BIO
Stripes and Lines
Stripes and Lines at the Belly Up Tavern, San Diego, CA
Jeremy Moss • Drums, Vocals
Ryan Hollington • Guitar, Vocals
Evan Polselli • Keys, Guitar, Vocals
Harley Orion • Bass, Vocals
Progressive indie rockers Stripes and Lines have been packing Southern California venues for nearly four years, and are now expanding throughout the Western United States.
Stripes and Lines bring the old and new together with hints of Built To Spill; a driving rhythm section reminiscent of U2 or The Police; and a touch of Velvet Underground; topped off with four-part vocal harmonies that suggest the great vocalists of the 60s. It’s a potent combination of high energy with musicality that could only have been achieved after years on the road; the members of Stripes and Lines have toured extensively throughout the US with former bands.
Sold-out shows with The Whigs, Company of Thieves, Canada’s Plants and Animals, and Fiction Family (members of Switchfoot and Nickel Creek) as well as performances with Switchfoot; Bedouin Soundclash; The Growlers; and more, have further confirmed Stripes and Lines one of the top bands to watch in San Diego. The band is a regular headliner to packed houses at the Belly Up Tavern as well as numerous other southern California venues including the world famous Wiltern Theater and El Rey Theater. They’ve been featured on both FM 94.9 and 91X, San Diego’s top stations for new and independent music.
Stripes and Lines were also the only independent band selected by LiveNation to perform at Los Angeles’ Wiltern Theater as part of the debut of their Dolby 5.1 / 1080HD internet video broadcast platform.
But the first priority for Stripes and Lines is making every song new and inventive. “We’ve never been content to just think in one genre, or just do what comes easily,” says bassist Orion. “We’ll take a typical modern-rock style and turn it on its head – add some kind of seventies Hammond or some bizarre chord progression or a big vocal part or whatever – we’re always pushing for something that breaks the boundaries of the style and challenges people a little.”
“The major labels created genres to help retailers sell product,” adds lead vocalist and drummer Moss. “But now that music is accessible without major label distribution, you don’t need to sound like anything else. We bring every influence we have and aren’t afraid to combine them in unusual ways.”
On their new CD, Mutiny on the Coast of Excess, plus their self-titled EP, they tackle the indie-rock genre with passion and creativity, blending thumping, up-tempo rockers with hints of the past that draw the audience in and keep them listening.
“When we got this group together, our one vision was that we would create music that every one of us was 100% excited about, all the time, and if anyone else likes it, then that’s just a bonus,” says Orion. “And it turns out people do want to hear it. What’s better than that?”
