Gretchen guitarist Dave Richards summed up his feelings in one word. “Wild.”
Thursday at the ETSU Homecoming concert, Gretchen will receive the honor of playing just before Everclear.
Gretchen, a local band that has played in many different cities from Minnesota to Connecticut and back, has a sound many people are catching on to.
Described as a cross between Evanescence and No Doubt, Gretchen also has their own sound to distinguish them from other bands. Ranging from hard to soft rock, Gretchen’s lyrics can and probably will tug at the emotions of the audience.
Gretchen’s lyrics can grab hold and hang on to a person’s heart, thanks to the beautiful voice of lead singer Mia Richards.
David Richards will fill your ear with the sound of his wonderfully played guitar licks. And the drummer Steven Robinson, will pound your skull with the insane beat of his drum. Gretchen however is not all hard rock music.
“It’s difficult to describe,” said Richards, in a recent phone interview, about how to describe the sound of the band. “Everywhere we go [the fans] are trying to compare us. We are diverse.”
When asked about them being compared to No Doubt and Evanescence Richards said “We try to sound like ourselves, but it’s not a put off. It’s an honor.”
Sounding like themselves has earned them attention. They have received honorable recognition on Billboard and a major company has used one of their songs in a commercial. Ford Motor Company used the song “Star” for a commercial they shot.
“Mouth Full of Nails,” “Ordinary Girl” and “Diamonds” all received honorable mention in Billboard’s 12th Annual World Songwriting Contest.
Another one of their songs “Inclined” went as far as No. 2 on the world acoustic charts on mp3.com.
How does an independent rock band handle that? “It was not a problem at all,” Richards said. “We were total excited about it … It shows how diverse we are.
“Ford used a reggae-rock type song. We had an acoustic song at No.2. And of the three songs for Billboard, two were hard rock, one wasn’t.”
This is Gretchen’s first time playing at ETSU. Richards said he is excited about playing on stage for ETSU. But, playing on stage can have its ups and downs. “If the equipment is working fine, [playing on stage] is an energy rush,” he said. “There is nothing like it. But if the equipment isn’t working it’s not a good night … The thing is it’s either one extreme or the other. There is no in between.”
As for some advice for a rising musician, Richards said to decide what you want and to have goals.
“The first thing you want to do is find your goals,” he said. “You always want to set goals for yourself.
“The second thing you want to do is get a good lawyer. And I’m talking about a music lawyer, not a divorce lawyer or anything. You have to get yourself a good lawyer who knows music law. Be open-minded but never forget your goals or your heart.”
With his influences from Van Halen, Metallica and Megadeath, Richards along with his wife, Mia, and Robinson have recently produced a second CD, titled “In the Mean Time.”
This CD is another example of how diverse Gretchen really is. The first single “Fading” has been very well received and is slowly making its way up the charts on Christianrock.net and on Radio and Records Christian Rock National Airplay.
For more information on Gretchen you can go to their web site at www.gretchenland.com. Gretchen will hit stage at around 7:30 p.m.

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