"Five Eyes" Image Copyright @mogowork
Our Tour Dates Have Been Released! Share This with your friends!
A lot of time and money has been put into this tour. We honestly can't believe how well it's come together so far. I think purchasing the bus was kind of the first WTF life experience: Ok We're Doing This. Check Out The Sweet Sweet Diesel Stank Below!
T-shirts and Posters will be available for first purchase at our KICKOFF PARTY July 10th at Portland House Of Music And Events! Please RSVP to the event and share share share! For us to have a good start to this tour we need to make this first show HUGE. I mean really HUGE. AS IN, PLEASE FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THAT IS MAGICAL AND SCI-FI TELL EVERYONE YOU KNOW ABOUT THIS EVENT. Help us melt many faces. Help us tear down the God's from the stratosphere to rage with us mortals. Help us summon the spirit of rock AND RIP THE F*CKING ROOF OFF!
If you liked the show, check us out at Portland House Of Music And Events on July 10th!
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Video Credit: Justin Curtsinger of Grime Studios.
Photo Credit: John A Macy Photography
Photo Credit : Arlie Mornhinweg
Photo Credit: Emerson Clarke
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Filming and production has begun with Herman Mantis, Inc for the upcoming single "Nacreous Cloud"! Torches, beautiful belly dancers, stay tuned for more updates and trailers!
Photo Cred: Arlie Mornhinweg
Like their Facebook page and spread the word about this incredible Portland media company!
LIKE AND SHARE BELOW TO SPREAD THE WORD ABOUT 5OTE!!!!!
RSVP to the FB event and share with your friends!!!!
Advanced Tickets: http://www.ticketmaster.com/Surrogates-tickets/artist/2013732?tm_link=edp_Artist_Name?camefrom=cfc_masquerade_website
Doors 7PM - $8 ADV $10 DOS - ALL AGES
Join us at the Hell Stage for .... (dun dun dun).... THE PROG BASH! An evening of Progressive Rock with a twist of Funk, Punk, Indie, and Latin! This will be an incredible night of diverse rock music from Atlanta to Maine. Reserve the date and get your advanced tickets, this will be AWESOME!
Five Of The Eyes:
A mind altering assault of energy and performance, Five Of The Eyes is Portland Maine's newest rock act to hit the scene. Blending influences of Prog, Funk, and Latin, this is a group that will make you funk dance yourself into a full blown explosion of head banging rock. How about you salsa over to the bar, but you can't BECAUSE NOW THEY’RE ROCKING YOUR BODY INTO CONVULSIONS. Try to tear your eyes away from the body melting heat as vocalist Darrell Foster tears up the stage with dance moves that put James Brown in a cold sweat. Shield yourself from the insane licks of a black tongued Giraffe under mind control by the tenacious guitars of Ned Rich and Tim Meehan. Grab your lasers and prepare for the rhythmic symphony of Thomas Meehan and Peter Griffith BEATING THE DRUMS AND BASS STRAIGHT THROUGH THE FLOOR BOARDS INTO ANOTHER DIMENSION. Set for conquest all along the Eastern United States and Canada with their 2015 CONQUISTATOUR, Five Of The Eyes will bring to you what you desire most. Familiarize yourself with their brand new EP before they blow your face apart. http://www.fiveoftheeyes.com/
"...a self-titled, self-produced first studio effort that’s arrestingly dynamic, heavy yet danceable, and deceptively melodic. It draws on the progressive metal roots of many of the band members, but it brings in further Latin, funk and pop elements. It’s one of the strongest debuts from a new Maine band in the past two years, and it’s already helped the band garner some early buzz as a seriously awesome live act."
