No Soliciting
No Soliciting-band of hard rocking experimentalists from Wichita, KS
1
songs
78
plays
Sunday's Orgasm Sunday's Orgasm
Just a song about getting in your car, and driving fast.
We are No Soliciting. That doesn't mean "don't check us out," it was just a catchy name. We are a group of five musicians of EXTREMELY varied backgrounds that have found enough common ground musically to come together and dedicate ourselves writing strong, quality music that just a bit different that what your're used to.
Our diverse backgrounds include punk, jazz, country, hardcore, alternative, funk, southern rock, blues, comedy rock, metal, and karaoke. We through it all together into a mix that is different, but still goes down easy like a cold beer.Band/artist history
Hmmmwhere to start? Every band has its own individual story, and No Soliciting is no different. I guess it all has to do with the set of circumstances the band was formed under. Let’s start with Geoff.
Geoff knew Joel for about 3 years before forming the band. Geoff was looking to start a new project and Joel fit the bill perfectly for a vocalist. Next, Geoff recruited long-time friend Eric “Skylar” Holmes to play bass. Geoff and Skylar had been roommates for about 4 months in Mississippi in 2000, and were on the same page musically. Geoff also brought in Dave Hemphill, an old friend that Geoff had played with for many years in other projects for the lead guitar spot. Now the group needed a drummer. Skylar came to the rescue with an old friend of his, Nathan Roy, who he had played with before in other projects.
The fledgling group came together in Geoff’s garage in June of 2003. Their first time together, the chemistry was instant. The group then threw themselves into writing and rehearsing for their first show.
After a couple of months together, the band suffered its first loss. Dave Hemphill left the band for personal reasons. The band understood, and Dave was still a common site at practices through March of 2004 until he moved to Texas. In the meantime, the band set about finding a new guitarist.
It was around this time that the band finally settled on a name: No Soliciting. The name was chosen to represent this collective of musicians for two reasons: 1), Geoff thought that it sounded good because everybody in town already had a No Soliciting sticker on their door, and 2) the entire band felt the name represented the way the band felt about current ‘modern rock’ on the radiodon’t sell us the same ole’ stuff ‘cause we ain’t buying it.
On Labor Day weekend of 2004, Geoff met Charlie Randazzo through a mutual friend. They started talking music and Charlie mentioned that he wanted to start a new band. Geoff invited him to come check out No Soliciting and see if he wanted to come aboard, rather than go through putting a band together. Charlie came by about a week later and the band felt good about him and asked him if he wanted to join. Charlie thought about it for a week, and then came aboard.
However, with the joy of Charlie came the pain of reality. In early December, Joel had to leave on an extended ‘business’ trip. But with the live premiere of the band pushed back to spring, this gave the band plenty of time to further work on original material.
No Soliciting made its public debut in April 2004 at a private party for a friend after Joel’s return in March. Gigs after their debut came through a combination of begging, stealing, and borrowing. Soon though, the snowball started to roll and get bigger, and by then it was out of the band’s control. Soon, shows that were once or twice monthly became two or three times weekly.
In the mid-summer of 2004, No Soliciting parted ways with original bassist Skylar Holmes and added Aaron ‘Slick’ DeHaven as their new bassist.
With a their new bassist in tow, No Soliciting began establishing themselves as a ‘must-see’ outfit, and became the house band Thursday nights at The Double Vision, a local music club. Although normally playing with one or two bands a night, the band sometimes found itself without supporting acts. These nights would usually result in the band playing 4 hour sets without breaking a sweat.
The Double Vision shows proved beneficial to the musicianship of the band. In late September 2004, the band entered A#1 Studios in Wichita to begin recording what would become the debut album, “Ground Level.” The band spent little time laying down powerful basic tracks for the album, often using the first or second take of songs.
After the recording of the album was completed, No Soliciting began to plan their marketing of the new album. However, another departure would cause the band to scrap their current plans. In late October 2004, Charlie revealed to the band that he would have to leave the band before the end of the year was out due to personal reasons. Also, Joel would soon be leaving on another ‘business trip.’
After Charlie’s last show with the band, the guys took a much need break to work on original material and regroup. With Joel gone for the next few months, the band didn’t sit still. In February 2005 the group finally settled on a replacement for Charlie with guitarist Chris Straka. Also, the group worked out a deal with new Wichita management firm Angrr Management to represent the band.
When Joel returned to us, it didn't take the group long to pick up where they left off. In June of 2005, Tommy Carlyle, the engineer and producer of our first CD, joined the band on keyboards.
After a few shows as a six-piece, No Soliciting parted ways with our lead singer Joel Janssen and guitarist Chris Straka in July 2005.
In a move that surprised the Wichita music scene, Greg 'Sprout' Manuel, formerly vocalist of Dieverge, Murder Cycle and Zerocell joined the band on vocals and guitars. Those that have seen the band in this new lineup have been pleasantly surprised and the word is spreading...Have you performed in front of an audience?Live? WE LOVE LIVE! If you're just going to play in a garage, you're not really going to be a band. Plus, you're never going to get anywhere if you don't play out. In terms of where, anywhere! We'll play for anybody anytime! We love to share our music with the people and get feedback on our originals.
Our first gig was a special moment. It was cold and drizzling on us outside, our hands and bodies were numb, but we managed to play an incredible show. Your first show is always the one you'll remember 'cause you're so scared before hand as to what you'll sound like and if anybody is going to dig it. Thankfully they did, and we keep on keepin' on.
Your musical influences
Where to begin? 311, 7 Mary 3, Led Zeppelin, Pearl Jam, The Black Crowes, Lynyrd Skynyrd, James Brown, Matchbox 20, Alice In Chains, Live, The Who, any and all blues, Santana, Beck, the list goes on...What equipment do you use?
Laney and Line 6 amps; Shure mics, Mackie, Behringer, and EV sound reinforcement, Fender and Gibson electric guitars, Takamine, Garrison, and Epiphone acoustics, Pearl Drums, Vic Firth drumsticks, Hammond B-3 organ.Anything else?
Check us out for latest gigs @ www.wichitabandscene.com, and our website at http://www.no-soliciting.com/
Wichita, KS
USA
ID
180167
Contact
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