t can be a stressful life, juggling a full-time job, a family and a band.
But the members of country-rock group Midnite Run say they find comfort in their music.
"We really enjoy what we do. We sacrifice a lot for it," says drummer and vocalist Art Hill. "But obviously, the benefits outweigh the sacrifices."
Hill, who has been with the band for eight years, lives in Jeannette with his wife, Kerianne, and their son, Kolton, 4.
"Last month we had 15 jobs," says Hill, whose day job keeps him busy in the IT department at the Tribune-Review. "It's a tremendous struggle to find time for yourself. We all have wives and children."
Hill says this month promises to be just as busy for the band, including a show scheduled for 1:30 p.m. Sunday during the Hempfield Fall Festival at Hempfield Park.
Chris Lander, the band's lead vocalist for four years, says it's all about the adrenaline rush he gets when he takes center stage.
"I could be dead tired from a long week. We could have four shows in a row, but once I get up there on that stage in front of those people, it just lifts me back up again," he says.
Acting not only as the lead vocalist but also as the band's manager and Web site designer, Lander says his weekend gig has become his second full-time job, next to the time he spends each week working at a family-owned business. He says it leaves little time to spend with his wife, Carrie, and two children, Tristan, 5, and Brittany, 12.
But he, Hill and band members Dave Maxwell and Jim Blaney are working hard to reach their goal of making "the big time."
"We all believe we have a shot," Hill says. "We've been through a bunch of changes, but the band is tighter than it's ever been, with the existing members. We are going to do everything in our power to make it happen."
Besides the big crowds the band draws at local venues, the group is hoping to gain more exposure through its first CD, which members anticipate finishing by the end of the year.
The album will feature the group's signature country and classic-rock sound through songs written by Hill and Lander, including "Five Miles of Bad Road," "Half Acre Happy" and "When I'm Gone." Additionally, Lander says a few songs still in the early stages of writing also will be on the CD.
"We try to be very versatile for our audience," Lander says. "A lot of people say they didn't even like country music until they heard us. We tend to be on the heavier side of country -- almost rock 'n' roll."
It's a sound that's gaining a lot of attention, which explains why the band stepped into the recording studio.
"The CD is something to show for all the hard work we've been doing. Fans have been asking us for a CD. We want to give them something to enjoy outside of the show," Lander says. "We are doing this for us, and for those who have stuck by us all these years.
"As far as what makes us unique, I can't put my finger on it," he adds. "I don't know. But what we do works for us."
This article was interesting to me, because I think I went to school with or my parents know the members of Midnite Run. The whole article was really good and Carla DeStefano wrote really well. I hope to one day be as good as her--because who knows journalism just might become my career.
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/search/s_371758.html
Posted by lougagliardi at September 27, 2005 10:15 AM | TrackBack