The Solace Brothers

I’ve been on a quest lately to find classmates from the town in the Pacific Northwest in which I grew up. I have found several on Facebook, and now I’m branching out, trying to find people who aren’t on Facebook. It’s been a really long time--23 years, give or take--since I’ve talked to most of those classmates, so this isn’t always an easy quest to complete.

One of the people I’ve been trying to find lately is a guy named John Polle who lived directly across the street from me when we were in school. I’ve picked up little pieces of information about him from other classmates, and from what I’ve been able to piece together, he’s been playing guitar and doing vocals in a handful of bands, pretty much from high school on. I tracked him from one band to another to another on a variety of websites, and yesterday, I found the band he’s currently in. At least, it’s where the trail ends, and the band put an album out a year and a half ago, so I’m assuming it’s his current band.

The band is called The Solace Brothers, and I was able to find their “official” website here, as well as their MySpace page here. John's on the far left in the picture, in the white t-shirt. On their MySpace page, they have six of their songs to listen to. An additional song, “Big Shot,” can be heard on their official website. “The Sound” started automatically as I was looking at their MySpace page, and I sort of subconsciously listened to it as I was trying to determine if the John Polle listed as a band member was the John Polle I’m looking for. About halfway through the song, I realized my foot was tapping to the beat, and I was rather enjoying the song. So I played it again, this time giving it my full attention. And I really liked the song!

So I tried the next one, “Dreaming for the World.” Another great song!

The next song, “2000 Miles,” was another catchy tune. In fact, all six songs were enjoyable.

Their albums--“Bad Will,” “I Think of You”, and a five-song album called “Discover!!!”--are all available on iTunes. I know this because I bought all three albums there last night. They’re also available on CD Baby.

It’s hard to describe their style. It seems to vary a little bit from song to song. I like the sound of the vocals. When blended, they’re harmonious without sounding fabricated by a studio. And the lead singer has the right voice for their songs. The guitar is rich and strong. There’s a little bit of ZZ Top in their guitar sound sometimes. Other times, they remind me of the Presidents of the United States of America. About the time I think they sound a little like Tom Petty in “Feel the Love”, they sound like Nirvana in “2000 Miles,” the Rolling Stones in “Set the Sun on Fire,” and the Violent Femmes in the vocals with a hint of the Screaming Trees in the guitars in “Certain Times.” They throw in some keyboard on some songs, some brass on others, and even some choir on “Feel the Love.” A lot of their songs make me chuckle, which I enjoy. They do upbeat well. They do thoughtful well. They do fun well. If you like the six songs on their MySpace page, you’re going to like all their albums.

In addition to my three favorites on their MySpace page, I also really like “Frankie & Johnny” on the “Bad Will” album. I like songs that tell stories, and the moral of this story cracks me up! If you’re somebody’s man, don’t do your girl wrong!

The next song on the album, “Melody Line,” is also one of my favorites, with a humorous final verse.

“Moulan Blue,” “Pittsburgh Steamers,” and “20-Hour Ride” are among my favorites from the “I Think of You” album.

So anyway, I just wanted to share that with you. I don’t get a toaster or anything for promoting them. I just like their sound and thought maybe some other people would, too.

Incidentally, I sent John a message through the band’s MySpace page. I hope to hear from him.