Stereo Reform talks about its 'Evolution'

Funk-Rock trio Stereo Reform formed right here in Charleston back in 2006. Neil Turner played with a few musicians he met through Craigslist who introduced him to drummer Cre Moore and guitarist Will Evans, and the three have been producing their signature sound of rock and roll dance tunes. After a year of playing in the Charleston area, the band moved out to Los Angeles to record their album, "Robots of Evolution." After their album was finished, they spent the next year and a half playing over 150 shows in 33 different cities across 15 states.

They are returning to the Lowcountry for the second time since their trek out west to play The Pour House on March 4th and The Chill and Grill on Folly Beach March 6th. I got in touch with Will and Neil on the road to get the lowdown about their album, their progress and their craft.

Q: Tell me about "Robots of Evolution."

Neil: We met some kid named Pete up in New York City. He heard us online and wanted to produce a record. He was a little inexperienced so we wanted to talk to his boss, Tomas Costanza. He had everything to record a good record.

Will: The main reason to go out to California to record that album. It was Los Angeles, so we figured why not. We spent about 8 or 9 months out there. We had no big intentions of leaving there, but we took Tomas' advice: "Book a tour." After we recorded the album, we had it ingrained in our minds that we were going to take our music on the road. We were kind of all over the place for a year and a half.

Q: What was the tour like?

Neil: In a year and a half we blasted out over 150 gigs in 15 states in 33 different cities. The point of that was to show everybody that we're willing to self-book a tour, live out of a car. We kinda got lost in the playing and didn't really take care of the business end. That's where we are now. We want to up the fun and the presentation of our live show. We've already added keys and backing tracks. Now we're trying to attract the attention of management and a label. We're trying to get a good booking agent. That's where our focus has been since the first of the year.

Will: The main reason for us for any kind of management is to get us better exposure. There's some festivals that we want to get on. We'd like to start opening for some bands that are a step ahead of us. We are looking to get in front of bigger crowds, and any kind of exposure.

Q: How has your music changed?

Will: The sound we have currently has been a growing experience. When we started recording "Robots of Evolution," Neil had brought in a lot of the songs and the guys from L.A. helped us narrow them down to have a specific sound. We've gotten into a lot of electronic music. Over the past year, it's evolved. It's been finding new bands, getting new influences and staying true to the sound we had and expanding on it.

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MEMBERS: Neil Turner (Bass, Vocals), Will Evans (Guitar, Backing Vocals), Cre Moore (Drums)

ORIGINALLY FROM: Morristown, Tennessee (Turner), Greenville, South Carolina (Evans), Hartsville, South Carolina (Moore)

WEB SITE: www.stereoreform.com

SEE THEM AT: Tonight at The Pour House w/ Sho'Nuff & Saturday at The Chill and Grill on Folly Beach