Multi-instrumentalist/producer Andy LeMaster said he encouraged his bandmates to take the music of their influences in different directions.
"I grew up listening to '80s pop bands," LeMaster said. "It was the stuff of R.E.M., U2 and the Cure that formed much of my musical backbone. I wanted to play that kind of music and take it down other paths."
The band, called Now It's Overhead, was formed quite by accident, he said during a mobile-phone call from somewhere between Tucson, Ariz., and the Texas border. The band — which includes keyboardist Maria Taylor and bassist Orenda Fink (who came from the Athens, Ga., band Azure Ray), and drummer Clay Leverett — got together when LeMaster was trying to get some songs recorded. "I had a group of songs that I wanted to put down on CD. I met Orenda and Maria, and they encouraged me, and we decided to play together and form a band."
The result was a self-titled debut album released in 2001. This time around, LeMaster is touring in support of the new album "Fall Back Open." "The new album is more cohesive. I took a different attitude with this album. I worked more with soundscapes and trying to set moods. I wanted this album to be more ethereal."
LeMaster said he tries to have all the songs written before he goes into the studio. "Otherwise it could be a dangerous undertaking," he said with a laugh. "Really, I have an idea of what the songs are going to sound like before I record them. But inevitably, something sounds better a different way when you're working in the studio. If I didn't have a good idea of what my songs sound like before I recorded them, I'd be in the studio forever."
He said that recording the new album was a good experience as a band, and he even got R.E.M. vocalist Michael Stipe to contribute a few vocals. "I've been playing music for quite awhile," said LeMaster, who is also in a band called Bright Eyes. "The people I've worked with have always been good to me. I'm totally happy with how my career is going, and I feel lucky to be doing what I'm doing.
"I don't have unattainable expectations for myself, but every time I do something, I want to make sure it's at another level than what I've done."
If you go
What: Now It's Overhead
Where: Kilby Court, 741 S. 330 West
When: Monday, 7:30 p.m.
How much: $12
Phone: 801-320-9887
Web: www.kilbycourt.com
E-mail: scott@desnews.com