The Thymes to release new EP

St. John’s band The Thymes will release its first EP at The Levee July 28.

The event will also feature performances by the band and special guests Other People and Baytown.

The Thymes formed in January 2011 and has since gained a following on the St. John’s music scene and Facebook, where the band posts videos.

Lead singer and guitarist Jeremy Rice says the road to recording an album has been a whirlwind for the young band.

“Things seem to move pretty quickly,” he says.

“We played our first show last summer, and we got some really good response. People seemed to support us right from the beginning, so that was pretty encouraging. It helps to motivate you and want to keep putting out new material and playing shows and stuff.”

Bandmembers Rice, Gene Browne (bass), Ryan Taylor (drums), and Leon White (lead guitar) each had other musical projects before they became The Thymes.

Rice played with White in the band The Sellouts, and with Taylor in The Beach Boy cover band, The Beach B’ys.

In addition to playing with The Thymes, Browne is owner and operator of The Levee, where the band often plays live shows.

“It’s become sort of our headquarters. It’s where we film all our videos and it’s where we jam. It’s becoming a new music hotspot in St. John’s,” Rice says.

“I think people are recognizing that, so it just seems to be the perfect spot for us to hold the show.”

Members of The Thymes draw inspiration from St. John’s in their lyrics and style, Rice says, but their music is rooted in classic rock.

There are six songs on the EP, including some of the first the band worked on.

Rice says they chose songs from their catalogue that are single-worthy and have a pop feel.

“We just figured these would be the best ones to introduce the band with,” he says.

“I feel like there’s a lot of melody, and there’s a lot of upbeat stuff that’s fairly dancey, but at the end of the day, it definitely is sort of classic rock ’n’ roll.”

The album was entirely put together by the band, and was recorded over the course of a year in different locations. The Thymes’ drummer, Taylor, mixed and produced the tracks.

“We didn’t really have to ask anybody for much in the way of help, which is kind of nice. When you can do it all yourself, it allows you to be a bit more creative and take a few more risks.” Rice says.

“We’re all good friends, too, so really it’s a bit of a social club. But it’s a social club that gets a lot of work done, so you couldn’t really ask for better.”

The band is looking to continue to make music, play shows, and release a full CD in the near future. They also hope to tour outside the province and build on their already growing fan base.

In the meantime, however, Rice expects listeners to respond well to the new EP.

“I think it’s pretty easy to like the songs immediately. They’re a little different and they definitely have some unusual changes, but they’re pretty melodic and have a sort of popular element to them that I think most people will enjoy,” he says. “So people can expect to tap their feet.”

The Thymes’ new EP will be available at local music stores and for download at iTunes and CDBaby.com. Copies can also be purchased at the release party, which starts at 10:30 p.m.

For more information, visit the band on Facebook or at www.thethymes.net.

lesley.leroux@thetelegram.com