Biography

Route .44...... The lyrics are dark, filled with tales of addiction and despair. But the music is loud, boisterous and just barely contained. Call it a death-defying act – when the eight members of Route .44 come together, all demons are exorcised, swept away in a brew of rock, punk, blues and gypsy sounds. It started out in 2004 as just a duo, Ian Lacombe on vocals and guitars and Matt Swanton on tenor saxophone, playing open-mic sets in a wonderful little Providence bar called the Custom House. Over time, they added a keyboard player – Paul Choquette, now on baritone sax – and vocalist Jessica Powers, a bell-clear foil to Lacombe’s whiskey-and-cigarettes growl. Then came Teri Pimley on viola, Eric D. on stand-up bass, Jud Lisiecka on percussion, and last, Rob Champagne on drums. Together, they create a rich, intense sound unlike quite anything you’ll hear in clubs or on the radio these days – full of life, very danceable, and yet as dark as you’d expect a band to be whose frontman works in a mental hospital. In May 2007, the band released its debut CD, “Worthless Lessons,” produced by Eric D. and featuring audience favorites such as “All My Trials,” “Pushed It Too Far” and “Maybe.” At shows and online, it has sold more than 1,000 copies in New England and as far as Australia. But to truly experience Route .44, you have to see them live, and it’s their stage performances that have won them a strong fan base across the Northeast. Along with venues in their native Providence, such as their home base, The Blackstone, Jerky's and The Ocean Mist, they have played the legendary Middle East Club in Cambridge, Mass., The Paradise in Boston, and The Fillmore New York at Irving Plaza. They have also been featured in the Block Island Music Festival and the Ocean Breeze Blues Festival. Soon after the release of “Worthless Lessons,” they were voted Best Breakthrough Act (Alt-Rock) in the 2007 Motif Magazine poll. In the same poll in 2008, they were voted Alt-Rock Band of the Year, just days after also winning Best Local Act and Best Female Vocalist in the 2008 Providence Phoenix Best Music Poll. And that’s not all: Also this year, Route .44 was a regional finalist in the Bodog Battle of the Bands, one of the top 50 acts in out of 4,700 competitors nationwide. Right now, Route .44 is back in the studio, starting to record songs for a second CD. This spring, they released their first track of the upcoming album, “Barfly,” with a video now available on MySpace and YouTube. Look for the album in early 2009.