RACE YOU THERE

"... with haunting vocals reminiscent of Robert Smith, Race You There is a refreshing new look at indie rock." - State Press Magazine

http://wildcat.arizona.edu/wildlife/local-band-race-to-help-haiti-1.1088194 - University of Arizona Daily Wildcat

http://tucson.metromix.com/music/article/tucson-talks-jacob-acosta/1724455/content - Andi Berlin of Metromix Tucson

http://www.tucsonweekly.com/tucson/soundbites/Content?oid=1771495 (Scroll down)

Dual article, here's the part about us:

Following the 2008 release of their self-titled EP, five-piece Race You There are dropping their debut full-length, Acts of Treason (self-released). The album's nine tracks reveal a band with an awful lot of potential, but something of an identity crisis.

Its opening track, "Eastern Shore," would likely be filed in the neo-singer-songwriter category were it performed by a telegenic young solo performer. As it is, it's a slightly beefed-up ballad with a lovely melody aided by Jacob Acosta's considerable vocal talents; he swoops easily into a falsetto on the song's chorus. It's followed by "Why Are You So Distracting?," which is more indie-pop than singer-songwriter; it features a pleasing guitar tone, but it's hampered by a sing-song melody that doesn't suit Acosta's voice. "Starcrossed" is another successful ballad in a Jeff Buckley vein, until it hits the soaring chorus. Most successful is "Scrapbook," a dreamy, midtempo, minor-key tune that benefits from vocal harmonies between Acosta and Clarissa DuBose. But when the anthemic chorus kicks in, things start to sound a bit formulaic. Lucky, then, for "Walking Dead," a 6 1/2-minute epic that takes the time to build layers; it's a rare display of restraint and tension that completely works.

Race You There's CD-release party for Acts of Treason hits Plush, 340 E. Sixth St., on Friday, Jan. 29. Opening the show are Phoenix's Sketching in Stereo and Tucson's Provocative Whites, who start at 9:30 p.m. Cover is $5. Also worth noting: The bands have partnered with the Red Cross to donate half of the night's total earnings to Haiti victims. For further details, call 798-1298. - Stephen Siegel of the Tucson Weekly

http://wildysworld.blogspot.com/2010/01/review-race-you-there-acts-of-treason.html

Race You There - Acts Of Treason
2009, Race You There

Tucson, Arizona is the home of Race You There, a band born on Craigslist and built on honest poetry and the failure of the band to cement themselves to one way of musical thinking. Race You There leaves all options on the table with regard to instrumentation, musical choices and sounds. These traits are eminently identifiable on Race You There’s second album, Acts Of Treason.

Acts Of Treason opens with Eastern Shore, a contemplative, melodic Pop tune that's gently infectious. Jacob Acosta impresses with his range and presence on lead vocals, and the musicianship is solid. Why Are You Distracting? is a tough listener. Race You There doesn't seem to know where they're going with this tune; falling prey to droning bi-tonal runs. Starcrossed isn't all that different, although at least the resolutions seem to step out of the rat race with the imprimatur of creativity. Race You There heads for dark waters on Walking Dead; a mournful melody supported by a minimalist arrangement. Walking Dead is intriguing, but ultimately overstays its welcome at nearly six-and-a-half minutes (it should be noted, however, that Clarissa DuBose is stunning on backing/co-vocals).

Race You There stays with the gentle Rock sound with Scrapbook before breaking out something a bit more dangerous in Street Preacher. Street Preacher stretches as artistic and geographic boundaries in a highly enjoyable tune. Race You There says goodnight with Finger Like A Knife, a disjointed yet intriguing number. Dubose returns on vocals with another stunning performance. As an added bonus, Race You There follows up with an acoustic mix of Eastern Shore that's even better than the studio version.

Race You There strikes me as a band in search of their sound. Acosta's voice stands out, but isn't always best fitted to some of the material here. At their most ethereal, Race You There has a sort of graceful beauty to their sound, but some of their musical sidebars seems awkward by comparison. Acts Of Treason in an intriguing album, for what it sometimes is as well as for what it sometimes fails to be. Race You There bears watching (and listening) to see where they go next.

Rating: 3 Stars (Out of 5)
- Wildy Haskell

Link: http://media.www.ecollegetimes.com/media/storage/paper991/news/2009/12/03/Music/I10-Friends-3843198.shtml

It all started in that dusty old town to the south in a sandwich shop. And on Craigslist. And in an itty bitty, sweaty room in the back of a four-bedroom Tucson house.

Roommates Andrew Axelrod and Alex Edwards had big dreams about making it in the local Tucson music scene. While there were some half-hearted attempts at Tucson fame (a short-lived band called Letters to Apollo, a promotions website the duo ran for free for the love of the scene), ultimately their dreams laid northward in Phoenix.

There was only one problem. They had just started a new rock band called Race You There. And they were good.

Edwards met drummer Steve Clayton and bassist Clarissa DuBose working at a sandwich shop in Tucson. Clayton, a metal drummer at heart, always pressured Edwards to jam with him. Reluctantly, the indie-inspired guitarist accepted, gritting his teeth through the jam session along the way, attempting to find some common ground with Clayton. Eventually, something between the two clicked. Clayton was converted to the "dark side" of indie.

Through Craigslist, the guys apprehensively recruited local singer, keyboardist and "confident" guitarist Jacob Acosta to form what eventually became the bi-city local favorite, Race You There. Though Edwards and Axelrod both thought Acosta was "downright arrogant" at first, he meshed well with the sound. The love came later.

Their sound is difficult to pin down, but if they had to label their genre, they might call it shoegaze. They have a more appropriate way of describing it, though.

"It sounds like a coyote being eaten in the desert by a ...," Edwards fathoms.

"By a bear!," Axelrod adds. "I was going to say shark, but that wouldn't make sense."

In reality, the band's sound is much more pleasant. Acosta's sweet-sounding vocals mixed with his classical training and the rest of the band's self-taught grit sounds much more like a coyote and a bear having a relaxed, drunken pow-wow.

But making that sound is a constant challenge. Separated by dozens of towns and over a hundred miles, the band is only able to get together for practice around work schedules. The only way to share ideas throughout the group is to record and send song ideas via e-mail.

"Honestly, we thought it would never work out," Axelrod says of the band.

It has worked out long enough for the band, formed in April 2008, to finally write and record their first self-funded, self-promoted (and pretty much self-everything else) full-length record, set to be out sometime in January or February 2010.

The band's popularity has increased in Tucson thanks to regular FM radio rotation in Tucson and nominations for both the band and Acosta in Tucson's version of the Grammys, the Tammies. Locally, the band has played regular shows at Modified Arts and First Friday.

While the media and show exposure is great, Edwards says, word of mouth is by far the greatest asset to the band, which is exactly how they're going to sell the disc - right out of the trunks of their cars.

And sure, the goal is to become a widely recognized indie tour de force, for now Edwards keeps his dreams on a small, speedy and questionably nerdy scale.

"The ultimate goal is buying a Segway," he says. - College Times (Christina Caldwell)

http://media.www.ecollegetimes.com/media/storage/paper991/news/2010/02/11/Music/Race-You.There.Cd.Release.Party.Rallies.Relief.For.Haiti-3869024.shtml?reffeature=recentlycommentedstoriestab - Amanda Ventura of The College Times