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Burlap to Cashmere's chemistry is kind of like their name: disparate textures that move from tension to transformation. The band started as a college project of lead singer/songwriter Steven Delopoulos. "The name of the band just sounded cool to me at first," notes Steven. "But as the band grew and developed, I realized that the thought of going from 'burlap to cashmere' was what was happening to us. God had taken nothing and began to turn it into something. A lot of us in the band come from broken homes and bad situations, but we found family together. We've all become like brothers."
Brothers in more ways than one. Technically cousins, Stephen and lead guitarist Johnny Philippides share familial bloodlines and Greek heritage through their parents. Mike Ernest, the second guitarist is the brother of Jamison Ernest, the band's manager, who is considered a part of the band, though you don't see him on stage. Teddy Pagano, the drummer, has been friends with Mike and Jamison since the age of 11. Josh Zandman, the keyboardist, has known Stephen since they were classmates in elementary school. Robby Guenara, the bassist, went to high school with Mike, Jamison, and Teddy. Scott Barksdale, the percussionist, was adopted into the family via a classified ad. (Please pay careful attention to all of this as you could be quizzed on it later.)
Piecing the band together over an eighteen-month period, the boys from Burlap began playing their moody, exalted and complex homegrown blend of ethnic folk pop on the New York Club circuit. A loyal fan base rapidly accrued even as the group began to turn the heads of record company executives. What started as a rumor in the industry buzz-mill, quickly escalated into an all-out feeding frenzy. It seemed that everyone suddenly wanted them to sign on the dotted line, yet only A&M Records was willing to take them for who they were, free of any mandate to tinker with the heart of their expression. Ultimately, the choice seemed to be made for them. After signing with A&M they recorded and released a five song EP, Live At The Bitter End, intended to serve as a teaser 'til the completion of their first studio project.
The songs included on Anybody Out There? cover a stylistic range from modern pop to Mediterranean stomp with some element of the one inevitably thrown into the other. Exploring a diversity of subjects including love, war, salvation, divorce, the struggle of flesh against spirit, and the death of friends, Burlap seeks to chronicle the emotions of life, without ever opting for easy answers. Instead they show a willingness to walk every step of life's journey with deliberation, rejoicing when it is the time to rejoice, and mourning when it is the season to mourn.
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