Fresno, CA Rockers Gryp Travel

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Gryp came out of nowhere and rocked the world. Hailing from a little city, called Fresno, in California, this power-packed band features Curtis Shamlin (vocals), Jason Garcia (guitar), Jeremy Davis (bass) and Mike Sharp (drums).

Since forming in 1997, the group released two exceptional indie CDs - eal and Indecision - and took it upon themselves to do everything a label would do. They performed all the duties of a manger, booking agent and a publicist. They created their own flash to the public. Booking themselves onto big band line-ups such as the Vans Warped Tour and opening for groups like 311, Pennywise, P.O.D., Fenix TX, and MxPx. What’s more incredible then that is the bands fan-base stretches around the globe. This is validated by the remarkable number of hits - 100,000 per month - on their very popular website, www.gryp.net. Watch out Creed, a new kid’s in town!

So what is next for a self made band? Where do you go once you have accomplished such a phenomenal feat? The only answer is to find a label that is just as hard working and on the same page as the artist. Gryp found this in W Recordings.

After inking the contract in 2001, this put the guys back in the studio. They produced a 7-song EP with some of the new songs that they had been working on. They decided to release a few of the songs to see how the fans would respond. Their first release, “Left Behind,” has been hitting every chart around. They hit the Weekly Top 40 on Mp3.com for the week of Dec. 10th coming in at #7 - December 11th #4 on the Pop/Rock MP3 chart (# 3 Staind & # 5 P.O.D.) as well as # 2 on the Rock MP3 chart (# 1 Staind & # 3 P.O.D.). And the list goes on.

Because of this amazing embrace of their music, they hit the studios once again to stretch this hit EP into a full length CD. And that is where I found Curtis Shamlin, hard at work in the studio.

KNAC.COM: You guys are getting a lot of spins all over the Country considering you haven’t released your album yet. How does that feel?
SHAMLIN: It’s just amazing. When we started out, we had a good underground fan-base. But, since we got to tour and do shows with some bigger artists, we have a lot of fans in New York New Jersey, Florida. A lot of east coast states.

KNAC.COM: When do you expect to release your new album?
SHAMLIN: It’s supposed to be January or February, but I think it will be more like the end of February, early March. It’s kinda tough. We are trying to get it done by this Friday. I would be nice to rest at Christmas. Then it needs to be mixed. The same guy who did P.O.D. Alive and Nickelback will mix it. We are stoked! Then it will be mastered and then off to the music stores!

KNAC.COM: So what will the album be titled?
SHAMLIN: It’s self-titled.

KNAC.COM: Is it going to sound like your previous release, Indecision?

”We have been always an aggressive rock band, but our new stuff is melodic. Even though it is different, we maintain our integrity.”

SHAMLIN: It’s a billion times better. More professional. The style and production shows our growth musically. The writing is so much better.

KNAC.COM: What do you attribute your evolution musically too?
SHAMLIN: Definitely the new drummer. He has been with us for about two years now. He is very professional. We became tighter in playing. His style changed the rest of the band. He has great ideas. He will make a great producer some day.

KNAC.COM: Who does the writing?
SHAMLIN: I do all the lyrics and the guys come up with their parts. Then we get together and go through everything. See what works and fix what doesn’t. It’s a very collaborative effort.

KNAC.COM: But what exactly is different about the music?
SHAMLIN: We have been always an aggressive rock band, but our new stuff is melodic. Even though it is different, we maintain our integrity. The song “Left Behind” is more melodic. We’ve been playing these songs live to get a response. We noticed that our audience was changing because of that. When we only hard aggressive music, it was mostly guys. But now, we have a lot more chicks in the audience, by about 85%. It’s a good crossover song.

KNAC.COM: Well, as you know, if you can draw girls to your shows, the guys follow!
SHAMLIN: That is the truth. Besides, we want to get a broad range of fans, not just guys. We want something for everyone.

KNAC.COM: Tell us more about some of the new songs.
SHAMLIN: Another song getting spins is “Can’t Explain.” It’s about how you feel when you miss your loved ones. That feeling that you get, but is unexplainable. Ahh – but the best song, that no one has heard yet, is “Save Me” – it’s about being depressed and overcoming. Kind of like an outcry for someone to save you from yourself. That is the song that will get attention. Can’t wait to let you hear it! It’s a cross over to pop-rock.

KNAC.COM: So did you take out all the “heavy” sound?
SHAMLIN: No, there are still heavy songs. I think that they compliment with the new sound.

KNAC.COM: Once the album is done, can we expect a tour?
SHAMLIN: We would like to tour right away to pre-promote the coming out of the new album. I am looking into that. We want to get on as in a support slot. We would love to go out with Adema. They are cool! I think that will help build our name more by going out with someone like them.

KNAC.COM: Is there anything that you would like to tell the fans?
SHAMLIN: Go to our site and request our songs to the radio stations. And, oh yeah, look out for our new self-titled album. Coming to music store near you!