Valencia

Philadelphia, PA

Biography

Philadelphia's Valencia knows that the art of signing a record deal isn't always a matter of who-you-know, but who-is-listening-to-you-at-3:00am. A very early March 2005 morning marked I Surrender Record's introduction to Valencia. An unsolicited three-track demo tape by the City of Brotherly Love brethren found its way into I Surrender's Rob Hitt's tape deck and the connection was instant. Rather than wait until the more appropriate daylight hours, Hitt called the band at 3:00am to tell them how excited he was by their sound and that he wanted to release a full-length album for them. A week later, Valencia officially became a part of the I Surrender Records family. Formed in 2003, Valencia creates a uniquely infectious blend of guitar-mangled, multi-layered, melodic rock reminiscent of early Saves the Day fused with Thrice. Valencia is Shane (vocals), JD (guitar), Brendan* (guitar), Max (drums), and George (bass). This young act's amazing musicianship, mature songwriting ability, and professionalism are quite impressive. It's even fair to say that as more people discover Valencia—either early in the morning or late at night—they will agree that the band's skills easily rival those of the scene's past and present favorites.* One of only 32 people sued by the RIAA in its first round of file-sharing suits, Brendan's scene points are incalculable.