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The Wedding in Concert

The Wedding

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The five members of The Wedding already had good reason to celebrate after their well-received self-titled debut album of 2005. Although reviewers found it difficult to nail down and label their eclectic blend of punk/indie/emo/rock, everybody heartily testified to its edgy energy and lyrical depth, surprising in a band so young. Many of the songs unflinchingly cover some of life’s tougher, darker issues, especially startling considering the relatively mild background of the young band members. For the most part, their relatively cush background included growing up in somewhat sheltered circumstances before meeting in their small Springdale, Arkansas high school. Yet the southern quartet’s distinctive punk-rock take on relationships, trials, and spiritual healing, among other themes, rings with a no-holds-barred truth that goes well beyond either their years or their experience. The Wedding’s thirteen hardcore tracks serve up a crunchy authenticity that is incontestable.

But sophomore album Polarity is every bit a shocker as well, and once again for all the right reasons. Critics have been stunned by the band’s growth and maturity across the board, with nary one reviewer neglecting to comment on Polarity’s surprising musical direction, front man Kevin Kiehn’s impressive vocal improvement, and the project’s overall thoughtfulness. While gratified by the overwhelmingly positive response, Kiehn offers this practical explanation: “After the first record came out, we went out on tour, playing every night. We’d be home for a week, then gone for a month, so we got a lot more seasoned, grew up a lot.”

The reviews offer no argument. Commenting on the differences between the first and second albums, 1340mag.com said, “Polarity changed all that. The guys took the potential and turned it into reality by blending maturity, passion, and skill. Each song shines in its own right, and each track belongs.” CMCentral.com had this to say: “The Wedding have reinvented themselves nicely with Polarity, scoring big points for diversity, originality, and good old enthusiasm.” From Absolutepunk.net: “a crisp, crunchy, rollicking ride through rock and roll…. an album you will want to be married to all summer long.” And Jesusfreakhideout.com said: “The Wedding stand as the chief example of how to avoid monotony.”

By the time of Polarity’s recording, the band had gone through several permutations to reach its final dream team line-up: Kevin Kiehn (vocals/keys), Trevor Sarver and Cody Driggers (guitars), Jeremy Ervin (bass), and Joe Rickard (drums). Writing the songs as a team, with Kiehn handling the lyric duties, the band continues to unapologetically lay out their in-your-face message. The easy-going singer with the howling vocal chops is the last guy you’d think of as confrontational. “I’m the guy who meets you and doesn’t get it together to talk to you for the first week,” he laughs. “ But a second personality takes over me on stage. That’s where I step up.”

And listeners are stepping up just as readily in response to Polarity’s energetic yet deliberate rock. Kiehn shares, “I have kids come up to me all the time, usually several each night, telling me that the lyrics and the music are meaningful to them, that it’s hitting home. That’s what it’s all about,” he adds. Thematically, Polarity tackles the struggles so rampant in all of us, but especially relentless in the daily choices facing younger listeners: the battle between light and darkness. “When I wrote the album,” Kiehn relates honestly, “I was going through a season of finding out who I was. A lot of the time I was battling myself, and these songs address some of the struggles that we all have inside.”

From the fresh trumpets of the unique 47-second opener, “The Call,” and the gutsy dissonance of single “Say Your Prayers,” to the bagpipes-infused, blistering “I’ll Sleep when I’m Dead” and the petal-to-the-metal edge of “Misery Loves Company,” Polarity is surprising everybody. What is not unexpected is the reactions of the fans; after its April 17^th release, the Brave New World album sold over 2,000 copies in its first week and was the #1 album in iTunes’ Christian section. After touring and playing with Relient K and The Supertones, The Wedding has headlined their own tour this past summer with A Kiss For Jersey, Fiore, and Emarosa, and will be hitting summer festivals, including the Purple Door in August, and the Paramount theme park, Carrowinds Park in September.

Look for more surprises ahead as The Wedding members continue to develop their fresh punk-pop perspective. Visit www.theweddingrock.com for tour dates and information.