"Funky, semi-poppy rock with a lot of hip-hop influences as well": This is how lead guitarist Riddie Becker described the indescribable sound of the Grilled Lincolns.
Hailing from our very own Charm City, the Grilled Lincolns, began about five years ago at Salisbury University where Becker and drummer Rob Dubois met and decided to form a band.
"We wanted to start a band, and here was this crazy kid Rob who liked rap music, some of what I like, who was open minded enough to give it a shot and we both had equal admiration for each other and each others' talents. We thought we could do something cool by putting that together. And so here we are now," Becker said.
Indeed they are. The Grilled Lincolns have been touring around the D.C. area, playing four to five nights a week, proof that making it in the Baltimore music scene is nowhere close to easy.
Becker said, "Baltimore makes you work harder as a band, because while the people here do like music, there aren't a ton of bars and venues on every corner like there are in other cities. You have to get in good with the venues that do offer live music and you really have to make sure that the people know who you are. Even though Baltimore is small, playing here for so long, we should be fish in a small pond but it's a really small pond, and we are just medium fish."
This isn't stopping the Grilled Lincolns, though, as they continue to put themselves out there week after week. "I am living my dream right now but what's hard is that we're still broke. We scrape by, and all the money that we make usually goes to fixing the van or buying new equipment. But it is a dream in the sense that it's my job to play music ... And the possibilities are endless. Right now I'm making money, having a lot of fun, I'm not at all burnt out from playing and touring, and I'm happy now. If you look down the road, it can only get better, really."
Becker's optimism is contagious and it is clear that the Grilled Lincolns are in it for the long haul, which is why they decided to send Becker as a representative down to the South by Southwest (SXSW) Music and Media Conference in Austin, Texas this year.
Realizing that they are indeed a budding band, they have acknowledged the need for a bit more guidance. SXSW is a privately owned company in Austin geared to creating networking events within in the music industry. Their event boasted over 12,000 registrants this year.
For a band like the Grilled Lincolns, this is the perfect opportunity to make long-lasting connections within the industry.
"You can't ever stop working in this business, but I think we made a lot of good contacts. Mostly there were panels during the day, meet and greets and demo listenings with record labels so it was a really good experience," Becker said. "A lot of shaking hands and schmoozing and trying to meet big wigs and hand out business cards."
One major lesson that Becker learned from the experience is that major labels are not looking to sign bands that don't have a signature sound - which could be a problem for the Grilled Lincolns, who pride themselves on their genre-hopping albums. Each song on their albums Raised by Wolves and The Roaring '20s can vary style - resulting in somewhat unfocused but not necessarily unlikeable composition, kind of like the mix-tapes of the '80s and '90s.
It's an existential issue that the band will have to explore because while "it might be our downfall," Becker said, "it's what a lot of people say they like about us ... Basically we're invested in the theory that no one really likes one kind of music anymore but likes a little bit of everything."
While gearing up for their third album, Becker acknowledges that this effort needs to epitomize that search for a musical niche, perhaps by combining different elements within one song rather than jumping from hip-hop to ballad to rock with each track.
"We realized that you do have to jump through certain hoops. You can say, 'I'm an artist, I do what I want, I'm independent' but at the same time, we want to be successful and marketable and have a demographic. Just kind of growing up basically," Becker said.
With their sights set on maturity and a clear path on which to follow, the members of the Grilled Lincolns are ultimately all about taking their music to the people; and while they want to display their technical abilities, it's really just about enjoying the atmosphere. "We don't get political, God bless bands that do, but it's not for us. While we do have our serious songs, for the most part we don't take ourselves too seriously. We just want people to have fun at our shows, kick-back and have a good time."
The Grilled Lincolns will be playing at the 8x10 on Friday, April 18.
