Like many great bands, there is something hauntingly
spiritual and honest about Lovedrug. The Ohio-based rock
band delivers highbrow sound akin to Spiritualized, Sunny
Day Real Estate, or Muse, crossed with the pop
sensibility and arena grandeur of Queen. A unique
crossbreed of art and accessibility, powerful melodies
are driven by smartly crafted lyrics of truth, intrigue,
love, death, and damn near everything in between.
Only those who have seen the band live can truly
understand the growing phenomenon that is Lovedrug.
Regardless of how cliché it may sound, Lovedrug live is
truly less a show and more an experience. In playing to a
variety of audiences (the band has shared the stage w/
Cat Power, Creeper Lagoon, The Killers, Elliot,
Twothirtyeight, The Casket Lottery & Noise Ratchet, to
name a few), Lovedrug have won over virtually every
audience they’ve met. Formed in June of 2002, Lovedrug is
the brainchild of Michael Shepard and Adam Ladd. Both
artists of some pedigree, the two friends joined forces
in several previous avant-garde projects including the
widely respected Kerith Ravine. Rising above the indie-rock
contour of Kerith, Shepard’s current vocal melodies
breathe a grand soundscape in a tender but bloodcurdling
timbre. Ladd’s bass in turn securely moors the project’s
course, providing quality arrangement to Shepard’s guitar
and piano innovations. Longtime friend but first-time
contributor David Owen became Lovedrug’s full-time lead
guitarist in July ’03, bringing his own accomplished
creative presence in both writing and performance.
Matthew Putman, a phenomenal writing and touring drummer
(Ester Drang, Unwed Sailor), completes the band’s
permanent lineup.
In less than 2 years, Lovedrug have gone from
start-up to standout on the mid-western rock scene.
Lovedrug recorded a self-titled 5-track demo, selling out
two pressings within three months of its July ‘02
release. Such interest led to further preproduction and
early ‘03 saw the band head into the studio with producer
Tim Patalan (Sponge, The Fags, Peter Searcy) with
astounding results.
Those lucky enough to hear the full-length results
frequently give it the nod for ‘best first record by any
band in recent memory’. Hinting at the full-length to
come, the band released the 6-track “Rocknroll EP” in
summer ‘03 to overwhelming acceptance. Cleveland’s Scene
magazine hailed Lovedrug as the #1 band to watch in 2004,
describing live favorite Down Towards The Healing as “one
of the most affecting songs of the year -- local or
otherwise.” Numerous college and independent radio
stations picked up the record for regular airplay,
leading to dozens of top rankings coast to coast, from
Hartford, to Milwaukee, to Seattle.
Various incarnations of the full-length album,
christened “Pretend You’re Alive”, began to cause a stir
among insiders and music industry types. A&R reps from
major and indies alike began appearing at Lovedrug shows
over the summer. By the fall interest in the band had
reached a fevered pitch, with a showcase at NYC’s
legendry Bitter End fanning the flames. Reps from
virtually every significant label system attended the
band’s sold-out CMJ appearance at Don’s Hills in October.
In the “suits on the loose” stage that followed,
Lovedrug was approached in earnest by a number of labels.
Appreciating the volatility inherent to the music biz,
the band carefully weighed offers from both major and
indie labels, searching for a reliable partnership that
would successfully launch their career while still
affording Lovedrug that ever-elusive element of control.
In the end Lovedrug spurned conventional wisdom, passing
on a major label offer, signing instead with mighty-indie
The Militia Group.
Spring 2004 sees Lovedrug preparing for the impending
storm, with preparation for the official release of
“Pretend You’re Alive” in late summer in full gear. The
band made their first trips to the L.A. area in April for
Militia Group showcases and will tour with label mates
Copeland throughout the spring. Support slots on the
Braid tour and headlining appearances in regional
strongholds, where excitement for the release of
“Pretend” is immeasurable, will mark the summer. Full
tour support slots and a co-bill college tour with Unwed
Sailor in the fall will follow…
