Local band living up to name
Published 5:17 pm Friday, August 5, 2011
In sports, a big win can bring a team that is struggling together and lead them in the right direction.
One local band hopes the same can be achieved in music.
Endeavor, a hard rock band from Shelby, is preparing to perform on the reality TV show “War of Rock,” which will be filmed at Iron Horse Café Saturday night in Hoover. The fact the band is performing is a feat all its own; this time last week the band had just broken up.
“It’s true,” said guitarist Mark McKee. “We decided we were going to take a little break, then we got the phone call (notifying the band they had made the show).”
McKee said he still can’t believe they will be one of the performers.
“Our booking agent got the phone call,” he said. “It was kind of a surreal moment.”
The band started out with McKee and band mate Josh Bryant. The two had been playing together for years, before launching the band as a country outfit. They made the change to rock in 2009, which McKee said he could tell early would happen.
“That’s the direction we were going in,” he said. “The actual instrument players were more into rock, so we decided to go that direction. [Josh and I] mesh well together and we came to do our own thing.”
The group has made stops in Chilton, Jefferson and Shelby counties, and recently started playing shows in Montgomery. The band also won the Clanton Police Auxiliary’s Battle Jam in March, where they met fellow “War of Rock” competitors Stomps Hills.
“It meant a lot [to win Battle Jam],” said McKee. “We had a blast and really enjoyed the cause of Battle Jam. We made a lot of great friends too. It’s good to know we have people from here [at the filming] with us.”
McKee said the band’s name was very close to each member.
“Dusty [Freeman, bass player] came up with the name,” he said. “I checked the actual meaning, and it fits us. We put 110 percent on everything we do. It just fit.”
It will be quite an endeavor to win the competition Saturday, especially coming off a short hiatus, but McKee said the opportunity was too good to pass up.
“We’re a little nervous,” he said. “Everyone’s a little nervous. We’re just going to go up there and do our thing. This is what we’d like to do for a living. We’ve all wanted to do this for so long.”