Meet the Band: Lance Ballard (drums), Jim Garibaldi (bass), Alex Hall (guitar, vocals) Jim Tauscher (guitar/vocals)
Starting Small: After a stint of other musical projects, Hall and Garibaldi finally met up to begin Aliver Hall in 2010. Ballard would jump in with the band in 2012, and although he's from the Cleveland area, the whole group now resides in Kent. "We kind of have three homes: Kent, Akron and Cleveland," Garibaldi says. In April of 2012, they dropped their most recent album Chasing the Rain, which is also the name of the single from the album. Garibaldi says they take a lot of influence from the Grateful Dead and Phish-style of jam band improvisation but are still firmly grounded in rock 'n' roll. "Lance is from more of an electronic and metal background so he brings the heat on the kit," he says. "Jim's into '90s alt rock and we all like Pink Floyd. Alex is into Frank Zappa, so we're trying to pull from all of these things."
A Fruiftul Year: In 2013, the band really ramped up its efforts, touring nearly 100 shows around the United States. Aliver Hall just came off a national tour that took them as far west as Denver, Kansas and Missouri and east to New York and the Carolinas. "In 2014, we plan on doing even more," Garibaldi says. He says they have been categorized as a jam band, especially since they frequent music festivals like Werk Out, but they try to stay away from classifications.
Why You Should Hear Them: Aliver Hall has a new album in the works for 2014 and hopes to have out in March. It's a six-track unnamed effort that the band hopes will be more fleshed out and tame, unlike its 2012 release that was more of a representation of its live show. "Part of our process is letting the songs develop by playing them live and then record it," Garibaldi says. "Conspiracy" and "Time On The Tape" are two tracks long-time fans can look forward to.
Where You Can Hear Them: aliverhall.com
Where You Can See Them: Aliver Hall performs with Tropidelic, Gypsydaze and Vibe & Direct at 9 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 31, at the Grog Shop.
