Summary: The Loft "The Loft was easily one of the stand-out bands I saw during SXSW-week" - Sean Claes (Managing Editor, INsite Magazine - Austin, TX) "The Loft are quickly becoming favorites of ours with their intense Southern jam rock that falls somewhere between the Black Crowes soulfulness and the full on rock of Gov't Mule or Drive By Truckers." - Chris King (Owner, Sticky Fingerz Little Rock, AR) "Soulful, funky, creative, and cool." - Jesse Jarnow (jambands.com) "Their music is tumultuous, spirited and quintessentially rock 'n' roll" - Leslie Carol Boehms (Sidelines Murfreesboro, TN newspaper) "Contagious, mind-blowing energy. This is The Loft, in a nut shell" - (The Daily Beacon Knoxville, TN newpaper) This is just some of the praise heaped upon Nashville, TN based band The Loft. Since completing their now 6 piece lineup in 2001, the band has built an evergrowing fanbase through both constant touring and 2 independently released CDs. Drawing comparisons to artists as diverse as Red Hot Chili Peppers and The Black Crowes, the band combines elements of rock, funk, and blues into a sound that's uniquely their own, yet 100% undeniably rock n roll. Originally formed almost a decade ago as a four piece while still in high school by vocalist John Banzhoff and his bass playing brother Phil, along with guitarist Chris White and drummer Jon Biggs, the addition of lead guitarist John Burke and keyboardist Nathan Johnson 5 years ago rounded out the current lineup. The band has honed their sound on the road, opening for the likes of Govt Mule, Drive-By Truckers, and Hookah Brown (featuring Black Crowes guitarist Rich Robinson), as well as headlining their own shows throughout the Southeast, picking up new fans with every visit. They've also appeared as part of several major festivals, including Nashvilles Riverstages Fest and Evansville, Indianas Springfest. Its obvious the band thrives in a live environment, and their relentless touring schedule close to 500 shows in the last 5 years has been the key to their success so far. Another important aspect to the band's popularity has been their open policy allowing fans to record the band's concerts. Over 60 of the band's shows are available for download at http://www.archive.org, a free, non profit archive of recorded music and video. With downloads well into the hundreds, it's been an effective tool to spread the band's music into markets they've yet to play live. 2 of the band's shows were even chosen as "Live Music Archive Spotlight Show Of The Week" - an impressive feat considering the archive boasts well over 200 bands and several thousand recorded performances (including such heavyweights as the Grateful Dead, Little Feat, and the Derek Trucks Band). 2006 has already been a busy year, with an appearance at the 20th Annual South-By-Southwest Festival in Austin, TX which has led to extensive publicity and industry attention. Theyve also filmed an episode of the UPN TV series "Not Just Country" to air on May 21 in television markets across Middle Tennessee. In addition, the band has been in and out of the studio for the last year working on the followup to 2004's 'Soulful Southeast Exhibit', their first full length studio album (after a live album and several EP releases). With sales of over 5,000 copies the independently financed and released CD was an unqualified success. With the aforementioned new album in the works, more nonstop touring, and continued media and industry attention, the future looks very bright indeed.
