s home away from Portland.
“It’s weird. After a week of being on the road, it becomes home,” Marquis said. “And when you’re home, it feels like you’re away from home.”
The band realizes that without being signed to Ultimatum Music, LLC, they most likely still would be exclusively touring in New England, and that there are many more stops on the road ahead. Currently, they’ve included the Southwest, Midwest and Northeast.
“Without money, you’re not going to go far,” Marquis said, adding that those people outside New England who hear their music are surprised. “There’s a certain perspective people have about [bands] being from Portland. It’s a good compliment and it’s encouraging.”
The band is planning to tour in bigger venues during the spring and summer. They will play Thursday, Feb. 1, at the Skinny in Portland.
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