Album Notes

Already secure with a strong local following, Orange County-based CHESWICK's self-released debut effort, Better Than My Best Dream, promises that the indie rock quartet is sure to gain a following just about everywhere they go.

"This band is progressing faster than any of our previous bands," guitarist/vocalist Chris Whyte says of CHESWICK, a band that's witnessed a wealth of interest and scores of rave reviews over the past year.

CHESWICK was formed in June 2000 by Nathan Wojahn (100 WORDS FOR SNOW, GEHENNA) and Whyte (also from 100 WORDS FOR SNOW, PAGE), who had answered a flyer posted at a local cafe by guitarist Sach Sabhlok (whose credits include bassist of BANK OF BRIAN).

After a dizzying period of bassist tryouts, Ryan Walker (from DRAWING FOR APRIL) was finally selected because, as guitarist/vocalist Whyte puts it, "he was just such a nice guy." With a stable lineup, CHESWICK began the songwriting process, which was a highly collaborative event.

"We're very much a pieced-together band," says Whyte.

"We'll take ideas from Sach and work them so much, you can't tell what the original idea was." With a few key local shows under their belt (though collectively, they've played hundreds of shows with independent rock forerunners such as JIMMY EAT WORLD, GET UP KIDS, NO KNIFE and the PROMISE RING), it was time to head into the studio and create a release.

Enter the seven-song Better Than My Best Dream.

Produced locally at For The Record by Paul Miner (DEATH BY STEREO), Better Than My Best Dream features the intricate guitar picking of Sabhlok and Whyte, Wojahn's dynamic yet solid drumming, foundation-laying low end from Walker's bass and Whyte's skillfully controlled vocal melodies.

Better Than My Dream serves more than just a release under the band's belt, as it is also an intimate introduction to just what CHESWICK is.

A fusion of murmuring indie pop, full-force melodicore and the occassional experimental touch guarantees that CHESWICK's sound perpetually stays at the forefront of the independent rock scene, without being too overbearingly pretentious.

CHESWICK hopes to expand its fanbase by taking its show on the road, including a planned West Coast stint at the end of this summer.

Accessible to all ears, CHESWICK's sound ensures that there's something for just about everyone.

Biography by Waleed Rashidi 4/01