The Surrender

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Bio:
In Southern California, members of Rock Kills Kid (Warner Bros.) and Courtney Love/Hole came together with San Diego-born singer/songwriter Collin Elliott to create The Surrender in 2007. With influences ranging from U2, the Cure, Interpol and international acts Kent (Sweden) and White Rose Movement (UK), the Surrender provide a perfect backdrop to Collin's soulful and emotive voice.
“I’ve always been intrigued by music that takes a common idea or emotion and forces you to look at it from an uncommon perspective,” Elliott said. “That’s the stuff that lingers.”
The quartet has put the finishing touches on its debut EP "di Amor" for a March 2009 releaseElliott described the record as the “culmination of years of searching for musicians that got it. The idea that you can play music that has a big idea behind it without sacrificing accessibility.”
The band earned the honor of ranking in the top five best alternative rock songs on the music networking website OurStage.com in August 2008 with their namesake track, “The Surrender.” With a hard-hitting and powerful live show, they have carved out a niche for themselves in the Los Angeles and San Diego rock scenes.
One fan, Georgia-based songwriter/producer Michael Cornett, said he was attracted to the band’s honest approach. “Their songwriting is very appealing to me because it seems so sincere and real. I think their song ‘The Surrender’ is going to do great things for them.”
Ironically, upon their formation, the band found that their influences were so different that they weren’t quite sure where to find a middle ground. The Surrender created their first EP only after enduring a tumultuous period in which the band split up to pursue other projects. According to Elliott, utilizing each member’s talent for the good of the band was a difficult task.
“We were so different, but we knew deep down that the only important thing was that we all wanted to make powerful music that affected people emotionally,” Elliott said. “It was like someone handing us a beautiful painting but all torn to shreds and no instructions on how to put it back to together.”
Guitarist Neil Parek recalls the day Collin auditioned for him and drummer/producer Mike Balboa, “I remember thinking, this guy can definitely write songs, but c’mon he’s an acoustic guy.”
“I was definitely coming out of the acoustic singer/songwriter school of thought,” Elliott said. “But I think that was mostly just a result of not having a band. Once I heard what Mike and Neil were doing I thought, ‘this is unlike anything I’ve ever done, but it’s so fresh and real.’ I thought if we could pull it off, it would be different from everything out there.”
“It took a lot of soul-searching and forgiveness to realize that each member had something important to offer if we could just get out of each other’s way,” Elliott said.
“di Amor” is a snapshot of a band that has found its focus and, most importantly, its identity.
“It came as the result of a realization that the only way to move forward was to surrender the idea of what we thought we were supposed to be and to just allow what was,” Parek said of the EP. “We were able to pull together as a very tight unit in a remarkably short amount of time.”
Close attention to detail and an effort to create layers on every possible level give the Surrender its soul. Give the ‘di Amor’ EP a listen and you’ll hear a mix of influential sounds from times ago and a unique and fresh approach to the modern music landscape.
“In the beginning, we really had no idea what we were creating, Mike and I were aiming for something completely different before we met Collin,” Parek said. “But after we started writing with him, the synergy was undeniable, what was coming out was magic,”
Drummer/Producer Mike Balboa provides a hard and edgy backdrop to Parek’s unorthodox picking patterns and chordal pads. Although legally blind, Balboa’s condition has only served to enhance his abilities as a producer and musician. He has helped focus the band’s songs into sharp, colorful anthems of loss and the struggle to find identity in a socially confusing environment.
The Surrender’s lyrical content reflects the ideals about society and the human condition that each of the members share in common. The band seeks not just to sound grand, but to be grand in each pocket of their craft.
“I think we all have figured out how to push each other to do our best,” Elliott said. “The songwriting process is very democratic and I think it comes through in the music, no compromise.”
The Surrender’s influences couldn’t be more diverse. From Elliott’s background in blues and Americana, to Balboa and Parek’s 80s new wave training and bass player Shawn Dailey’s years as a fixture in the Southern California alternative rock scene, the Surrender connects to a broad audience.
Some fans say the band reminds them of a British New Wave band with distinctively American sounding vocals. Others are content to describe their sound as straight forward rock and roll with heart.
“‘Like Coldplay…with balls’ is my favorite,” Elliott said. “With all due respect to them, that cracked me up.”