Addison Groove Project
Based in Boston, Addison Groove Project (AGP) has gained a reputation as one of the United States' hardest working and most talented young bands. With all of AGP's members between the age of 25 and 30, the group has already garnered a national following as well as appearances on some of the country's most prestigious festivals, including Bonnaroo.
AGP ranges from heavy funk to sophisticated jazz and all points in between. The band showcases their double saxophone attack (Dave Adams and Ben Groppe) on some songs, while Brendan McGinn's guitar work and vocals will be showcased on another. Just when you thought the band had no more surprises, keyboardist Rob Marscher will take a solo to make you believe in a higher power. With Andrew Keith locking everything down on drums, these five players bring a big sound to the stage. Each member brings a different writing style to the table and that is apparent in the band's diverse repertoire. More important than AGP's diversity (and the strength of each individual) is their ability to play as a whole. When all band members are clicking, that is when the true AGP sound emerges.
The band's first album (called Addison Groove Project or The Orange Album) was recorded in 1998 as a high school senior project. With that CD in hand, AGP began to receive opening slots for national acts in clubs they had to sneak into only months before. When high school graduation came, all six band members were faced with the dilemma of immediately following their dreams of touring nationally or pursuing a college education. Much to their parents' delight, the band members decided to put school first.
While in college, AGP scheduled gigs on the weekends, arriving separately from five different schools within a 200-mile radius of Boston. Sometimes, while studying for finals in the back rooms of noisy nightclubs, or finishing term papers in the wee hours after a long weekend of gigging, it didn't seem worth it. Luckily, a major festival or high-profile opener was always booked when times seemed darkest, saving the day and keeping the band together. Summer breaks allowed the band to mount more extensive tours.
Along with their weekend warrior gig schedule and summer tours, AGP also released three additional albums before graduating college: two live concerts in the Wicked Live series and one more studio album, Allophone (which charted at CMJ and was a "Top Add" in its first week). Wicked Live 2 was recorded over a two-night stand at Boston's Paradise Rock Club. All told, the band has sold over 10,000 copies of their releases combined.
In 2004 the band suffered a huge loss with the death of John Hall, the band's bass player and a founding member. John battled cancer for approximately 18 months and passed peacefully on Thanksgiving night 2004. With John's blessing, the band has soldiered on as a quintet.
AGP side band Skinjer, which consists of all of the band except Brendan and performs when Brendan is busy persuing his medical degree at Mount Sinai School of Medicine, has only played a handful of shows to date but expects to begin performing again soon. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.
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