“We’re celebrating the fact that we’re young and living out our dreams,” Travis Gallardo, Cadence’s guitarist, said. Adam Walker, the band’s drummer, said he and lead guitarist Derek Hageness have been playing together in heavier bands for quite a few years, but wanted to blend in new pop influences.
Gallardo says the EP has a variety of songs with different sounds, but they all keep with a message of hope.
“The way I see it is it’s something fun,” Gallardo said. “There’s something for everyone.”
Cadence began as Motion Where You Go in the winter of 2008 and after a year of playing together decided to press their first professional recordings. The group began sending out e-mails with videos and rough demos to studios they thought would work.
They settled on Playwork Productions, based out of Philadelphia, and worked with producer Matt Robnett.
“Matt (Robnett) seemed to have a lot of energy, and we thought it’d be fun to take a trip together,” vocalist Hannah Connolly said. Having not played together for very long, Connolly said they hoped to experiment with their songs and grow into their sound.
Walker said Robnett was impressed with Connolly’s voice and worked with them logistically to find time to get into the studio, despite the distance they needed to travel.
Robnett is the founder of Playwork Productions and has worked with other bands such as The Starting Line and Four Years Strong.
Connolly said in Philadelphia, Cadence truly found their sound (with help from Playwork Productions), but it was also a chance for them to bond as a group. Walker said the band went to Connecticut first for three days, then to Philadelphia for two weeks.
“We decided to drive all night and just do it,” Walker said.
Now that the EP is poised for release, Cadence says they want to focus on playing regional shows and developing a strong local fanbase. They will be starting this Friday and Saturday with shows at the House of Rock (422 Water St.) and the Eau Claire Boys and Girls Club (201 E. Lake St.). Cadence will be joined by Eau Claire rockers Laarks on Friday and Minneapolis group All The Right Moves on Saturday.
Gallardo said Cadence wanted to hold release shows in Eau Claire where their friends and family were because they’ve always been there for support. Connolly said she expects each show to have a different mood, but they will both be fun. She added Cadence had been working on new additions to their live show.
The future for Cadence revolves around touring, with all the members looking to the summer for national dates.
“We want to tour hard this summer to get this EP out as far as we can,” Walker said. He said he hopes the EP can generate a bigger buzz about the band.
Connolly said Cadence will be writing the second half of a full-length album, but the focus for now will be on touring.
“It’s a really big step for us, having everything come together,” Connolly said.
Gallardo hopes the band can interact with crowds and leave them happier than they came. He said it’s been a new experience playing with a band with serious future plans, but that Cadence is still about having fun.
“We’re doing this for the love of the game,” Gallardo said.
He said it’s been a new experience playing with a band with serious future plans, but that Cadence is still about having fun.
