Local Music Review

Endless Interstate releases new album

Wed, 03/13/2013 - 10:15am

Every once in a long while, music reminds us of our past and offers a glimpse into the future. The newly released ten-track album by “Endless Interstate” may do just that for fans of Wiscasset's home town band Liquid Daydream.

There is a reason why. Liquid Daydream's former members launched Endless Interstate last fall with the single, “Place Called Home," and more recently with the singles "Miles" and "The World" off the latest release "Roadsigns."

Fans can hear all of the tunes on the new album, “Roadsigns,” and will have the chance to see the band perform live in Portland.  

While “Roadsigns” may seem like a debut album, it represents more than 20 years of creative musical collaboration. Two of the band's members, Matthias Sampson and Chris Muccino, also put out a six-song EP last spring that, along with “Roadsigns,” can be found on iTunes and at Bull Moose Music.

Liquid Daydream made a resurgence last spring with their latest singles, recorded at the Scarborough-based recording studio run by Wiscasset native Anthony Gatti. But Endless Interstate has also been in the making for some time now.

It interweaves the musical talents of Liquid Daydream members with those of others in southern Maine. Endless Interstate musicians are Sampson, vocals; Muccino, guitars; Jordan Warsky, drums, and Portland bass player Tom Doucette. 

The seeds of its creation were planted on New Year's Eve 2010 when Sampson and Muccino ran into each other at Montsweag Roadhouse in Woolwich. 

Liquid Daydream members were in their late teens to early 20s when they started; and eight years had passed since they had last performed together. Life took them in different directions. They became parents. They had grown older. 

Muccino and Sampson didn't waste any time in rekindling the spirit of the old days, and blending this excitement with a new slant on the world. The result is a nostalgic, soulful look forward. 

On the band's Facebook page, Montsweag Roadhouse owner Chris Johnston said of the new cd, “Soulful, emotional, well-written and produced, it has a great Pearl Jam/Temple of the Dog feel to it. I haven't taken it out of my CD player since I put it in.”

Muccino said he and Sampson, the core songwriters for Endless Interstate, wanted to keep the music simple. They steered away from more complex, guitar solos to create music that blended country, folk and modern rock sounds.  

“There is always going to be that familiar sound to Liquid Daydream,” Muccino said. “But I believe we captured for the most part what we were striving for.”

While in the recording studio last spring to create the two new Liquid Daydream singles, Muccino said band members experienced a renewed sense of inspiration and excitement. They asked Warsky to lay some drum tracks on a few Endless Interstate songs and he ended up playing on all 10 songs.

“We couldn't be happier with the outcome,” Muccino said. “He really helped us lay down a solid foundation for these songs.” 

Liquid Daydream's bass player Mykk Rankin plays on the track, “Comes and Goes,” a fast-paced, upbeat tune. Muccino said it was originally a Liquid Daydream song that never got recorded, until now.

The music on “Roadsigns” draws talent from other areas: Portland bass player  Doucette; Ryan Zoidis from Rustic Overtones, who plays saxaphone on “Miles”; Brunswick musician Chuck Benton, who played keys on a number of songs; and New Hampshire country singer Jandee Lee Porter, who helped in the making of “The World.” 

So, how did the name Endless Interstate come about? Sampson explains: “The whole thought is how continual the art of music is. It just seems to recreate itself time and time again; it is endless.”

Fans and interested music lovers can check the band's Facebook page for updates and announcements. People can also get more information, as well as hear some of the songs at ReverbNationThere will also be a CD release party for "Roadsigns" on Saturday, March 23rd, at the Big Easy in Portland, with special guests Hawthorne and The Paul Houston Project. Doors open at 8 p.m. Tickets can be purchased by sending the band a message through Facebook.