-Emily Burnham (Culture Shock, Bangor Daily News)
LIVE VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IzxeIqY2WNg
Surrogates:
We make music to make people feel how we feel when we listen to our favorite music. It's a very visceral thing, the connection we have to it. It moves our bodies and gives us a reason to keep getting up in the morning.
www.wearesurrogates.com
LIVE VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x1_C9M9HspU
The Organ Machines:
An Altanta, GA based band that formed in early 2014. The band consists of Derek Liddell on guitar and vocals, Alex McIntyre on bass and vocals, and Chris Deese on drums. The Organ Machines are a mixture of progressive rock and alternative rock, with a solid grooving rhythm section and the occasional hint of surf guitar. The sound of the music is most characterized by the large sound and reverberate qualities of the sounds coming from the band. Our first EP, Parallels, was recorded in November of 2014 and released on March 6, 2015; it can be found at our bandcamp link at the bottom. Parallels is a collection of songs which has a common theme of dealing with relationships and the parallels created between people through grief, lies, love, deceit, and selfishness
theorganmachines.bandcamp.com
Blazers:
(bley*zer)
noun
1. something that blazes or shines brightly.
2. a sports jacket, usually a solid color or striped, having metal buttons and sometimes an insignia on the breast pocket, as one worn by a member of a club, school, or the like.
3. a small cooking apparatus using as its source of heat a spirit lamp, hot coals, etc., used especially for preparing food at the table or outdoors.
What happens when members of Swank Sinatra, DAMS, Hello Cobra, and CHEW start a band?
Probably this.
https://www.facebook.com/blazersarecool
![Video Premier of "Firing Squad" [LIVE] !](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54efb213e4b0466bc3adeb30/1432649728176-KXVDKZJUU29L8S6ZIPS2/image-asset.png)
Come check out FIVE OF THE EYES at the Old Port Festival on the Dispatch Magazine Stage at 2pm on Sunday, June 14th!
LOCATION: Between the Hyatt Place and Blazin' Ace
Map: https://www.google.com/maps/place/Hyatt+Place+Portland+Old+Port/@43.655965,-70.254935,18z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m2!3m1!1s0x4cb29c3fd1a3fe6b:0xeeebd6786362b1d8
A mind altering assault of energy and performance, Five Of The Eyes is Portland Maine's newest rock act to hit the scene. Blending influences of Prog, Funk, and Latin, this is a group that will make you funk dance yourself into a full blown explosion of head banging rock. How about you salsa over to the … NOPE CAUSE NOW THEY’RE ROCKING YOUR BODY INTO CONVULSIONS. Try to tear your eyes away from the body melting heat as vocalist Darrell Foster tears up the stage with dance moves that put James Brown in a cold sweat. Fear the shredding licks of a black tongued Giraffe under mind control by the tenacious guitars of Ned Rich and Tim Meehan. Believe the rhythmic symphony of Thomas Meehan and Peter Griffith BEATING THE DRUMS AND BASS STRAIGHT THROUGH THE FLOOR BOARDS INTO ANOTHER DIMENSION! Familiarize yourself with their brand new EP before they blow your MIND.
Website: www.fiveoftheeyes.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/5oftheeyes
Live Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BItMHQuWxQU
"...a self-titled, self-produced first studio effort that’s arrestingly dynamic, heavy yet danceable, and deceptively melodic. It draws on the progressive metal roots of many of the band members, but it brings in further Latin, funk and pop elements. It’s one of the strongest debuts from a new Maine band in the past two years, and it’s already helped the band garner some early buzz as a seriously awesome live act."
-Emily Burnham (Culture Shock, Bangor Daily News)
Here's the lineup for the day at Dispatch Stage:
11:30 Mosart 212
12:00 KGFreeze
1:00 Proftones
2:00 Five of the eyes
3:00 Jason Spooner Band
4:00 Amy & the Engine
Check it out on Facebook!
Join us May 1st at the Portland Empire right after the Art Walk for an incredible night of eclectic music!!!! Doors at 8:30, Show at 9:00. Only $6!!!!!!
