AgroLola
Asheville's new ROCK sound- original music by the band
BAND PERSONNEL : Matt DeRamos- Bass and Sampler, Josiah DeBose- Percussion, James Carson- Vocals and Theriman, Bruce Ham- Guitars and Noise
AgroLola is a product of Asheville, NC.
However, contrary to local standard, we are not vegetarians.
Bruce Ham, creative organizer/founder of AgroLola, began playing
piano at the age of six. He developed a malicious/melodic sound that
gives great depth while retaining the properties of raw grunge. Music
dominated his life as he searched for a group of musicians to match his
animated style. In the summer of 2002 Bruce began forming a band that
would eventually become AgroLola.
Drummer/co-worker Josiah DuBose was the first to join the project.
He was raised in a highly musical family. His father was a guitarist and
his mother a pianist. Josiah began playing drums at age eleven. He
played with numerous bands but never found a solid project. The
chemistry between Josiah and Bruce was instantaneously productive.
Josiah’s technique reflects influence from Jazz to Math Rock and
everything in between.
After two years of searching, writing songs, and changing line-ups
the third piece of the puzzle was found. Matt DeRamus, long time friend
of Bruce and DJ/music producer shifted his focus to bass and connected
with the project. His background in electronic music creation gave him a
mathematic style that ignited the rhythm section and complemented the
project’s sound perfectly. The band began to create a personality all
its own. There was only one thing missing.
Actor, performance artist, and friend James Carson fell into the
roll of front man after returning from a tour through Europe. James has
a long background in theatre and performance art. For eighteen years he
directed, produced, and acted in plays, skit shows, etc. His vocals
reflect the energy of stage performance which has filled most of his
life.
With limited space the band used a living room for its studio. As
may be expected they soon grew out of the small space and sub-par
recording quality. In the beginning of 2005 the band founded DukTaped
Studios. While recording demos and EPs for other local acts, AgroLola
began work on their first full length LP last fall. The record will
contain thirteen songs and is set to be released in the late spring of
2006. J
FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT AGROLOA CONTACT BRUCE HAM 828 230 5339
Recent Band Activities
On October 23, 2005, Agroloa was the opening band for the hurricane relief benefit concert Benefest in West Asheville. During the Band's 45 minute show, the local TV station showed up to film the event. Agroloa was seen on both the 6 o'clock and 11 o'clock news in the lead local story.
On September 27, 2005, Agroloa appeared at the French Cafe' in downtown Asheville.
The March 17, 2006 issue of the Asheville Citizen featured a story about Agrolola and the new Asheville rock scene.
On Friday March 24, 2006 Agrolola performed it first out of town gig in Sylva, NC at the Guadeloupe Cafe.
September 10, 2006 was a special day for Asheville's rock music fans at the Lexington Street Arts Festival. Agrolola appeared on the street venue at the electric stage during prime hours in front of several hundred excited fans. The band's performance was crisp and left the audience hungry for more. For the band it was the culmination of a very busy summer of live gigs. The lads have played at all their usual spots and have added these new venues; Broadway's, Voodoo Lounge, Stella's Basement, Fred's Speakeasy, and Corner Lounge (Knoxville). One of the Band's better performances was recorded at Westville Pub in May and has been edited and produced into a full CD. The CD was released on September 28, 2006 at a special release concert at Stella's in Asheville.
During early 2007 the band found collective creativity. By May of 2007, several new songs had been added to their repertoire. Fans of the band continue to enjoy the novelty of hearing new music each time they see Agrolola perform in public. During August the bands first tour covered the states of Tennessee, Missouri, Kansas, Illinois, and Ohio.
Stay tuned!
The band has gone dot com with its own domain name. Their web site is currently hosted at mySpace:
