Gonna share a tale about an El Paso homeboy, music lover. This, of course, is before San Antonio-based band The March Divide came to be.
Things moved a bit quickly for EP native Jared Putnam when his band Level started out. They were signed to a local label, and soon got picked up by a production company, which led to a relocation to Los Angeles and a name change: The Conversation. They spend a year there recording and shuffling tracks to various major labels, but with no concrete results. Frustrated, they went back on the road and were picked up by Dead Letter Records. Things seemed okay and their relationship with the label was good, but after so much hard work, the band was burned out. Putnam went on as a solo artist, using The Conversation moniker to record a second album under the label, as dictated by the label contract. But enough was enough. He retreated to Austin to stay with friends and recuperate.
In a recent interview for Texas Music Matters, Putnam told producer Art Levy that the original plan was to get back to work on another album later, but it didn’t happen. “I just didn’t have it in me to do it,” says Putnam. “I just needed a break.” He moved to San Antonio shortly after.
But an artist can never truly abandon what he loves the most. Putnam began recording songs again with every intention of making another album, and decided to focus on making a band after it was completed. This was the start of The March Divide, and the debut album Music for Film, also on the Dead Letter label. And, after all that’s been said and done, Putnam undoubtedly learned some lessons about having music as a career and not a side project. “To make a living at it, you gotta get your butt kicked by it for awhile.”
This album kicks butt, quite frankly. It’s official release date is Feb. 12th, but The March Divide is playing a release show tonight at The Parish Underground (formerly Beale Street Tavern), located beneath the main Parish venue at 214 E. 6th St. The bill includes performances by Moving Castles, The Cymatic, The Awkward Robot, and The Young Ones. Doors open at 8 p.m. Recommended.
