The Upwelling is an American band. What it means to be an American band has changed over time, just like the American dream itself. Once an ideal banking on "you get what you earn," the dream has been into its own inversion: "what can I get for nothing?" The Upwelling are an American band in the classic sense. The "your destiny is your own" sense. Not this "hard work is for suckers" shit. The breadth of work, trial, and toil that has lead to the long-coming completion of their first LP, An American Stranger, is not only commendable, its an admirable call back to the days when a band worked to work, not to achieve. The Upwelling are a rare breed these days, and though it's sad that the old-school is now refreshing, it's one of the things that makes listening to them so enjoyable.
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Where so many found reasons to shelter and disconnect themselves in the wake of 9/11, Ari Ingber instead felt the proclivity to create, and began writing songs as a means of dealing with the immense tragedy he and his fellow New Yorkers faced. Though the inception of the singer/guitarist's inspiration was founded under such intolerable circumstances, the resulting endeavor read true of American optimism and buoyancy. Recruiting brother Joshua Ingber on drums, the two set out to live life doing what inspired them. It was then that the Upwelling was conceived and the final ingredients were in place for the band to scale far beyond what even Ari could have envisioned sitting with his guitar on September 12th.
The following months and years showed the band beginning the process of making their own on their own. Self-releasing a 5 song EP which earned itself a place on Virgin Megastore's "Virgin Recommends" series (a first for an unsigned band and for an EP), the band then honed the honors of Spin.com's "Underground Band of the Year," Karma Productions' band to tour Ireland, and the distinction of being a "Rave Review Band at SXSW" in Hits Daily. Without any representation the band garnered themselves tours with the All-American Rejects in the U.S., U.K., and Europe, as well as a slot as the sole support on Third Eye Blind's 10-year anniversary tour, not to mention additional support spots with Metric, Ben Kweller, the Wrens, The Stills, We Are Scientists and VHS or Beta.
All the work and attention eventually led their to their signing with the All- American Rejects' label Edmond Records (a subsidiary of indie stalwart Doghouse Records), and the wrangling of producers Jason Hill (Louie XIV), Stephen Jenkins (Third Eye Blind), and Tyson Ritter (The All-American Rejects). Though the band's endearing work ethic can't be underlined enough, without the music to back it up, its moot. The Upwelling do not fail in this capacity. The cream most certainly does rise when it comes to the quality of the band's songwriting. Even in brief conversations with Ari about music, its instantly apparent the brevity feeling and instinct hold in his outlooks on songwriting and recording. This isn't a guy worried about constructing a perfect hit, or following the all-too-popular trend of trading soul for polish. This is a guy who believes that the process is as important as the intent, and that the tracking of a great song starts when he feels like he's making something special.
An American Stranger is a noteworthy record. To find a rock record these days that offers such variety, feeling, and humanness (both in sprit and execution) is far from regular. Not to mention its ability to ensnare fans of a variety of genres. Anyone from a Frank Black courter to Chris Martin's stalker to a Tyson Ritter swooner would not be out of place singing along at an Upwelling show. That's a pretty remarkable thing is this age of invitation-only internet sub-genres. It's nice to see indie rock still have a life without pretension. But regardless of all this gesticulating, the Upwelling just pride themselves in being a hard-working band, and that's what is great about them. They will most certainly be coming through your town, driving themselves, loading themselves in, and making sure that the old-style ethic of the American band lives on. It's good know someone is keeping it on life-support.
