Special to the Daily Denton band Exit 380 plays Denton and Metroplex gigs while three members attend school at NT.
Band negotiates label Exit 380 is currently talking with Detour Entertainment, but refuses to sell out sound
Ashley Womble
Staff Writer
August 30, 2001
To some, Exit 380 is nothing more than a short stretch of asphalt extending from Interstate Highway 35 leading to McKinney and Decatur.
To music lovers, Exit 380 is a rock band self-described as "alternative rock with jazz influence?
The band formed in the fall of 1999 as an acoustic set with vocalist Dustin Blocker, Fort Worth senior, and guitar player Jeff George, Midland junior.
They soon began collaborating with guitar player Aaron Borden, Cleburne senior, and Exit 380 was born.
The band added bass player Jason Rasberry and drummer Cory Parker to complete a lineup that has been playing local venues for about seven months.
"Everybody in this group comes from different music backgrounds," Blocker said.
Borden described the band's sound as a cross between Dave Matthews and Eddie Vedder.
Still a young band, Exit 380 already has a few noteworthy accomplishments under its belt.
The band has played in many Denton and Dallas clubs, including the Hard Rock Cafe in Dallas. It has also opened for popular local bands such as Flickerstick.
They are currently in contract negations with a Dallas booking agency, Detour Entertainment.
Traci Parsons, president of Detour Entertainment, said that she looks for three things in a band.
"They have to have a good look, a good following, and a good sound. [Exit 380 members] have all three, and that's hard to find," Parsons said.
"The Quenching Burn" is the name of Exit 380's first self-produced, full-length CD, which will be released in three or four weeks.
The band recorded the album in Pineapple Studios in Arlington with the help of Gary Sailing.
The album features the band's popular songs "Dammit, "The Rook" and "Been Around.?
"There is a little bit of groove in the whole CD.
Its not gonna make you fall out of your seat, but it's not going to put you to sleep, either," George said.
He said that in six months, he'd like to see his band on a small tour.
"We want to do this for a living, Blocker said.
And we don't want to just have one song, then at [age] 30 be doing that thing we didn't want to do when we were 20?
"If somebody calls tomorrow, we'll all stop school and leave," Blocker said.
However, if someone does call tomorrow offering Blocker and his band a record deal, there are some things they aren't willing to change, such as their music.
"A lot of times, producers will try to decide your sound for you," Blocker said.
Parker agreed.
"You can change a band to fit a trend, Parker said.
Like with what's going on now with Flickerstick and Seven Channels, they're a trend.
We are a whole lot different than that?
We're a little bit more mellow. If someone wanted us to change to fit a trend, I wouldn't want to do it?
Exit 380 members think it's important to have a sound with diversity.
"We all listen to different kinds of music, and I think that shines in our music, Blocker said.
We're all from different backgrounds, so when we all play one song that will be a jazz song, then the next will be hard rock, next one sounds alternative, then the next one's slow, like a love song?
Blocker said the band is aware and unafraid of any competition. "If they weren't as many good bands out there, we wouldn't try as hard, and people would definitely get burnt out on us as well," Borden said.
"I think we're pretty realistic about it. It's a scary business, a really competitive business, Blocker said.
There's a million bands out there that all want the same thing that we do.
But I don't think that it scares any of us. We're willing to do what it takes?
Exit 380 will perform Friday at the Curtain Club in the Deep Ellum district of Dallas