Five Of The Eyes:
A mind altering assault of energy and performance, Five Of The Eyes is Portland Maine's newest rock act to hit the scene. Blending influences of Prog, Funk, and Latin, this is a group that will make you funk dance yourself into a full blown explosion of head banging rock. How about you salsa over to the … NOPE CAUSE NOW THEY’RE ROCKING YOUR BODY INTO CONVULSIONS. Try to tear your eyes away from the body melting heat as vocalist Darrell Foster tears up the stage with dance moves that put James Brown in a cold sweat. Or the shredding licks of a black tongued Giraffe under mind control by the tenacious guitars of Ned Rich and Tim Meehan. Or the rhythmic symphony of Thomas Meehan and Peter Griffith BEATING THE DRUMS AND BASS STRAIGHT THROUGH THE FLOOR BOARDS INTO ANOTHER DIMENSION. Familiarize yourself with their brand new EP before they blow your face apart. www.fiveoftheeyes.com
"...a self-titled, self-produced first studio effort that’s arrestingly dynamic, heavy yet danceable, and deceptively melodic. It draws on the progressive metal roots of many of the band members, but it brings in further Latin, funk and pop elements. It’s one of the strongest debuts from a new Maine band in the past two years, and it’s already helped the band garner some early buzz as a seriously awesome live act."
-Emily Burnham (Culture Shock, Bangor Daily News)
The Shills -
Hailing from Boston, MA a genre-bending rock outfit that have made a name for themselves by taking complex musical ideas, and making them feel effortlessly infectious. With a sound that can go from driving rock rhythms to lush, lofty sonic soundscapes, versatility is the band's true stock-in-trade. From Queen, to Queens of the Stone Age, Yes to Radiohead, Motown to Metal, Punk to Jazz, the band's influences are virtually innumerable. As any of their fans will tell you, the only way to get any sort of handle on what The Shills' music is all about, is to simply check it out yourself.
http://www.theshills.net/
Clara Junken:
Clara brings those greats of the 70's to a more modern element of indie blues rock. Crooning tunes akin to Led Zeppelin, Joni Mitchell and Fleetwood Mac, she'll bring the blues back to the future and slap you in the face with her raw impeccable vocal melodies. Boasting a truly dynamic and well produced album, Out To See is one not only to be played on repeat, but a piece of art to be experienced live.
"Hell Hotel" will be released as a single with a brand new Music Video mid May! Sign up for our newsletter to get notified as soon as its up!
Click on the title or image to scope out the article and pictures! Thanks Post Mortem and Mathew Robbins for the photos!
"Portland has a population of over 63,000 people and, for its relative size, it is a music fan’s heaven. Watching shows at Merrill Auditorium, Longfellow Square, State Theatre, Port City, Empire, SPACE Gallery or Asylum can provide you with ample genre-fication. Whether you are looking for a local or a touring band, whether you are looking for rap, indie, funk, folk, metal, adult contemporary, a jazz band, or whether you are looking for a theatre or a bar, you have that luxury in Portland.
SMCC students need to artistically exercise the right to dig music, whether it’s with following the local band scene or performing in it. Darrell Foster, an SMCC student and the lead singer of Portland-based funk band Five of the Eyes, is on the latter side. Five of the Eyes is a self-described alien funk band with Latin influences, and have been compared to The Mars Volta and The Fall of Troy.
FotE consists of band members:
Tim Meehan (guitar)
Ned Rich (guitar)
Peter G. (drums and bass on “Abyss”)
Tom Meehan (drums and bass on “Abyss”)
Darrell Foster (lyrics and synth)
Foster is a well-rounded musician who excels at vocals. He doesn’t confine himself to a genre and could quite possibly be the best dancer in Maine (you have to see it to believe it). Foster is a method writer who develops his message through improvisation to manifest philosophical energy. He’s also “got a knack for creating a vocal hook that will get lodged in your brain after a few listens,” as described in an article in the Bangor Daily News, who did an interview with Foster in February.
I recently sat down for a Q & A with Darrell Foster and we discussed Portland’s local music scene, how Five of the Eyes falls into it, the enlightenment of pure creativity and a few other things.
How long have you been singing?
