The band that eventually would become Sinewave first came together
in the waning days of winter early in 1997. Bass player Brian Harvey
had just returned from a short stint of Military self-discovery that
left him feeling like he wanted something more. At least now he knew
it couldn't be found in Texas. So after he arrived back in California
he began calling friends looking for a chance to play music again.
It was during this time that he ran into guitarist Jamie Jenness
by sheer chance while visiting a friend in Escalon. Jamie was shocked
to see Brian back from the military and the two struck up a conversation
about music. Jamie explained that he had been putting a band together
with drummer Hashley Sizemore but that Hashley was moving to Fresno
to pursue a better job in radio.
Brian suggested that they get together with singer guitarist Chris
Amato with whom Brian had played with before in several bands including
"Valhalla" and the most recent "Penny Street Machine".
"Penny Street Machine" had splintered after their music
instruments were stolen, from their practice space, during the big
North Western Power outage the summer before.
So Brian arranged for the three of them to get together and try to
start playing. Within the first few practices they became aware that
they had something special on their hands. With Chris playing lead
guitar and singing lead vocals, Jamie playing guitar and singing backing
vocals, and Brian expertly holding the bottom down they began writing
songs.
After a few months of fruitless searching for a proficient drummer
Brian suggested asking his brother Kevin Harvey to join the band.
Jamie had played with Kevin in the band "Nihilism" and in
their high school Jazz band. Kevin arrived and provided the intricate
rhythms that the songs needed.
Unfortunately while the music was flowering, personal loss and inner
tensions between members were taking their toll. It was then that
Chris decided to part ways with the band and look for new opportunities
in San Jose.
So Jamie, Brian, and Kevin as a power-trio continued playing after
being dealt what was nearly a crippling blow. For a time they searched
for a new singer and lead guitarist but eventually Jamie reluctantly
took over singing duties. Brian also began experimenting with new
and innovative Bass playing techniques to help fill out the sound.
This would also begin what could only be considered an on again off
again love affair with music for Kevin. Over the course of his tenure
with the band he would quit abruptly and return just as suddenly.
Soon they were playing shows at parties in Modesto under various
monikers such as "Quicksand Gravity Lift", "The Fun
Loving War Criminals", and "Polystyrene". Chris even
returned for a single show at one point to play drums for an absent
Kevin. For a short time Scott VanSpronsen joined the band on keyboards.
The band eventually settled on the name "Tye Fighter" (in
homage to fellow Modesto resident George Lucas' Star Wars) shortly
before a show played at "JP's Cocktail Lounge". Later the
band began playing regularly at the new local nightspot "Charlie's
Spirits".
During this time Chris had returned from San Jose and had joined
the power-indie band "Feeling Grundle". Chris also had been
coming out and jamming with Jamie sometimes on the weekends. This
led to "Feeling Grundle" and "Tye Fighter" playing
shows together. Within a few months Chris quit "Feeling Grundle"
and rejoined "Tye Fighter" bringing back his much needed
trademark guitar style.
So the band continued to play, evolve, and were beginning to make
a name for themselves in the Valley music scene. Then in January of
1999 Brian quit the band to pursue school full time and the band broke
up shortly thereafter when Chris moved back to San Jose. Jamie who
had suffered through several personal tragedies and poor health in
the preceding months decided to continue playing as a solo-acoustic
musician. In his act Jamie played many of his compositions from "Tye
Fighter" which helped create a renewed interest in the band.
Jamie had also continued to jam with Chris and had kept in touch with
Brian. In early April Brian began playing Bass and Keyboards with
Jamie during his live shows and eventually they began trying to resurrect
"Tye Fighter".
Kevin expressed no interest in returning so Brian and Jamie began
searching for a new drummer. Eventually they opened for the emo band
"Post
Garbo" and met guitarist Dave Armstrong. Dave, who
had played drums in high school and had been the bass player in the
punk band "Rocket Car", asked to join in on drums and keyboards.
Chris soon returned and the band took the new name "Sinewave".
By October of that year the band had a more refined sound and was
at heading into the studio. The band also played many shows in and
around Modesto with "Post
Garbo", "Thefrankilluminati", and "Flying
Blind" to name a few.
In early 2000 the Sinewave EP was finished. The band continued to
play in the Modesto area until around late March. The effort of playing
in two bands (sometimes playing with both bands in the same night)
had begun to wear Dave out so he decided to play less with "Sinewave"
and focus more on the band he felt need more work "Post
Garbo". It was then that Brian, Chris, and Jamie decided
to relocate to Santa Cruz.
It was a chance for catharsis and the band decided to dump all their
old material and focus on new music for a new venue. This led to Jamie
and Chris cloistering themselves away for about seven months and writing
what would become the bands best material. During this time Brian
actively searched for a new drummer and finally found Ryan Boyd. Ryan
had been a veteran of the Southern California music scene and had
played with the signed band "The
Interstate Ten". Ryan consistently provided the intricate
backbones each song needed and was as distinctive of a drummer as
Kevin had been. Chris and Jamie also began sharing the task of lead
vocalist.
By December of 2000 they were ready and willing to play shows when
fate struck with a vengeance. Jamie ended up in the Hospital for a
week and had to spend the next two months recuperating. After Jamie
had healed up they band played a string of giant parties at their
house in the Santa Cruz Mountains. The response was ecstatic and work
began in earnest on a new demo CD that would better represent the
band. They felt their earlier CD, which had some songs that were almost
five years old, wouldn't be the best calling card.
The new two-song demo was completed just in time to serve as a swan
song. The band broke up. Not with so much of a bang but more like
a sigh.
Now in early 2002 the long promised Sinewave CD "Coffin Nail"
will be released in a special offer with Pleasant Valley Aerospace's
new CD. Check Sinewavemusic.com for more details.
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