Revery's on the rebound, with new Ep, attitude

By Jeff Maisey
Correspondent

Revery is officially back in rock ’n’ roll action.

After a squabble and dashed expectations with Evo Recordings, the label that released their debut CD, “Avarice & Absolution” in 2005, the Virginia Beach quintet has released a new CD EP titled “3 Song Demon.”

Jason Martinez (lead vocals), John Adkins (guitar/vocals), Mike Doyle (guitar), David Doyle (drums) and Bruce Robinson (bass) are out to recapture the sonic magic of “Avarice & Absolution.”

Revery held its CD release party in August at Gil’s in Virginia Beach. The high-energy group opened for Warrant as part of the American Music Festival last weekend and on Saturday has a slot on the main stage during FM99’s Lunatic Luau at the Verizon Wireless Virginia Beach Amphitheater, along with Sevendust, Ratt, Hatebreed and other bands.

According to guitarist Mike Doyle, they’re just getting revved up.

The band members of Revery took a break for a while. Explain why.

“The band had some difficulty with its record label, and decided to call it quits. After being in the trenches and constantly being focused on 'the business’ to the point of obsession, the fun of playing music morphs into the job of playing music. And, when that happens, it’s hard to appreciate what’s going on around you. We felt really let down by our label, and it was to the breaking point. Additionally, we weren’t all on the same page at that time either. My wife and I were about to buy a house and have a baby, and John and his wife had just had their second baby, so touring and making no money was not realistic to sustaining our lives.”

What has the band learned from its record label experience?

“Trust yourself. Don’t assume other people are going to do what they tell you they’re going to do. We had a lot of stuff slip through the cracks, and unfortunately, we missed some opportunities that could have really made a difference in our career.”

Why did you record the new CD EP?

“The reunion shows we did had a huge response from fans, and we had music that we wanted to get out to them.   It’s our next step in moving forward with the band. We also really wanted to get the song 'Shine’ out to the public. It has an inspiring, feel-good message to it, and kind of defines the band at this moment. ”

What do you plan to do with the recording?

“We’re going to shop it to people we’ve worked with in the business, as well as lot of radio stations that had been playing “Popstar Wedding.” We’re also selling it through our Myspace page at www.myspace.com/revery, and at shows. These songs, especially 'Shine,’ are tunes that the fans have been asking for for over a year. We also have 4 songs waiting to be finished, so another EP is likely in early 2009.”

What are the future plans of the band?

“Our immediate plans are focused on knocking the Virginia Beach amphitheater on its side at the FM99 Lunatic Luau. After that, we’re officially back in it. So, that means that we’re going to get the music out there as much as we can. We’ll be looking for licensing deals, publishing, radio, TV/movies, etc. I think we’ll push really hard for airplay from stations that had played Revery in 2006-07. A record deal would be OK, but in these times, it’s not really a necessity.  We’d love to get back out on the road with some big names and be on the radio again, but we’re not going to blindly jump in a van and go tour for no money.   But, truthfully, right now, it’s been awesome just playing these recent shows. So for now, we just want to spread the word, and let as many people as possible hear our music.”

Jeff Maisey, (757) 222-3934, jmaisey@pilotonline.com