Bottom Line

From the official site: www.wearebottomline.com [Written by Meghan Reese] "We aren't just a punk band anymore," declares Bottom Line singer/guitarist Ben James. "We don't want to be so easily classified." Meet Bottom Line, a long-time Cincinnati-based band formerly slated as the local pop-punk act to watch for. But it's no longer strictly local, and people aren't just watching anymore. They are listening... and waiting for what's next. Bottom Line's founding members Benjamin James (guitar/vocals), Dan Kinzie (guitar/vocals), and Greg Yock (bass) have been together longer than most Hollywood marriages-they started playing together almost a decade ago in elementary school while most of their peers were still focused on getting through junior high math. Their staying-together power has fortified them not just as a band of friends but as a band. "We did a lot of growing together behind the scenes. We learned how to work together," says James. With the addition of prolific drummer Cliff Revis in 2003 and a record deal shortly thereafter in 2005, it seems all the pieces have fallen into place. "This is the right combination," affirms James. While many bands are singing out their broken hearts about the girls who broke them, Bottom Line shies away from saccharin teenage sentiment and opts for a sound that's captivating and contagious, edgy but attainable. In 2002 Bottom Line teamed up with the native Nati label Nice Guy Records to release their premier album "In and Out of Luck." But it seems as if Bottom Line was solely in luck as "In and Out of Luck" served as the conduit to propel Bottom Line from a high school battle of the bands band to a touring Japan with Midtown band, in addition to gaining love on the local scene with a November 2003 Cincinnati Entertainment Award for Best Punk Act. Along with four stints on the rite of passage known as Vans Warped Tour, Bottom Line has opened for big shots and MTV darlings like Dashboard Confessional, Something Corporate, Brand New, Finch, Rx Bandits, The Starting Line, and Hot Rod Circuit. Not bad for a band who "just wanted to be cool in Cincinnati." Over the last three years, road warriors Bottom Line could be seen coast to coast playing anywhere they could, from bowling alleys to bars they couldn't even legally patronize, sleeping on college campus common area floors, and searching for every vegan menu along the highways and roadsides from Philly to DC, St. Louis to Quebec, Chicago to L.A., and everywhere in between in attempts to cultivate their sound prior to the production of their next record. Sophomore slump? Not for this quad. Etymologically sophomore means 'wise fool', but there is nothing foolish about "Eloquence" which is rich with just what the title implies and sirenic lyrics that offer a poetic wisdom as crafted as the palpable music beneath. Released in May 2005, "Eloquence" is an eclectic infusion of pop, punk, Latin, classical strings and horns-- with risk of sounding ska, and even techno drum influences. "We tried to incorporate as much about music as possible," says James. "Eloquence" would be the fork in the road for the quad and choosing the right path was not without desperate measures. "We left college to make this album and we didn't really know how to make an album," says Yock. "You have to sacrifice if you really want to do this," he says, noting that year was one of the hardest of his 23-year-old life saying, "I spent every day eating peanut butter sandwiches and trying to scrape by." Along with the "this is it, now or never" drive to create a standout album, Yock says "Eloquence" was a venture to turn some heads. And it did just that and then some, turning the head that would change their story forever. "When John Feldmann called me, that changed my life-that was my life altering moment," remembers Yock, speaking of Bottom Line's ally, idol, friend... and producer. As if the notoriety of being the front man for rockers Goldfinger wasn't enough, Feldmann also carries lofty bragging rights with his production portfolio reading like the Who's Who of TRL. Feldmann has produced for The Used, Mest, Story of the Year, and Good Charlotte, etc. and now Bottom Line. Barely taking time to revel in the afterglow of "Eloquence", a culmination of countless trials, mishaps, breakdowns, life's lessons, and days of being holed up in the studio it was off to California, under the wing of Feldmann, on to touring with Goldfinger, and into the studio again with a record deal from Maverick in their pockets but little else to create their next album, which undoubtedly will be a culmination of countless trials, mishaps, breakdowns, life's lessons, and days of being holed up in the studio. And Bottom Line wouldn't have it any other way, because it's what they love, live, and work for every second of every day. The anticipated inaugural album on Maverick is slated for release in Summer 2006 with lots, and lots, and lots, and still lots more touring in between. While Bottom Line dreams of the day when they ditch the van in favor of a tour bus, they still operate with the mentality that every show counts and the Boy Scout-esque mantra of "always be prepared. " "We play each and every show as if we are playing on 'Letterman'," says James. Although late night TV talk shows have not requested dates just yet, Yock foresees big things for Bottom Line, "I can see everything I've wanted, it's all there. I have all the tools and all the right people, I just need to follow through and not take any of it for granted." 2. is also a hardcore band from NJ on Mache Records www.myspace.com/bottomlinehc