Before the Eyewall and 19ADD

This past Tuesday two vans filled with gear and instrumental three pieces pulled up to the Wealth Underground Farm in Portland, OR.  Before the Eyewall (from Columbus, OH) and 19ADD (from Denver, CO) are both relatively unknown bands nationally, on tour to gain some exposure and to share their love for music with metal fans across the country.  Though they play divergent brands of metal, Before the Eyewall crafting long songs that carry you across sonic landscapes, 19ADD pushing the limits of metal with strong technical playing that can make an individual of sound mind feel the need for medication, both readily shed formula songwriting, creating their sound through a process of experimentation.  In that spirit of experiment and exploration, they agreed to visit the farm and take part in the inaugural Farm to Artist gathering.

Once the bands arrived around 1:30 pm, after driving down from Seattle where they had played a show the previous night and running errands in Portland, we took a walk around the farm.  Though the Oregon skies unrelentingly nagged us with mist and rain, everybody was in high spirits as we walked through the rows of vegetables.  We stopped and tasted some cherry tomatoes, which primed us for the meal.  The rain picked up and we decided it was time for lunch, quickly moving inside where it was warm and dry and food awaited us.

The meal consisted of homemade corn bread, spicy cucumber and bean salad, grilled vegetables (carrots, summer squash, rutabaga, and sweet peppers) mixed with pasta and homemade pesto, a fried egg, and fresh apples.  We had an excellent conversation that I recorded, which will be released near the end of the month as a podcast.  The conversation mostly consisted of jokes and laughter but it is sprinkled with some serious and even profound moments.

After lunch we headed outside to say goodbyes when someone discovered the blueberry patch, which is nearly past producing but still contains many small, delicious berries.  We spent some time eating blueberries, some of the guys found some of the Mongolian blackberry, and then we moved over to the champagne raspberries to complete the berry tasting trifecta.  Sated, we took some pictures by the chickens and then parted ways.  I went inside to clean the dishes as the bands headed on their way to Northern California and the Bay Area where they were going to camp for the night and then continue their tour.

Check out 19ADD's newest album Gaia here or on the bands website.  Also, keep an eye on Before the Eyewall as they will be recording and releasing an album soon.  Until then you can listen to their music on their myspace page.