All rights reserved. Guitars and piano, voices and percussion, the resonance of sound against silence, elements that decorate the songs on the Milwaukee group's self-released debut and become part of the texture, part of the taste. The collaboration that led to I Am , which occupied over two years of writing and studio time, also resulted in the marriage of the group's founders, vocalist Laura Nigro and guitarist Kevin Roberts. In many respects, I Am is itself a marriage of heart and head, with Nigro's emotive songs transformed by Roberts' background in progressive rock and fusion jazz.
Relative simplicity meets technical virtuosity and births a band.
You have to let go of your ego to let the music take shape. I don't know if any of our actual influences can be heard in the music. Percussionist Jeff Gaudes is also heard on every track. Since Sometimes Y began to emerge from their studio seclusion last year for the occasional gig at the Globe or at lakefront festivals, the band's size has expanded like an accordion, with guitarist Thomas McWilliams, backup singer Michelle McRae, drummer Dave Duran and extra percussionist James Wilson helping Sometimes Y push toward realizing I Am 's lavish sonics on stage. The band's studio priorities result from Nigro's concern with using the group as a medium of communication.