Independent Reviews Site - Editor's CD Pick

Blue collar band EPSTEIN'S MOTHER has cornered a fan base in Las Vegas and seems poised to make a break into the real world any minute. Over 1500 people turned out for the release party for their new CD "Subtle" at the House of Blues in Las Vegas.

Produced by Mike Sak (Ani DiFranco, Goo Goo Dolls) the CD is supremely worthy of praise and plenty of time in the player. Most of the songs are penned by lead singer, Shawn Eiferman, who started the band, with bassist Geoff Neuman, in 1996, and speak of everything from simple pleasures ("My Favorite Song") to broken lives ("Gone"). Reminiscent of bands like the Gin Blossoms and Match Box 20, EPSTEIN'S MOTHER is looking to follow in their footsteps. The band recently played in Los Angeles and the IRS caught up with them in their hometown a week later.

The Whole Band Says:

CA: When did you know that you wanted to be a musician?

GEOFF NEUMAN: I knew I wanted to be a musician after seeing some friends in High School play. I also discovered John Patitucci a great bass player and a huge inspiration for me, around this same time.

CHRISTIAN BRADY: The first time I watched "Van Halen, Live Without a Net," and saw Eddie Van Halen play. I was 13.

CHRIS MORRISON: I didn't.

SHAWN EIFERMAN: 2nd grade, I played the mayor munchkin in a Palomar College show of the Wizard of Oz.

CA: Is Epstein's Mother the kind of sound you envisioned when you signed up to be in the band?

GN: Not at all. I joined up with Shawn near the end of my undergraduate studies at UNLV. I was just looking to do something fun and different from all of the jazz and classical music I was playing in college. I still love and play that other music as often as I can but the music we are creating with EM is far beyond what I ever imagined.

CB: Who's EPSTEIN'S MOTHER? (just kidding). I think the sound of EPSTEIN'S MOTHER is what the four of us make it. So it can really be anything we want to envision. That's the beauty of creation.

CM: Nope.

SE: Without question!

CA: What's your favorite part of being a band with such a fabulous fan base?

GN: A lot of the "fans" that come out to our shows are a lot like friends. We enjoy talking to them about their lives and what they like so we get to know them beyond just supporting the band. While we cannot possibly do this with every single person that comes out to our gigs, we try .

CB: We actually prefer to call them "friends" rather than fans. A lot of the people that come to the shows are loyal fans and friends of the band who have been following for a long time. I like the fact that we know the faces at our shows. It makes every time we play seem like a giant party with all of our friends. That's what makes playing live great for me.

CM: The quality of music they get to hear on a regular basis.

SE: All of our shows feel like we are playing in front of a hometown crowd.

CA: What venue, anywhere in the world, would you most like to play, (to a packed house of course)?

GN: This is a tough question because I love playing at small venues when the energy is there and when we play at places like House of Blues and it is packed it is also great. I would say that headlining Thomas and Mack Center in Las Vegas with a sold out crowd would be the best because it is in our hometown. I am sure there are great venues like Madison Square Garden or Staples Center that are better venues and alot more prestigious but if we ever get to headline one of the big venues like the T & M or The MGM Grand Garden, that will be a amazing.

CB: The big festival that happens in Rio di Janero every year. I think playing in front of 100,000 plus people would have to be one of the most incredible feelings in the world.

CM: The Long Beach Arena in California.

SE: Wembley Stadium in London for their Grand Re-opening next year.

CA: Do you have a favorite hang out on the strip, or do you avoid it whenever possible?

GN: Believe it or not, we are so busy that we don't have alot of chance to just go hang out anywhere. I avoid going to the Strip unless we are playing or I want to go eat at one of the restaurants.

CB: I usually try to stay away from the strip. Too many people and too much confusion. The closest place to the strip I hang out at would probably be the Hard Rock Hotel.

CM: No fave hang and no avoidance.

SE: I take it all in equally. I actually love Vegas and the Strip and I love the most the fact that it is always there for me when I need it and all the options that go along with it!

The Band's Founders Say:

CA: How did the band come to be? Were their other versions of the line up with other players, or did EM just come together?

SHAWN EIFERMAN: I had some songs I wanted to record and I needed musicians to play on the recording. We got together made the record and it felt right to stay together and progress as a band. We lost a drummer and two different guitarists in the last four years but it has evolved into exactly what I want.

GEOFF NEUMAN: Shawn and I started out with a different drummer. His name was Beau Doyle. He actually sits in with us once in awhile on percussion. Chris Morrison joined while were recording what ended up being "Hurry Up and Wait". We started out with basically a 3-piece band and had a few guitarists play with us until we found Marty Treider. He stayed with us for 2 years or so and then we needed to make a change. Chris, Shawn and I needed to find a 4th member that had the same drive and dedication as us. This is where Chris Brady came in to the picture. He almost lost a chance to be in the band. We auditioned a ton of players and were about to pick someone when Brady was recommended to us by a mutual friend. As soon as I met him, I just knew he was the guy.

CA: Has working with Mike Sak changed your music, as far as you're concerned, in any notable way?

SE: He is a "RADIO HIT" minded producer and he has focused on a more commercial/radio friendly sound than I would have produced myself.

GN: Mike was very instrumental in helping us find the common ground of all of our influences. Each of us come from various backgrounds and Mike was able to use what we can do while still focusing on creating good tunes.

CA: What's your ideal goal for the band?

SE: Total world domination of song!!! I want to be a household name in Lisbon, Switzerland, Paris, and Australia, etc. I want to make people think about words and music and the power they have to change lives for the better. I want to change the world like Lennon did and Queen and Dylan and Milli Vanilli.

GN: Honestly, I just want to keep doing what we are doing only on a bigger scale. I want to keep performing as much as possible because that is musicians are supposed to do. I think the right record deal will help us become a house hold name in other places. I think the wrong deal will just ruin the great thing that we have going on. I am not in any hurry to sign a deal unless it right.

The Songwriter Says:

CA: You have not one by two songs about the power of music to make life better (My Favorite Song, Constant Reminder). Is that a driving force in your life?

SE: Undoubtedly!!! Music has been the only thing in my life for the last twenty years that has never let me down. Even when it seems hard or there are some obstacles in my faith like Milli Vanilli winning a Grammy...I can still turn to others for support...rock and roll is my religion and my law.

CA: Even though EM's music is upbeat and has a pop (not in a bad way) quality the lyrics are still very message driven (Gone, Still I Dream, Believe). Are you trying to tell your audience something or are you more interested in talking about what you know?

SE: I never thought of it in that way...I think I just write about what is passing through me at the time and sometimes it's poignant and sometimes it's pungent!!

CA: If we looked in your CD player today, what would we find?

SE: Earth, Wind, and Fire's Greatest Hits Volume 1 is in my home stereo. 101 children's songs are in my car for my 3 and 5 year old kids to rock out to. And Tonic's Sugar CD is in my walkman next to my drum kit so I can bash to something I love when the day is done and I want to choke my ex-wife !!!

CA: What albums would you suggest that anyone thinking about songwriting should listen to?

SE: Anything by Edwin McCain, James Taylor, Hall and Oates, Bruce Springsteen, or Jeff Gordon (not the race car driver.)

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