Eastern Block

"I first heard about Eastern Block via a game of cricket - I actually met guitar player Jon Shearer last summer while playing darts, and when I mentioned I was involved in the music scene, he told me he had recently started a band. A while later I got an email directing me to their myspace page so I could hear a few demos, but after that I didn't hear a peep about Eastern Block until I noticed they started popping up on bills around town - and on the lineup for Next Big Nashville.

With an EP out and a growing presence around town, Eastern Block is one of the newer bands you should definitely check out during this year's festival. The fact that they're playing one of the best showcases of the festival - with Eureka Gold, And the Relatives, All We Seabees, The Hannah Barbarians and Altered Statesmen on Thursday at the Rutledge - doesn't hurt. Let's get to know Eastern Block a little bit better."

"Let's start with a little background on Eastern Block - who is in the band and how long have you been playing together?"

Eastern Block is:
Aaron Ahlstrom- vocals/guitar
Jon Shearer- guitar
Sean Savacool- bass
Johnathan Williams- drums

Jon and I started the band last year and spent most of 2007 looking for the right guys for bass and drums. When we went into the studio to start recording the now available EP I called a friend of mine, Johnathan Williams, to help us out on drums. We all had such a good time he joined the band soon after. About a month later Johnathan brought Sean out and after two practices he was in. In November we were "A Band" and in January of this year we played our first show.

"Please describe your music in five words or less."

This has been really hard to answer. I guess: "Morricone meets honest indie-rock." You see? That sounds ridiculous but it's too hard to answer that kind of stuff.

"What's the significance of the name "Eastern Block"?"

Jon and I had decided on another name in honor of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs but after sitting on it we went with Eastern Block. We both enjoy reading history and especially cold war history and Eastern Block was very cold war-ish. I would love to say there's a deeper origin but we just liked the name and added a "k". Eastern Bloc(k)

"I understand you recently released your first EP - what can you tell us about it, and are you planning a full-length release?"

Yeah we had our cd release at Mercy Lounge August 1st. We're excited that it's available but mostly we are proud of the growing we did making it. You can buy it direct or on our myspace; and on iTunes shortly.

Our first LP is due it out early next year! We are VERY excited about this project. It looks like it will be ten tracks (a majority of which we are playing at Next Big Nashville) and possibly 2 B-sides available online around the time of the album release.

"For those of us who haven't seen you play live yet, what can we expect from your show at Next Big Nashville?"

I think the general opinion of our live shows is that we are genuine which I assure you is NOT true; I mean Sean has a master's in douchery. Whatever the case, we aim to put on a good show whether it's an energetic set or singing through the rest of the night with a broken guitar (The Basement/ June 5th) and having a laugh.

"What do you think is the best thing about the Nashville music scene?"

The sheer number of great bands in this town. That being said, I think the write up on Radiohead in the scene a while back was spot on... we (in Nashville) are spoiled with all of this good music. It's wonderful.

Eastern Block will be playing Next Big Nashville on Thursday, September 11 at 9:30 p.m. at The Rutledge. - Out The Other

"I'd never heard of these guys before I saw them open for Ladyhawk earlier this year, and I was absolutely blown away." - Page 300

"New Nashville band Eastern Block officially released their self-titled EP this month. They have been earning local credibility by playing shows all over Nashville in the past seven months as they follows in the footsteps of local favorites like Death Comesto Matteson and Imaginary Baseball League. They play indie pop that has just enough singer-songwriter influence to win over casual listeners and hipsters alike.

Eastern Block show serious potential on their debut, especially for a band that has only been together for about a year. The first song on the EP is an acoustic number that features a waltz-like guitar backing a very Thom Yorke-ish vocal delivery from singer Aaron Ahlstrom. After the first track they immediately launch into the faster paced “Pre Dawn Cantina” and deliver a healthy dose of Brit Pop influenced guitar riffs. My favorite track is “The Woods.” Intimate vocals and subtle instrumentation slowly roll forward as the song builds momentum. The song never climaxes as you would expect it to however; clever song structure keeps you on the edge of your seat waiting for an eruption of some kind, but in the end it's strangely satisfying how it never comes.

I see Eastern Block moving in one of two directions on future endeavors: they can play the upbeat garage rock that is all the rage right now, or they can continue moving forward and building their own sound that is present throughout much of their debut. They have the talent and song writing ability to pull either scenario off but hopefully they’ll continue to explore a sound of their own. You can hear the EP in its entirety on the band's Myspace page. Highly recommended for fans of Kent, Radiohead, and Death Comesto Matteson."
- Jason Goucher (the deli magazine)
- thedelimagazine.com/nashville

"For whatever reason the gig was delayed, a mostly-full venue of cigarette-buzzed 20-somethings didn't seem at all fazed. In fact, it's rare when the opening band seems to gobble up all the attention like Nashville's own Eastern Block did. An unsigned four-piece with little more than a MySpace page to their name, the band welcomed a wealth of cat calls and applause in between songs." - Nashville Scene