The band’s big shot to come up with something totally new, something that will catch the eye of every club owner/promoter/DJ/rock journalist and make them nearly break their necks running to the phone to throw deal after deal at said band. Right?

Wrong. Yeah, we know. So Awkward Silence prefer to shoot straight. No embellished histories, no token obscure influences, no half-assed attempts at dumb humor, no gimmick-y marketing ploys, no 25-adjectives-per-one-noun type stuff. Just the facts. Thank them later.

Awkward Silence formed in the fall of 2001 with several key objectives. Play shows at the best level possible, with as much energy as possible. Write songs at a level generally reserved for twentysomethings with national tours and record contracts under their studded belts. Record a demo and rack up valueable studio expirience. Play more shows. Those are the goals the band continues to exist by two years later. They’ve played shows, all self-booked, in their native Santa Barbara area and even ventured into the Los Angeles suburbs for a gig or two.

And, surprisingly enough, audiences respond to the band’s catchy-yet-sincere melodic songwriting and toungue-in-cheek between song banter. “Unlike a lot of the bands that are considered ‘pop-punk’, we write songs without even considering if something is a good ‘hook’, or a catchy enough chorus,” says lead guitarist and songwriter Chase Stauffer. “I’ve always preferred songs that were totally honest and simple to songs that have obviously been constructed to get in your head.” Vocalist, lyricist and rhythm guitarist Spencer Vincent agrees. “Everything we’ve ever written has a story or meaning behind it. All my lyrics are a response to something happening in my life. I stop writing when I think I’ve best articulated what it is I want to say… I never even think about anything else.”
The best examples of said songwriting ethos are found on the band’s self-released, bowling-themed “The Strikes And Gutters EP.” Combining influences like The Ataris, Yellowcard and Alkaline Trio with the band’s own ears for melody and arrangement, the EP is only the beginning of what Awkward Silence hope to accomplish through future recordings and live shows.

So what’s next for Awkward Silence? Business as usual: more shows, more songwriting, more recording, more Taco Bell. The aim now is to just continue what they've always believed in: frequent, energetic live shows featuring the results of honest, clever songwriting. This goal has served the band well in getting this far, the hope is that they'll be able to "take that next step" while still doing the things they love: playing shows, making friends and writing songs.

 

The band members:

Between writing the band's lyrics and watching "Anime" videos, SPENCER VINCENT cuts out pictures of models in bathing suits and glues them to his wall. He sings and plays guitar.

CHASE STAUFFER spends most of his time using his position as a CD critic for popular scene-site Absolutepunk.net to convince other bands to send him free CDs and stickers. He plays lead guitar.

Last April, ROLAND TRAFTON treated 30 or so fans at the Cobalt Cafe in Canoga Park CA to a grand finale by attempting to smash his instrument on the club's carpeted stage seven times before walking offstage frustrated, bass still intact. He is the (reluctant) bass player.

Nearly a decade ago, CHARLIE DE L'ARBRE misplaced a hundred dollar bill during a family outing to the Statue Of Liberty. There are still some in the De L'arbre family who are yet to forgive him. He is the drummer.