Mia: Madonna, Alice Cooper, Gwen Stefani, Olvia Newton John (mainly from the Grease Soundtrack), Taylor Dayne
Dave: King's X, Still Rain, SevenDust, Van Halen, George Lynch
Brandon: Mike Portnoy (Dream Theatre), Hell Hammer (Mayhem), Carter Beauford (Dave Matthews Band)
Sounds Like
gretchen
, evanescence, pink, no doubt, hole, plumb, lacuna coil, flyleaf, barlow girl, nightwish, within temptation
Record Label
MD
Type of Label
Self-Produced
Albums
In The Mean Time
The sophomore release on MD Records featuring the hit singles "Fading" & "Passion"
CD Available @ These Locations
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Mouth Full of Nails
(2002) The national debut on Rugged Records. From the blistering "See Me Hear Me" to the pensive "Diamonds" - We think that there's something here for just about every palette!!! So what are you waiting for? Taste for yourself a Mouth Full of Nails!
Tour Dates/Shows
Rank:
3517
# of Votes
39
Overall:
9.6282
Character:
9.6667
Personality:
9.6410
Style:
9.5897
Profile:
9.6154
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Heavy Melodic Happy Gothic Chic Rock
In The Mean Time
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Gretchen is a female fronted rock band featuring heavy guitar tones and emotional ethereal melodies. Originally from Tennessee, Gretchen has played shows in 28 US states and in Canada and currently have radio airplay in 70 cities in 25 different states.
Gretchen has shared the stage with Christian groups like Flyleaf, The Showdown, Thousand Foot Krutch, Disciple, Pillar, Building 429, and Stryper as well as secular groups like Crossbreed, Ever Clear, & Copper (just to name a few).
Both of the first two singles "Fading" and "Passion" (from the CD "In the Mean Time") were top 20 hits on the National Radio and Records Christian Rock charts.
"In the Mean Time" was produced by three time Dove Award winner Travis Wyrick. Wyrick is highly acclaimed for his production with the bands P.O.D., PILLAR, DISCIPLE, Superchick and the secular group 10 years.
Gretchen was featured on the cover of Heaven's Metal Magazine Jan/Feb 2005
Gretchen was one of six finalist winners (out of 1000 entries) who competed in the 2005 IMWS Competition sponsored by Billboard Magazine.
Four songs from Gretchen's first CD "Mouth Full of Nails have also received national recognition. The song "Star" was used in a Ford Motor Company Ford Ranger promotion and 3 other songs have received an honorable mention in the 12th annual Billboard International Songwriting Contest (rock/alternative category).
Sounds like… the melodic goth pop/metal of Evanescence, as well as the hard-hitting modern rock of The Benjamin Gate and a louder version of Plumb... this band handles the music well while offering more forthright examples of their Christian beliefs."
- Christianity Today
As far as eclectic combinations of music genres go, Gretchen has the alternative scene virtually wrapped up. The viciously heavy guitar riffs and drumbeats are easily comparable with any number of heavy metal bands. The often-surreal vocals stretch from the obvious Gothic influence to more serene and even traditional female vocalist sounds. The combination is a hugely powerful and unique sound that is well deserved of the numerous accolades that Gretchen has already received.
It's truly refreshing to hear a rock band willing to try and change the mould of modern music. Being a girl fronted rock band immediately means the music media and potential fans alike listen for similarities to Evanescence and No Doubt, and while occasional similarities do undoubtedly exist Mia Richards has invented an entirely new style of her own. If the world had an ounce of justice then soon enough, girl fronted rock bands would be compared to Gretchen and, if they were, they would all fall short in terms of originality.
The latest album entitled "In The Mean Time" incorporates everything that is great about Gretchen and throws in Travis Wyrick as producer and Brad Noah of Disciple making a guest appearance on guitar. In a world where most bands are afraid to try anything new, Gretchen brings a breath of fresh air to the music scene. Whether you're a Christian or a regular rock fan you will find plenty to love about this band.
- IndieUpdate.com
I used to have a friend named Gretchen. (Dramatic pause…..) But this review is not about her. Rather, it's about a dynamic, high-energy, three-piece musical entity from Nashville, Tennessee. (Don't be frightened, this is not country music!) It's also about how they rock. And rock they do. Yes indeed.
In their own words, the band describes their sound as "positive, heavy-melodic, happy-gothic, chic-rock". Bands can come up with some really strange self-descriptions sometimes, but this one is pretty much on-target, specially the "heavy-melodic" part. Of immediate note to us female-vocal fans is the fine vocal instrument of Mia Richards, who is also the bass player (you expected someone named Gretchen? Silly you!). Whether half-shouting in high-strung fervor or softly crooning away during a tender moment, Mia's voice is a custom fit for the music; her singing is strong, smoothly melodic, and confidently emotional. Hers is a pretty much perfect voice and is a joy to listen to. Mia's husband, Dave Richards, handles the guitar department, and handles it well. His bold assault on the strings (he plays a 7-string guitar) is a defining element of the band's powerful energy. Rounding out the trio is Stephen Robinson banging on the drums and doing a fine job of it.
