Namesake

Bio

It’s not often that a group of still-teenaged gentlemen form a band and all bear their father’s name. But that’s exactly the case with the appropriately titled Atlanta, Georgia group, Namesake. Comprised of vocalist Will Crafton, guitarists Brad Wagner and Troy Harmon, and drummer Kevin Nordeste, in addition to their “name” connection, all share a knack for penning hard-edged, highly melodic pop tunes, as evidenced by their debut album, ‘Borders & Fences,’ and such song as “Worlds Away” (the album’s first single), “Saturday,” “A Million Good Reasons,” and the title track – Border & Fences.

“The group formed in our last year in high school,” explains Crafton.. With the addition of Troy Harmon and Seth Van Dusen [the latter is the group’s new bassist] we were able to complete the team and set forward into the world."

In 2010, the group signed with Imagen Records. “Namesake really caught our attention over at Imagen,” says Imagen Records President Bob Winegard. "They had great things going and a talent that’s rare to find in kids their age. We knew we would be able to do great things together.Renowned producer James Paul Wisner (Paramore, Underoath, and New Found Glory) was brought in to create the debut full-length. “I got his number from his production website and was lucky enough to talk to him personally,” recalls Crafton. “We talked for a while and I sent him an acoustic demo of a song that would later be one of the songs chosen to record on our album titled ‘Saturday.’ He loved the track and was eager to get started immediately. We had a great chemistry the whole time we were working together.”

Recently, Namesake filmed a video for “Worlds Away,” and Crafton recalls it as an amazing experience. “It was the first time any of us had shot a music video. The whole thing was done with a green screen as well. We had no idea what to expect, but we got to work with the legendary Scott Hansen, and he helped put it all together. We spent a good twelve hours straight shooting it, and were very pleased with the outcome. We may be one of the very first bands to play in space!”

And as fans who have caught the group’s live show already know, Namesake is a must-see concert act. “Packed full of energy,” is how Crafton describes their shows. “We bring to the table what any fan would expect to see. Killer vocals and harmonies, guitar solos, head banging like it was going out of style. We definitely like to have fun and get the fans involved, because that is what it’s all about.”

And lastly, what does Crafton see in Namesake’s future? “We want to get to the status to where if you walk into a room packed with people and someone yells ‘Namesake,’ at least one person will recognize the name. Well…that and world domination. But that can wait!” As evidenced by ‘Borders & Fences,’ Namesake is well on their way to obtaining the latter.

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