The Urgency: Vermont band to open for 311 before heading to UK

When most people think of Vermont music, inevitably thoughts turn to Phish. That mega-successful jam band, which reunited this year for a tour, tends to help project Vermont's image as a laid-back, liberal New England state.

Not everyone in Vermont is scarfing down Ben & Jerry's ice cream and wearing Birkenstocks though.

Vermont has a vibrant modern rock scene, and one of the latest acts from that scene to grab the golden ring is The Urgency.

Kevin Coffrin and Ian Molla, childhood friends who grew up together in South Burlington, started the band, along with Guerin Blask, a drummer they met while at college in Ithaca, N.Y.

After a succession of lead singers, the band happened upon Tyler Gurwicz, who was studying musical theater at a nearby college. As it turned out, Gurwicz had grown up right outside of the group's hometown of South Burlington.

With the recent addition of guitarist Ryan Siegel, The Urgency has busied itself with touring and recording its self-titled debut CD, which was released Tuesday.

Tonight, the band opens for 311 at the Music Farm. That show has been sold out for weeks.

Last week, Gurwicz spoke to Preview from the road.

Q: Where does the band's name, The Urgency, come from?

A: It kind of came from the music. When I joined the band at the end of 2005, we started writing music together in Brooklyn, in a little apartment. The music was really urgent and heavy and fast. Grammatically, the lyrics were about leaving Vermont to trying to find ourselves in the big city.

Q: As a musical theater major, did you originally have different career aspirations before the band?

A: Well, it's funny, because about the same time I got into theater at the beginning of high school was when I got into rock music and playing with alternative bands.

I guess I really took a lot from the theater, but I always wanted to play in a band. Both of my parents are teachers, and they both wanted me to give it the old college try.

Q: How does that musical theatre training help you now onstage?

A: It gave me confidence, and it also made me realize that I wanted to focus on my songs and being an original artist instead of learning someone else's lines and being directed by someone else.

Q: How has it been touring with 311?

A: It's actually a few one-offs we've been doing with (311). We're friends with the band and we're trying to get some shows in before our UK tour. (311's) drummer mixed one of our early EPs at 311's studio.

Q: After the Charleston show, The Urgency will be touring the United Kingdom with Hollywood Undead, Silverstein, and The Blackout.

A: Yeah, we played in England and Scotland at the beginning of the year.

Q: How was the reaction over there?

A: Amazing! The shows were incredible. Every show was sold out, and the kids there are really, really hungry for new music.

Q: What should folks expect from the Charleston show with 311?

A: The live show is really in your face. We get to go crazy and feed off the energy from the audience. It's going to be insane. You're going to hear a lot of stuff you've probably never heard before.