My own description goes something like this: start with a hard rock base, add an alternative rock edge, along with a slight punk attitude, and filter it through a catchy, melodic pop sensibility, and Gretchen is what you end up with. Such a mix of influences will inevitably touch off numerous associations for the listener For instance, one could be forgiven for mistaking the album's opening track, "Fading", for an Evanescence song. The similarity is strong (some would say eerie), and repeated at several points throughout these eleven songs. The second track, "Breathe", strikes me as a mixture of Lullacry and Veruca Salt. I have a feeling every listener will come up with different comparisons, so widely distributed are Gretchen's influences. One could probably mention a whole constellation of 90's alternative and hard rock bands and not be too far from the mark. Of course I don't mean to suggest that Gretchen is simply a patchwork of different bands' sounds. Far from it, in fact. They smoothly fuse their influences together into a seamless whole, and they definitely own their sound. One of Gretchen's stated goals is to create songs in which the music and the vocals each stand on their own without using the other as a crutch, and they succeed admirably at this. In Dave's words: "there is no compromise for melody", and he means it!
It should be noted that Gretchen are labeled -- and label themselves -- as a Christian band. Maybe that floats your boat, maybe it doesn't, but I assure you there's absolutely no sermonizing here. In fact I hear no overt religious references at all in any of the songs, and although you can interpret some of the songs in that light, there's nothing forcing you to do so. Most of the lyrics seem to deal with the same kinds of issues you hear about from other bands -- relationships, love, loss, betrayal, that sort of thing. That's not to say the band doesn't hold strong religious beliefs; their faith is quite evident in interviews when they are asked about it...
In the Mean Time has excellent production and quite a nice flow. While maintaining the same basic upbeat melodic focus throughout, there are enough style/pace changes to keep things fresh and interesting. You have your darker, goth-tinged tunes like "Fading" and the nicely-done title track. There are several straight-ahead rockers like "Breathe", "Passion", "Daisy Chain", and "Lie to Yourself" (one of my favorites). "Don't Wanna Be" comes close to punk territory. Then there are the more laid-back and introspective songs such as "Let It Go" and the pretty ballad "Every Moment". My favorite out of the whole bunch has to be "Know You", an almost doomy-sounding ballad (if that makes any sense) with sweet and touching lyrics.
It's rare to hear a band, and especially an American band, playing a heavy type of music that is so completely melodic and accessible and… to clumsily coin a word… sing-alongable. This music is definitely radio-friendly, and I don't mean that in the insulting sense of the term. I mean that this music has the potential to be enjoyed by a wide variety of music fans, with tastes ranging from pop to rock to metal. So I hope you'll give Gretchen a chance, and "in the mean time" I just may look up their two earlier releases.
- Sonic Cathedral
"Fading" from the CD In The Mean Time
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MDgretchen
, evanescence, pink, no doubt, hole, plumb, lacuna coil, flyleaf, barlow girl, nightwish, within temptation
CD Available @ These Locations
Buy Downloads & Ringtones
Hello Gretchen, It is inspiring to hear your talent and how God has already opened the doors that He has, Keep being a blessing as you play on stage, keep shining for the Glory of God, touching many lives with the great talent that God has given you. Keep Rocking for the King of Glory!
I must start by saying WOW! I have been in my local music scene for many years and Gretchen has got to be one of the best female led groups that I heard in many years. And she plays Bass as well! There is the hard driving sound which I like as well a slight pop flair which will certainly help in the popularity race. I love this sound, and I love the voice. I have spent some time listening to the bands here at Xianz and I believe them to be one of the very best . Please, what ever you do, do not sell out to the standardized music Nazis's out there and continue to do GOD's work through your inovative sound!
You guy are important to the body of Christ, being on the mission to advance the body of Christ! Your sound is powerful and it resinates to a generation that needs to hear the message-loud and clear-Rock-it-for-the-Kingdom Jetmerlin- Last Day Disciples
Keep up the good work and keep witnessing for Jesus. I know you have received so much criticism for the style of music or the look or whatever. Even if you haven't heard this with your own ears, they are talking- you know. My Sons in Jettisonnever get the same criticism. Yet, there are millions of kids, young adults and others who have no witness at all. Who will go to them? Your music rocks and has the professional sound that is needed to get to shows and stages all over the world. If your music sucks then your audience will be small and you won't get the respect as artists you need.
Also this is a career too. You have to pay your bills like everyone does. If you can't sing, your songs are written terribly (sp?), then who will support you or be a fan? Just as one can be an excellent journalist or an executive, so you can have a career like this and do the best job at it. Respect is huge in this business. Anyone can play or sing now a-days. You can even produce your own albums and sell them yourself. But you guys have the sound, the factor and the look. Keep going and never compromise your ability to hear other's lives and then earn the respect to share your life with Jesus.
I am a Street Minister and I have earned respect on the street. People ask me to pray and they want me to care. I see so many who say they are ministering. They are not. They shove the message down people's throats and then wonder why they get the rejection? Love your fans. Show them your genuine love as in Romans 12:9. It is always cool to be real and then to love.