After a year of writing and playing endless solo shows, Jared Mort decided to form a band behind him in March of 2007. His first thought was close friend and past band mate Pierre Marche on drums. One night, Jared asked Pierre to come check out his acoustic set at a small bar on Wells Avenue. Jared had come up with something pretty damn original, and Pierre states “I really hadn’t heard anything like him before. He’s got this unique, smooth tonality to his voice. I knew I had to be a part of his band.†Next was long time friend and another accomplished musician Tayler Wooten on guitar for his exciting ability to write moving and melodic guitar riffs and solos. The band finished out with Dennis Hippert, a local bass player who all agreed fit the band perfectly. Although a new band, the quartet had deep set roots immediately. The four began working on Jared’s songs as well as ideas that Tayler was bringing to the table. Pierre and Jared co-wrote and rearranged the songs lyrically. The band is a complete collaboration when it comes to the writing. Watching them create the songs is truly a lesson in ego-free, open-minded musicians feeding off positive energy. The harmony of this band comes off in the music as much as it is evident in their live performance. Fast forward three months and the band found themselves in a recording studio in Sacramento, California. Pierre enlisted the help of his friend and sound engineer Eric Broyhill for his honest approach to recording. Promises Promises locked themselves in the studio for four days and created an E.P. that was completed May 22. There are no vocal or guitar auto-tuning devices used on the record, nor are there tons of overdubbing. While the listener can hear influences of electronica, the record is void of any keyboard sampling. The drums are all acoustic, the bell sounds you hear are bells, and the tambourine is is wood hitting flesh. Promises Promises has developed a philosophy about their music which is essentially this: They are honest about what they do, good or bad, for better or for worse, nothing is over-thought; nothing is contrived. Promise