I’ve been singing since I was 8 or 9 and I remember my sister would yell, “If you don’t know the words, DON’T SING!” I think I was singing to Backstreet Boys or something ridiculous. And it was around that time I learned to forget what other people say and to do what feels good, do what you want, sing whenever and wherever you want.
How long have you played the synth?
Actually, not that long, only about six months. I’ve been playing around with keys my whole life, but I’ve always been a guitar player. When I joined this band there was just no need for another guitar so I decided to find something else to contribute. I’ve always enjoyed samples and weird ambient effects, so I bought a MIDI rig and haven’t looked back.
Can you play any other instruments?
Yeah, I’m not a master at any specific instrument; my main craft is my vocals, but if it makes noise, I can make music. Not necessarily good music, but music (haha).
What’s your favorite band (besides FotE)?
This seems like an impossible question. It really depends on my mood. I listen to a lot of classic rock, like everyone else that has a radio, but I also like a lot of indie and folk music. Recently I’ve been listening to Cage the Elephant, The Mars Volta, Lake Street Dive, and Arctic Monkeys.
What was your first album?
Ha, I’m not 100% sure. The cool guy in me wants to say “Aenima” by Tool, but I think it was more like “Dookie” by Green Day, or quite possibly “Chocolate Starfish and the Hot Dog Flavored Water” by Limp Bizkit.
How long have you guys been playing?
The other members of the group formed the band in early 2014. I joined in May.
Whats does FotE mean?
It means that a sentient being from a distant galaxy is on its way to destroy the planet. Or it’s an acronym for Five of the Eyes.
Do you write the lyrics? Do you have ideas for songs in mind or the music inspires you?
I do write the lyrics, but none of it is premeditated. We have a pretty solid recording setup that allows us to track the songs in good quality at practice. Then I’ll take it home and record different ideas and lyrics, just kind of improv over it until something sticks. Honestly, a lot of times I’ll come up with something, and it will be like, yeah that’s really awesome, but what the hell am I talking about? After I think about it for a while, that something will develop a meaning to me that was never intended. It’s times like those that cause the existential side of me to ponder if I’m even writing the parts, or if it’s all some weird subconscious crap. Like shutting your brain off and streaming dream thoughts out loud. It has to be a really comfortable space to allow this to happen, or your mind will get defensive about what kind of nonsense is coming out of your mouth, and the people listening will think you’re some kind of strange psychopath. Maybe I am? This is why I write most of it alone at my house.
Where can I find your album?
Right now the EP we released on Tuesday is on Bandcamp and can be downloaded at a “pay what you want” price. We have it linked to our website, so you can get it by going to: http://www.fiveoftheeeyes.com. Next week it releases on Spotify, iTunes, Amazon, and a few other music distributors, but these will not have a “pay what you want” feature.
Was the FLAC file option a conscious decision?
Bandcamp automates that file type. We actually uploaded .wav files for the highest quality, but that means each song is about 123 MB. Bandcamp converts them to FLAC for a better online streaming service. It’s a smaller file, but has a touch better quality compression than an MP3 would offer.
How do you like playing in Portland?
I love Portland, and I love playing in Portland. I’ve lived here for about seven years, and the support I’ve been given in this town musically has been unreal. When I was just starting out I was blown away by just how many local venues wanted to help me get my feet off the ground. Especially Ken Bell, who used to run the Big Easy when that was still a thing. It was such a shame to see that venue go the way it did. The people there were a musical family. These days, we’ve kind of taken up residency at the Empire, doing most of our headlining gigs there. It’s just got such a cozy feel to it for a medium sized venue. The lights and sound are awesome and the staff are probably some of the best people on this planet.
Did you take dance lessons? (Go to the show and you will know why I asked this question.)
I took salsa lessons once, but everything else just comes from years of dancing at parties and a deep love for all things MJ and James Brown.
I love the “Eos” acoustic bridge. Have you guys tried an unplugged setlist?
