Alborn Theory making a name for itself

Alborn Theory started as a solo project and has grown into a young hard-rock band fresh off a win in the Battle of the Bands competition on Feb. 24 at Rock Island Brewing Co. in Rock Island.

After playing April 1 at The Cooler in Rock Falls, the band is out and about again this weekend with a show from 9 p.m. to
1 a.m. Friday at Tin Roof Tavern, 13464 Galt Road, Sterling.

It all began in 2012, when Justin Taylor, 21, of Sterling, started recording demos under the name Alborn Theory.

“As the years went on, I got fed up with not being able to perform my music live,” said Taylor, a 2013 Prophetstown High School graduate, in an email.

Alex Raser, 19, of Prophetstown, came to his longtime friend and revealed he could play drums. Raser graduated from Prophetstown High School in 2016.

They’ve stuck together since the summer of 2013.

The band also features bassist Zame Lewis, 19, a 2016 Sterling High School grad, and guitarist Tyler Mendenhall, 26, a 2008 Prophetstown High School grad.

The band’s members have been playing music for a long time.

Taylor began playing when he was 4, wanting to be like his dad, Dana, who was always playing shows on the weekends.

Lewis began playing music in fifth grade at Washington Elementary School in Sterling when he first picked up the euphonium – a baritone-voiced brass instrument – in the school band. Since then, he’s also played tenor saxophone and guitar. He began to primarily play bass as a junior in high school. His dad, Derick, also is a fixture on the local music scene.

Now, it’s the band that is making a name for itself.

In 2016 alone, the band played an impressive lineup of local festivals.

“We got to play some awesome shows last year, such as Tampico Days in June, the Who Else 45th annual Pig Roast in Nelson [in July] and Tugfest in Port Byron back in August,” Lewis said.

Raser said his favorite show was the release party for the band’s first album, “Settling In,” in July at Long Shot Bar & Grill in Rock Falls.

Taylor also noted how special the release show was.

“It was a night I had dreamt of ever since I can remember,” he said. “We, as a band, put every ounce we had into that CD, and to see all of those people in the crowd, singing the words with me that they had learned from following us for so long, hit me like a ton of bricks.”

The band’s frontman said it’s going to be hard to top that one.

“The chills lasted the whole show,” he said.

The people at Long Shot have always been very supportive of the band, Taylor said. He also mentioned The Cooler, saying the owners have always been incredible and the staff and environment are great.

When listening to the band’s first album, the quality of the recording is impressive.

The guys recorded the album with Aaron Isaacson of Princeton, who runs Sound in Silence Recordings.

The band takes its music videos seriously, too. They were shot with Joe Gibbs of Morrison, a friend of Isaacson.

“We go to Joe and tell him we want to shoot a video, but it has to be different from the rest,” Taylor said. “For example, for our video for ‘Trigger,’ we performed the song at double speed and half speed, and then Joe modified the film.”

The technique has the song playing on time, while the band moves in slow- and fast-motion.

“We will definitely continue to work with him, and highly recommend anyone around here to go with him,” Taylor said.

The band strives to be unique in many of the things it does, and prefers to categorize its music as alternative metal.

While heavily influenced by nu-metal bands such as Deftones and Korn, the band likes to think it brings “something newish to the table,” Taylor said.

Making it big like those aforementioned bands is something the band would love, but right now its members are happy just making music.

“Honestly, we’re all on the same page with the band. Whatever happens, happens,” Taylor said.

The group’s writing for its next album, but at the moment, has no idea when it will be complete.

“Our writing process takes a very long time,” Taylor said.

In the meantime, the band plans to play as many shows as it can, in hopes of increasing its fanbase.

The fans, as with many local bands, are what keep the music going for Alborn Theory.

Taylor doesn’t know where they’d be without them.

“Words will never express the appreciation we have for our fans.”

MORE INFORMATION

The band’s debut album, “Settling In,” can be found on iTunes, Spotify, Amazon and YouTube.

Go to shawurl.com/30oc to watch the band's video for "Trigger."

Find Alborn Theory on Facebook for more information.

For booking information, email alborntheory@gmail.com.