Cinders to Play Muse Music Before Album Release

_{By Mike Romero}

Jordan Zabriskie and Montana Smith have been playing music together for years in various bands and projects. “After playing together as a two piece and a three-piece, we decided it was time to get a bigger and fuller sound,” says Zabriskie. “We couldn’t do that with the past projects we worked on.”

Expanding their sound meant finding the right personnel. Adrian De La Cruz, a lifelong friend of both Zabriskie and Smith, joined the group on bass. Zabriskie also reached out to Austin Harris, a friend he met while serving a mission for the LDS faith in Nashville, Tennessee. “From day one of our time out there we planned on starting up a project when we got home,” says Zabriskie. Austin agreed to come aboard the new project, providing saxophone, melodica, and keys.

The group, now called Cinders, was almost complete – but the band still needed a drummer. “Brad Bennett actually found us on social media and asked for a tryout,” says Zabriskie. “We played our first show together one week later, opening for The Stone Foxes. It was unreal.”

Cinders is a nice blend of indie pop, folk, and rock. Upbeat strum patterns, smooth harmonies, and interesting percussion lines make Cinders perfect for road trips in the summer time. “Last Year’s Winter,” from their debut EP I Could Do Better, was received particularly well – with over 15,000 plays on SoundCloud.

Their follow up to I Could Do Better is their self-titled album, Cinders. In addition to playing guitar and providing vocals for the band, Zabriskie and Smith are also accomplished producers. The album is currently being recorded at Birchbrook Records, the studio they run with Harris. “Austin is actually the head owner of our studio,” says Zabriskie. “Without him we’d all be lost. We have recorded many albums in the past for ourselves and others and we can confidently say that this is the best project that we have ever worked on. The tracks sound great and we can’t wait until it is finished so we can share them with everyone.” Cinders will feature updated versions of all four songs found on their debut EP, plus eight to ten new tracks.

While some bands prefer to take time off from performing to focus on their work in the studio, Cinders does not. They’ve continued to play shows, showcasing their new material as part of their high-energy live show. “The song we close with entitled ‘Hope You Do’ will be right at the beginning of the album and I think that track may be one that people are most excited for,” says Zabriskie. “The recording definitely catches the ‘Na na’s’ well at the end. It sounds huge. We play about half of the songs live in our set right now.”

Tomorrow at Muse Music in downtown Provo, Cinders will be playing with Telesomniac and The Clay Temples. “We were asked by Telesomniac to open for them,” says Zabriskie. “We played a show at Gezzo Hall with The Clay Temples a while back and had a killer time so we are excited to see them again.”

Cinders has a little surprise in store for fans who come to the show. They’ll be playing two songs from the new record that no one outside of the band has heard yet. Additionally, Cinders will be selling the last of their shirts. “We never print the same shirt design twice so once these are sold out, they will not be printed again.”

When asked why they were playing in Provo, Zabriskie was enthusiastic with his response. “We love Provo. Our favorite shows that we have played have been in Provo. The crowd and the energy is awesome. There is no better place to see a show than there!”

Come see Cinders tomorrow, February 6th, at Muse Music with Telesomniac and The Clay Temples. Tickets are $7 online and at the door. Doors open at 8PM. Make sure to like Cinders on Facebook and listen to “I Could Do Better” below!