We haven’t tried that yet, but it’s been discussed and will probably happen in the future. It’s a shame we aren’t truly able to recreate that bridge live with a real acoustic guitar. I’ve been working on genetic manipulation to get Tim to grow two more arms, but it may take a while.
What’s your favorite FotE song?
“Hell Hotel.” It will be released on our full length, but if you want to hear it now, you’ll have to come to the Port City show.
When can I get a FotE t-shirt?
Hopefully soon! We’re looking for someone to help us with designs and ideas. I’m trying to get a fan art submission thing going, but for now, if anyone likes the music and feels inspired to draw something up, feel free to send it to us on Facebook!
Should we have an SMCC FotE show?
Does a dude in a shark suit not give a crap about choreography? Absolutely.
Well you heard it here, folks: if you want to check out some of Portland’s finest local music, come to the Empire on May 1st."
- Frank Coletti / SMCC / The Beacon
"Five of the Eyes are one of the newest "rawk" bands in Portland to hit the scene: They're direct, straightforward and unabashed in the way they just love to "rawk". This isn't to say their music is boneheaded, no, nor is it too simple. It's just that their big, loud music is clearly and happily indebted to the classics, unpretentious and altogether unconcerned with being hip. It's a refreshing vibe in a city that can sometimes feel like a tiny Brooklyn, musically speaking. The five piece formed early on in 2014, and now they're making their recorded debut with the audacious self-produced EP FOTE. Fans of dexterous and riffy rock take note, this is your jam.
Right from the get-go, Five of the Eyes wear their influences on their sleeves. Opener "Isabella" is a dead-ringer for late period Mars Volta. Singer Darrell Foster croons, incants and shrieks in a highly dramatic fashion. His voice is equal parts smoky and operatic, shifting quickly from a sultry low register up and into high, keening wails that'll zap heavy music fans right back to the hard rocking seventies and eighties. Truth be told, he's more Jeff Buckley than Cedric Bixler-Zavala, especially in the way he imbues almost all of his vocal performances with a breathy, close-to-the-mic sense of intimacy. The band, too, displays a clear penchant for Mars Volta, utilizing Latin rhythmic flourishes and frenetic shifts in both dynamic and time signature frequently throughout these five songs. Unlike Volta, though, Five of the Eyes keeps the listener close and rarely indulges to the point of throwing anyone off. Despite their proggier tendencies, they're clearly pop fans at heart. They never write or play so erratically that you can't follow along, and they cleverly write oversized, soulful hooks into their songs to offset the passages that lean perhaps a little too closely toward navel-gazing.
"Eos" is a clear victory, falling beautifully and gracefully in the middle of a collection of songs that occasionally feels short in the subtlety department. Here, the band plays largely at a gentle, even keel. They let things open up and breathe, giving Foster more room to work vocally while guitarists Tim Meehan and Ned Rich explore the full extent of their fretboards. An aggressive opening riff gives way to a funky and slyly syncopated verse-chorus structure, in which Foster delivers some of the best singing on the EP. Halfway through, the whole thing collapses, giving way to a breathtaking acoustic passage in which a gorgeous vocal round repeats as the song builds to a wild careening finish. It's impressive and complex, and it feels more unique to the capabilities of Five of the Eyes themselves, than any of the influences they so proudly honor throughout FOTE.
In fact, it's this very sense of flag-flying that's the biggest problem with the EP. As a debut, it's remarkable. The production is masterful, the songs themselves are fully and well formed, and all parties involved are clearly talented with their respective instruments. But there's a spaceman on the album cover, Foster's lyrics ring vaguely of classic science fiction, and I have to repeat that the band frequently embellishes their songs with latin and ambient passages. It's all eerily close to following the template that Mars Volta Laid down on their first two albums, and there are clear nods to At The Drive-In here as well. There's a moment on "Firing Squad" where Foster sings in a wriggly falsetto about revolutionaries and public executions over heavily processed lead guitar work. It feels like it could have come straight off of Relationship of Command, right down to the watery chorus on the guitar that sounds like Omar Rodriguez-Lopez dialed it in himself. It's a great place to start, and fertile ground to pick up as a young band, but it's clear Five of the Eyes has completely and totally mastered the musical landscape of their LSD-guzzling, samba-dancing El-Pasoan heroes. It's obvious they have a world inside their own heads that's as expansive as it is virtuosic, and perhaps on their next release they'll set about exploring it more fully. With time, and a healthy does of collective self-exploration, Five of the Eyes could become a truly unique act in a league of their own. For now, FOTE is an exceptional, though derivative, debut. Send transmission from the five-eyed scissor, let's keep our eyes peeled on these gents."
