Note: All Articles Are Printed Courtesy of the Respective Publishers and by Fighting Gravity.
FOREVER = 1 DAY -- Fighting Gravity, Bob * * * 1/2
Fighting Gravity is a regionally popular ska-influenced band based in Richmond, Virginia with a deservedly strong reputation as a crowd-pleasing live act. "Forever = 1 Day" -- the group's latest independent release -- captures their charm vividly and shows the seven-man outfit to be expanding their range in a variety of interesting directions. Produced by John Alagia (who's worked with the Dave Matthews Band in the past), the album includes highlights like the haunting "Ted's River Song," "Lost In The Rain," and "One Day."
Fighting Gravity Pulls Towards Top 40
by: Mike Joyce, Washington Post
It's easy to imagine Fighting Gravity someday competing on the charts with the likes of Hootie and the Blowfish and the Dave Matthews Band. And maybe someday soon. At least that't the impression left by FG's new album, "forever=1 day."
Smartly produced by John Alagia, "forever" may not be the recording that elevates FG to Top 40 status, but because it augments the band's ska and reggae roots with considerable pop savvy, its clearly a step in that direction. The in herently upbeat rhythms of ska and a similarly engaging reggae slant makes several of the local band's new songs instantly appealing, including the album's bookenders. "One Day" and "Shattered and Torn." The emotins running through these and other tunes range from pure romantic innocence to a despair bordering on paranoia, and lead singer Schiavone McGee manages to express nearly all of them with considerable credibility and ease.
Of course, some of the verses teeming with words and images don't always add up to much, other than an exercise in free association. But hardly a song passes that doesn't have something strong going for it, whether it's the beat, the vocals, the horn charts or an imaginatively textured arrangement.
Pulling for Gravity
by: Eric Worden
(Note: This is just excerpts from the article. It is not compleat due to the quality of the photocopy. Please see the magazine for the full article.)
No bones about it. For Richmond's World Beat brothers in the band Fighting Gravity, 1995 was a banner year. As 1996 cranks up, the future looks even brighter, thanks to a new release and some much-deserved national attention. To be sure, Fighting Gravity is gathering no moss, thanks to Rolling Stone.
Let's recap; 1994: Paying dues on the college and small-club circuit, pop/ska band Boy O Boy follows up debut Shishskabob with lively produced No Stopping, No Standing. Seeking to incorporate the name Boy O Boy, the band finds that the name has been taken. Adopting the new name Fighting Gravity. In September, Fighting Gravity is invited to Florida to compete on "Star Search," winning their first appearance, thus gaining national exposure.
1995: Band continues to tour East Coast and beyond . . . The band is offered a major-label deal from EMI records. Fighting Gravity turns it down the offer over contract details . . . In August, the band enters the studio with renowned regional producer John Alagia (Dave Matthews Band) . . . On Nov. 30, Rolling Stone senior writer David Wild and photographer Danny clinch hop on Gravity's tour bus to document life on the road for a feature article due in March. Dec. 15, forever = 1 day is released.
Wow. Feature in Rolling Stone? Guitarist/vocalist/writer/business manager Triano recalls, "They lived on the bus, ate what we ate. We even tried to get them to drive the bus!" Rolling Stone's Wild and Clinch accompanied the band as they played a frat party at UVa, a gig in the basement of a dining hall at Washington College on the Eastern Shore, and a co-ed show in an "catling club" at Princeton University. Wild, whose book, Friends, is a current best-seller, was introduced to the band through Rick Merael, local promotions mamager for the Bayou at the Radisson Virginia Beach. The feature slated for the March 5 issue, help boost sales and awareness for the new CD.
forever = 1 day is a 10-song compilation that marks a slight change of direction for Fighting Gravity. Calling it "pretty ska-free," Triano notes the maturation of the band as they blend pop with World Beat: "It's not just another party record. It's mroe substantial." Indeed, along with the crisp production by John Alagia, the songs are stronger lyrically, tackling issues of life and death.
Should this release have come on EMI? Not according to Triano. "Our first thought was 'Did we just just blow our only chance ever at a major deal?' I think instead we dodged a bullet."
To see the band at its best, catch Fighting Gravity this Saturday at the Bayou. If you're booked, plan on being at the 4400 Club near ODU Jan. 25
The Frat Trap
by: David Wild
OK, CLASS, POP QUIZ. Question: Assume there is a crowd-pleasing seven-piece ska-influenced group from Richmond, Va. Let them be called Fighting Gravity. Take as a given that every year, Fighting Gravity travels tens of thousands of miles up and down the Eastern seaboard playing both on and around college campuses for varying fees. Factor in that the band has done so ever since its founding at Poly Technic Institute approximately one decade ago. Now calculate exactly what Fighting Gravity have learned after all those up-close experience with higher education.
Answer: That they're ready to graduate. Now.
Tonight, a Thursday in December just a week before exams, the band is heading down Interstate 64 west from Richmond to the University of Virginia in Charlottesville to play a fraternity party at Chi Phi. Tommorrow evening is a student-union gig at Western College, a small school on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. Saturday night will find the band providing entertainment.