Greenwheel battles back from the brink

Band tries to start fresh with new EP and lineup.

By Patrick Daugherty

Published April 7, 2006

St. Charles' Greenwheel has seen it all. They have gone through name changes, line-up changes and the inevitable for most Missouri bands — label changes. Formerly signed to Island Records, the band now operates independent of a label and is touring the country as a true "indie" outfit, eager to reconnect with old fans and find new ones.

The band is touring behind its new EP, Bridges for Burning, five new songs to signal to the music community that the band is "still alive," lead singer Ryan Jordan said.

Jordan, a humble frontman, said the members aspire to sustain their families through Greenwheel, but he also said being rock stars probably is not in the cards. The time finally might be right for Greenwheel to break through, though.

After nearly making the big time four years ago, the band befell the kind of turmoil that often befalls Missouri bands. After starting off with an album that reached No. 14 on Billboard's Heatseekers chart, it won a high profile spot on the "Spider-Man" soundtrack and toured with the likes of Our Lady Peace and Saliva. Melissa Etheridge even covered one of the band's songs, garnering a Grammy nomination in the process.

However, an impatient record company straight-jacketed the band and made it difficult to move forward. Band members eventually went their separate ways, and took some prolonged time off to get everything together.

After its split from the label, the band was not sure whether it wanted to go on.

"We had lost it," Jordan said.

But the band continued making music because, as Jordan puts it, "writing music is the greatest feeling in my life."

"Andy, Brandon, and I — it was still just what we wanted to do," Jordan said. "It has proven to be a good thing over the years for us."

To resume making music, the band also hired a new drummer, Drew Bailey.

"Finding Drew quickly was a big deal too," Jordan said. "Drew brought an energy that energized us again. We had kind of lost our spirit, but Drew helped rekindle it."

Now motivated as ever, Greenwheel is barnstorming the country and getting big the old fashioned way — touring, gaining fans and touring some more. So far, so good.

"The reaction to the new stuff has been great," Jordan said. "Everyone likes the older stuff, but we need to progress. We have a lot of old fans, and they like the old songs, but for the most part they want to hear new stuff too."

"There is something we are always trying to prove to ourselves, but we really just want to get our music out there, sell our art," Jordan said. "Revenge has never been a motive."

Greenwheel's latest tour brings the band to The Blue Note tonight.

"The Blue Note is always memorable, and always a good crowd," Jordan said. "It's a great venue. We're really looking forward to the show."

The doors open at 8:30 p.m. and tickets are $6. Happy Endings, The State and Full Day Affair will open the show.