-Jakob Battick / The Portland Phoenix / February 26, 2015
Photos by LSP
Big thanks to Never Got Caught and Murcielago for having us Saturday night at Port City Music Hall! Great show by all! Thanks to all the peeps coming out to show support for local acts. Also a huge thank you to all those that helped with the video(Emerson Clarke, Andrew Hilty, Andy Batson, and Herman Mantis) and the photos ( LaurynSophiaPhotography )!!!! We'll be posting some videos in the next few weeks!
Darrell Foster was in the audience for a Chaos Sauce show in Portland back in 2013. He recalled being very impressed with the huge amounts of energy and musicianship the funky prog-metal band exuded onstage. Foster, formerly the lead singer of the now-defunct soulful rockers Mother Leopard, knew right then he wanted to play with them.
“I just remember really digging their high energy on stage,” said Foster, a Knox County native who has lived in Portland since the late 2000s. “I knew I wanted to play with them.”
That band, Five Of The Eyes, just put out its first EP this month; a self-titled, self-produced first studio effort that’s arrestingly dynamic, heavy yet danceable, and deceptively melodic. It draws on the progressive metal roots of many of the band members, but it brings in further Latin, funk and pop elements. It’s one of the strongest debuts from a new Maine band in the past two years, and it’s already helped the band garner some early buzz as a seriously awesome live act.
Five Of The Eyes — vocalist Foster, guitarist Tim Meehan, bassist Thomas Meehan, drummer Peter Griffith and guitarist Ned Rich — first tested the waters of playing together about a year ago. It clicked rapidly, and with good reason. The brothers Meehan have been playing together for years, drummer Griffith and guitarist Rich were in Chaos Sauce together, and Foster was the charismatic front man for Mother Leopard, wailing, screaming and running around the stage. You know — like a front man should be doing.
“What makes the whole thing click is the dedication of everyone in the group,” said Foster. “We love the music, but I think the driving force is that we’re all willing to push each other, speak our minds, and put the time in to be the tightest group we can be.”
Though comparisons to bands like the Mars Volta or Faith No More are inevitable, Five Of The Eyes draws on an eclectic array of musical elements aside from the descriptors generally applied to those two bands (progressive, psychedelic, experimental, dynamic, dramatic). There’s a swinging kind of Latin groove to many of the songs on the EP, most especially on “Firing Squad” and “Eos,” both of which merge meaty rock riffs with an exceptionally funky rhythm section — without the deft, confident skills of Meehan and Griffith, I’m not sure Five Of The Eyes could pull it off.
Amid all the big riffs and grooves, however, there’s an accessible core. Foster’s got a knack for creating a vocal hook that will get lodged in your brain after a few listens. Between the stylistic and dynamic twists and turns, the EP doesn’t veer off into the incohesive. The enthusiasm and musicianship apparent on every track keeps them on track.
“We’re a high energy prog/rock/funk/Latin group with a dash of metal and a dash of pop hooks… our music is still evolving,” said Foster.
Five Of The Eyes will perform with Portland rockers Murcielago and Boston band Never Got Caught on Saturday, Feb. 28 at Port City Music Hall in Portland. The show is 18 plus, and admission is $8 in advance or $10 the day of the show. The EP is available on Bandcamp or Spotify as well as on fiveoftheeyes.com.
-Emily Burnham, Culture Shock, Bangor Daily News