Socialburn : A Hot Band from Blountstown, FL

Do you remember your high school talent show? Do you remember there actually being any talent? There was the guy that was funny in the hallways but when he got in front of the entire student body, he choked like he was chewing on a ham bone. The cheerleaders doing the same cheer that they did at every game and pep rally. Then there was the band that stood out. The band that got your attention and had you thinking that they could really make it big. For Blountstown, Florida, that band wasn’t limited to the high school.

In May of 1997, 17-year-old Neil Alday sat around a campfire after a night of sucker fishing, and watched as an older man played acoustic guitar and sang songs. Alday thought to himself that the next time he went camping he would be the one playing the songs.

In the upper bedroom of Alday’s home, with Brandon Bittner on drums and Dusty Price on bass guitar, the alternative rock band Socialburn was born. It was in that bedroom that the band practiced and as they say, practice makes perfect. Guitarist Chris Cobb often played behind Socialburn’s music and in late 1999, he was officially added to the band.

The next year, the band recorded their first CD, which was produced on Alday’s home computer by his mother. It has been said that there isn’t one person in Blountstown that does not have a copy of that first recording. Soon after at a construction party, Socialburn played three songs and passed out their CD and the album got into the hands of their manager, Terry Clark, who showcased it for John Kurweg of Elektra Records who listened and signed them to a record deal.

In 2003, Socialburn released their debut album, “Where you are” and began extensive touring followed, with the band joining types like Blue October, Default, and Seether out on the road. Apparently, the success of the band’s debut album wasn’t enough to keep the signed to Elektra, as the label announced July 30, 2004 that Socialburn had been officially dropped.

Despite a Top 20 hit with their single “Down,” Socialburn no longer released music under Elektra. A number of bands were let go from in the following months, most notably Third Eye Blind, as the label went through management changes after merging with Atlantic Records. Socialburn announced in August of 2004, that they signed a new record deal with Irock/Universal and in October of 2005 released their first album on their new label, The Beauty of Letting Go.

Though Socialburn is on tour all over the country, Neil, Dusty, and Brandon do admit that they still have their homes in Blountstown. Guitarist Chris Cobb now resides in Tallahassee when the band isn’t on the road.

If one lesson can be learned from Socialburn’s success, it is that even though you may come from a small town, and the world seems so big, you can grab the attention of the whole world with your small town music. So the next time you are out camping, trying to catch some fish, bring your guitar. You might just be the next big thing.

For more information on Socialburn, including tour dates visit their official web site: http://www.sv3design.com/socialburn/flash/index.html