The McLovins

[EverythingChanges]

Scotty, I get what you are saying.  The old guitarist was great, and by far better than either of the two new guys.  But I personally have a hard time wrapping my head around some of the older lyrics as a trio; they are just too simple, and at times, really bad.  Either way, the old guitarist brought life to the band, and I agree it is a shame to see him go.  I wonder why he left?

[capt. scotty]

But I personally have a hard time wrapping my head around some of the older lyrics as a trio; they are just too simple, and at times, really bad.

Agreed, and thats why I brought up with these new songs, that is clearly the biggest - if not only - improvement the band has made since the switch up. Lyrically, this is the best theyve been.

On the other hand, when they were writing/releasing Conundrum and Good Catch, these guys were all only 14-16 years old, albeit very musically gifted, but still barely in high school.  I know I wouldve been writing about Purple Trees when I was that age!!  That, more than anything, I think explains the lyrical "immaturity" if you will. I think they made a huge jump with the lyrics on the Who Knows album, once they were only a couple years older, so I think that only supports this thought process. Im guessing the drummer, Jake, writes most of the lyrics (at least for the 1st 3 albums), but not positive on that. Doubt Jeff wrote many if any lyrics, so that also makes you think just them - or Jake - maturing is the primary reason for the lyrics improving (not even including songs like Yankee Rose which I guarantee Atticus wrote).

[capt. scotty]

To answer both of you, Yac and EC, about why Jeff Howard left, it would seem to be a combination of things. My first thought was he also was academically a "genius" for lack of a better word, and he wanted to focus on highschool and getting into a good college and a lucrative career outside of music. Knowing Jake and Jason are both a couple years older than him, this also made sense. They were going to college somewhere (Hartford area it would now appear), while Jeff was just entering his Jr year of HS (in Ohio) when he/they likely came to this decision. Jeff is still just now about to be graduating HS in a couple months. Which reading between the lines, is probably the biggest reason for him leaving the band.

After doing a little research a couple days ago to try and find more info on the subject at hand - how couldnt I, this kid is borderline unreal on the axe, especially at his age - I didnt find all the answers but definitely enough to make me happy. Most importantly, he is still planning on music being a big part of his life and has played with multiple bands/musicians over the last year plus since leaving McLovins. I'll copy a few of the best/most informative quotes below, but also link the articles as well where Jeff was interviewed. Definitely worth the 5-10 minutes to read them.

http://upstatelive.wordpress.com/2012/10/10/an-interview-with-jeff-howard-guitar-prodigy-years-ahead-of-his-peers/

"I haven't yet sat in with the McLovins since my departure. My leaving the band was simply a matter of conflicting circumstances and commitments I had to deal with. It got to the point where I knew that I was unable to be the band member that the other guys deserved."

"Really, I just want to keep on improving my skills. There's no limit to how far you can go in your mastery of music, so it would be silly to set a boundary as to how far I should achieve. Music is a giant puzzle, and overall I just want all the pieces to come together. In terms of achieving success in music (i.e. fame), my only plan is to see what happens. These days it's so hard to make a living off of music, so I'm not going to tell myself that I have to make money off of a successful band. If I do turn out to be able to live off of making music, I'll be extremely thankful."

"I will probably not be putting all my eggs in one basket by majoring in music. I'm still uncertain of what I'll study. That being said, I will always "stick" with music, in that it'll be a constant part of my life."


http://canton-ct.patch.com/groups/business-news/p/outgoing-mclovins-guitarist-looks-to-expand-musical-horizons

"As of now I plan to expand my horizons and play with as many musicians of different genres as I can"

"His passion and love for music is that of no one I've ever encountered in my life," Decker said.

[EverythingChanges]

Great find Scotty! The reasoning is legit and makes tons of sense.  Hopefully he pops up somewhere down the road.  His guitar playing is unreal for that age.

[johnnYYac]

New album out in January 2014.  Liking the first released track...

Birthday (Official Music Video) by McLovins

[capt. scotty]

Good tune. Still sucks that Jeff isnt in the band, but excited to hear this new one.

Also, thank you very much for the bump Yac as I watched your link on youtube just now, and in the description it says to check their site for their winter southern tour, and I just about pissed my pants to see theyre playing a free show here in Virginia Beach on thursday! 

[johnnYYac]

Good tune. Still sucks that Jeff isnt in the band, but excited to hear this new one.

Also, thank you very much for the bump Yac as I watched your link on youtube just now, and in the description it says to check their site for their winter southern tour, and I just about pissed my pants to see theyre playing a free show here in Virginia Beach on thursday! 

Sweet!  Hope you make it. Report back. And find out if the new album will be available on vinyl.   

They're definitely a different band now but put on a helluva show in NH last winter. They are fully aware I'd like them to find their way to Iowa City.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[parkervb]

Good tune. Still sucks that Jeff isnt in the band, but excited to hear this new one.

Also, thank you very much for the bump Yac as I watched your link on youtube just now, and in the description it says to check their site for their winter southern tour, and I just about pissed my pants to see theyre playing a free show here in Virginia Beach on thursday! 

Thanks for the heads up Scotty.  I am going to try and make this for sure