Atlanta, GA – 2010 – Some people are firm believers of fate and destiny, others not so much. The members of Atlanta rock act “So Contagious” feel as if the pieces to their puzzle are perfectly aligning.
Meet lead vocalist/bassist Ryan McManus, guitarists and backup vocalists TJ Routon and Justin Calalay, and drummer Wesley Moore. The group of young individuals have found a creative spark within one another like never before. Whether it be writing new material, marketing their music to new faces via the internet, or touring in their 15 passenger van better known to them as “the maroon moose”, the band is constantly busy ensuring each day is a step forward.
The guys began touring the US and writing songs full-time in June of 2009. They dropped out of college, rejected scholarships, and one member even moved all the way across the country leaving his family and everything he knew behind. “Everyone put their lives on hold to begin touring and writing full-time. I never thought I would be living all the way across the country playing music,” explains Routon. After the departure of the bands former guitarist, the California native quit the LA Recording School in Los Angeles, CA and flew out to Atlanta to try out, and later on, join the band. “This is very cliché, but TJ was that missing piece to the puzzle,” states Moore. “I don’t know what it was exactly, but that chemistry and connection was there. It just worked. We didn’t even really know each other at first…to me, he was just some kid I was friends with on MySpace. I was freaking out because we had all just quit college and explained to our parents how we wanted to be rockstars, had our first ever tour coming up, and our old guitarist decided it wasn’t for him and quit. TJ randomly popped into the picture 3 weeks beforehand, learned all the songs, and things were golden again. It’s like it was just meant to be,” continues Moore.
Formerly known as “Seven Story Fall”, the group sold 20,000 singles, toured throughout various states in the country, and played multiple dates on larger tours such as: the Vans Warped Tour, Rockstar Taste of Chaos Tour, and Journeys Backyard BBQ Tour. Changing their name in June for legal reasons, the boys re-amped everything and prepared to create something intriguing to the world.
The band spent the entire month of April 2010 residing 30 minutes south of Orlando in St Cloud, FL. They were camped out in legendary gold record producer James Paul Wisner’s living room creating their most recent release, the EP “Locked & Loaded”. Wisner is also the man behind artists such as: Paramore, Underoath, The Academy Is, and Dashboard Confessional. His experience, mindset, and overall outlook helped the guys prepare to create something natural and real that was inspired by their roots. “It was incredible working with James,” states 19 year-old front man Ryan McManus. “Our drummer Wes met him at a show in Orlando during the Summer of 2009. We kept in touch and every time we recorded a new demo at our home studio, we’d send it to him to get his thoughts and opinions. We decided that once the time was right, we HAD to work together. He simply “got” our band and understood exactly what we were trying to do.” The songs speak for themselves, catchy roll down your windows tunes that leave you singing along for days. “Locked & Loaded” is something that allows Warped Tour kids and 34-year-old soccer moms to rejoice and sing along to. The EP is well balanced, containing songs such as “Never Say Goodbye” that have a nice Summer time feel, as well as a powerful rock ballad titled “Take You Away”. It’s appealing and marketable, but still rock.
“It felt good recording this CD. Before we tracked any instrument, we all sat down and discussed our goals with music and life in general just to make sure we were on the same page,” says guitarist Justin Calalay. Prior to hitting the studio with Wisner, the band wrote 15-20 songs. “We knew what we wanted and weren’t scared to throw away songs. Sometimes it would be just an instrumental, and we’d trash it. Other times it would be a full song with vocals and everything, and it wouldn’t make the cut,” elaborates TJ Routon.
It’s obvious these youngsters are onto something special. While most people their age are still figuring out exactly what career path to take, they’re progressing day by day and building their future. Living in a new age online world where every band has the chance to be heard, it’s important to create a product that is undeniable. Something that people can’t resist & they are just naturally attracted to. So Contagious did just that with their EP “Locked & Loaded”.
As drummer Wes Moore says, “There is no better promotion than word of mouth.” It’s always good to have something that spreads naturally…something “Contagious”.
