June 2007: After 5 years and nearly 100 shows, The Going Rate is calling it quits at the end of July. It’s been a really nice ride, but it’s time for some new things. We would like to thank everyone who ever listened to our music, came to our shows, and bought CDs from us. We would never have made it as far as we have without our friends.
After brothers William and Ryan Davis disbanded their former band, Repose, in 2002, they were looking to form a band with the idea of moving away from strait-ahead punk toward more melodic (but still very loud) rock. Around the same time, Jeremy Burk recorded and self-released an acoustic EP with some collaboration from local friends. The EP caught the Davis ears, and they soon had convinced Jeremy to front the new band. After initially auditioning a few lead guitarists, they decided to stick with the 3-piece format and it was Ryan on drums, Will on bass and Jeremy on guitar and vocals. Styled after the tongue-in-cheek idea of breaking rock monotony, they called themselves THE GOING RATE and played dozens of shows, mostly DIY, in Seattle and in the northern suburbs of which they hail from. Needing to add some additional texture to the live soundscape, TGR decided to audition long-time friend Eric Wick to play drums in late 2005. This would allow Ryan to move back to his first instrument, the guitar, and also freed him to add the synth sounds that they were previously only able to achieve in the studio setting. Eric was a perfect fit and in 2006 they attacked Seattle full-on playing shows at great venues such as Neumos, Chop Suey, High Dive, The Comet Tavern and the Nectar Lounge.
Over the years, as members changed instruments, new members were added to the band, and the musical strengths of each member emerged, the band developed their own unique sound. The Going Rate carefully blends precision drum rolls, screaming guitar leads, grounding bass lines, and relevant, introspective lyrics to produce music that is past simple rock beats or sordid love songs. A combination of musical ability, hard work, and outright ingenuity helps this group live up to its name. So if youve ever had to question why some establishment made you pay a cover charge to get through the door, you need to see this band. If you give them a chance, perhaps for the very first time, the money you pay for your musical experience will be worth The Going Rate.