the hottest guys to come out of baltimore since the ravens, sr71 has been a prominent figure in the modern pop-rock music scene since their amazing showing at the HFStival 2000 (an annual rock concert put on by d.c.-baltimore based rock/alternative radio station 99.1 WHFS). it's cliched, but true--after years of being one of the most popular indie bands on the eastern seaboard, sr71 is finally soaring internationally higher and faster than its namesake stealth aircraft.
the band, fronted by the ultra-charismatic lead singer and guitarist mitch allan and rounded out by bassist jeff reid, lead guitarist mark beauchemin and then-drummer dan garvin, first got together in 1995. they began as crowd favorites at the fell's point saloon the horse you rode in on. for several years, under the name honor among thieves, mitch and the boys rode up and down the east coast in their 1987 dodge van (complete with attractive 8-by-10 foot trailer!), as their own booking agents, lighting and sound crew, publishing company, and recording studio. "it got to the point where we became more of a business than a band, and it was driving everybody crazy", says mitch. "it got to be too much work outside of what we wanted to do, which was to write songs and perform them onstage."
after impressive performances at several music conferences, record labels were falling all over themselves to pick up the guys. the story goes that several record companies arranged showcases for sr71 and they were all stiff and uncomfortable. the final showcase was done for rca records. the label's president and vice president apparently showed up with bottles of tequila and vodka, got the boys relaxed and got them onstage. the people from the record label treated the guys like it was a laid-back concert rather than a make-or-break showcase. which it was. sr71 signed with the laid-back folks at rca and the rest, as they say, is history.
after signing with rca, the band's debut disc, now you see inside, was done hand-in-hand with producer gil norton (known best for his work with the foo fighters) at bearsville studios, near woodstock n.y. the vocals were added during a several-week-long trip to england in london's church studio near abbey road. the proximity to the beatles landmark proved to be a good inspiration for the guys, whose name coincidentally has ties to a favorite beatles song. all of the guys in the band had fathers who were in the air force. the sr-71 was the fastest plane ever built, at 2,200 miles per hour. "it's never reached it's maximum speed. this thing can go so fast that no one has ever taken it that fast. we're talking so fast that if you touch the windshield while you're flying, the friction on the glass would melt your hand. the reason we got the name was simple--it was the one thing we all had in common. and the thing that convinced everyone is [the plane]'s nickname--blackbird, like the beatles song. and i love the beatles" quotes mitch.
sr71 is right where they want to be right now. recently, with the rise of pop-rock bands such as blink-182, third eye blind, and lit, the incredibly forceful pop music scene seems to be on a crash course towards rock. mitch notes that "there's a huge army on kids who have been listening to boy bands and now they're growing up and want to listen to somebody who writes their own songs and plays instruments. meanwhile, the rock crowd wants pop back in their rock. and here we are, right in the middle. i love it, i think the timing's perfect."
sr71's first hit single, "right now" (co-written by mitch and marvelous 3's butch walker), bounced around in the top 10 on the modern rock charts and eventually peaked at number two. the video for the song made several appearance at the number 10 spot on mtv's press-junket make-or-break hit show TRL. now you see inside consistently was in the top 100 for months since its release in july of 2000. their second single, politically correct, has also done very well, and their third single another night alone sounds promising. videos for both of those singles will be recorded in los angeles soon. sr71 has played a long string of highly successful shows all around the country and internationally with such bands as the marvelous 3, stroke 9, tsar, american hi-fi, dexter freebish, diffuser, and collapsis.
recently, sr71 announced their decision to part ways with drummer dan garvin. dan has decided to join nine days, and the split was reportedly amicable. the band has recruited longtime friend john allen, whom the band earlier called "the 5th beatle" to take dan's place. john has played earlier with starseed speed/uxb. the band is expected to get even more press within the next few months as they begin their arena tour opening for bon jovi. looks like they're going to need a faster airplane to change their name to.
