YouTube Wednesday: Reachback…your newest spring/summer music addiction

Hello people of the internet!!! On today ‘YouTube Wednesday’, we are going to talk about an amazing new band that I am so excited to share with y’all! This U.K. band has been making a splash ever since their conception in 2009, and has shared the stage with a wide variety of successful and well acclaimed bands. Their songs will have you dancing, crying, and constantly wanting more. Ever since I first heard this band’s music (when they followed me on Twitter…once again thank you Twitter!), I have been absolutely addicted, and now I can’t imagine not constantly listening to this band’s music. Who is this amazing band you may ask? I’m glad you asked. This band is none other than the incredible talented ‘Reachback’. Reachback consists of Ruby Williams as the lead vocalist, Tom McHenry on guitar, Joe Williams on bass, and Craig Chin on drums. Together these four extremely talented musicians make up a band that I believe will have a great and lasting impression on the Pop/Rock music scene very soon. So if you haven’t heard of ‘Reachback’, read on!

Reachback was founded in 2009, and after two years of hard work released their first single off of their debut EP to ‘Absolute Radio’ (one of the 3 National independent Internet radio stations in the  U.K. After the release of this single, Reachback was able to perform with famous and well acclaimed acts such as: McFly, Scouting For Girls, Mayday Parade, and Forever The Sickest Kids, just to name a few. After Reachback released its two next singles, they were given the distinction of being named ‘Unsigned Band of the Week’ by Sarah Champion of ‘Absolute Radio’, and caught the attention of Radio 1 (a large British radio station) and Kerrang! Magazine. Also, in September of 2011, the band was given the opportunity by MTV and Extreme  of performing two of their songs acoustically at ‘Abby Road Studios’. In 2012, Reachback was nominated for 3 ‘Artist in Music Award’ nominations, a spot on the McFly ‘Keep Calm and Play Louder’ tour, the premiere of their music video for ‘No One Else’ on Kerrang! (a big online rock magazine) and MTV, showcases at MTV and Extreme Music headquarters, a slot on the ‘Red Bull Bedroom Jam Tour’, participating in some of the biggest music festivals in the U.K., participation in a celebrity football (soccer for Americans) tournament, and a performance at the ‘BT London Live Hyde Park  Festival’ during the 2012 Olympics (wow I got tired just writing that, I can’t imagine how tired they were living it!). In 2013, Reachback spent the first half of the year touring the U.K and recording their new album (which is set to be released through Spectra Records in 2014!). So now that you know enough about the band to win a trivia contest, let’s get to the music!!!

One cover that Reachback has performed that I really loved was their rendition of ‘Best Song Ever’ by One Direction Best Song Ever – One Direction (Reachback Cover). What I loved most about this version, was that it was less of a “cover’, and more of an individual take on the original song. Reachback’s version has more Pop/Soul influences, which makes this version pleasing to the ears in a different way. Honestly I find myself replaying this version over and over again without growing tired. When I saw that Reachback did a cover of ‘Free Fallin’ by Tom Petty Free Fallin – John Mayer/Tom Petty (Reachback Cover) (and was more recently made popular again by John Mayer), I was extremely intrigued. ‘Free Fallin’ is a very difficult song to cover, because the emotion and notes have to be exactly on point in order to have the impact that is expected of this song. Once I heard Reachback’s version, the only thing that surprised me was that I was surprised by how well they did with it. At this point it shouldn’t surprise me that this band is able to take such a classic song and breathe new life into it. Fans of the original version will certainly not be disappointed. Now this next cover is actually the first cover that I heard from Reachback, however I saved it for last because it’s my favorite. The finial cover that I’m going to discuss is Reachback’s rendition of ‘Cry Me A River’ &’Mirrors’ by the PHENOMINAL Justin Timberlake Justin Timberlake – Cry Me A River & Mirrors (Reachback Cover) . Covering a Justin Timberlake song is certainly not an easy task to pull off, because he is such an amazing vocalist, however I am OBESSED with Reachback’s version of these two JT hits. I love that Reachback infuses its own unique style of Pop/Rock/Soul to make this rendition distinctly different than any other cove you’ll hear. I honestly feel like I could go on and on about how much I love Reachback’s covers, I am just so addicted to them.

However, although Reachback has released some INCREDIBLE covers, they have also released original music that is amazing. On September 22nd, 2011 Reachback released its’ debut single entitled ‘Butterflies’ Butterflies – Reachback, as part of their ‘Wake Up – EP‘. This Pop/Rock track tells the story of unrequited love in such a way, that will make you dance a little bit as you cry into that tub of ice cream (we all do that…right? O..K…moving on.). This track will certainly resonant with Paramore fans, due to this song’s style which is reminiscent of early-Paramore. Reachback released their third single on September 23rd, 2011, in the form of a track called ‘Without You’ Without You – Reachback . ‘Without You’ is a track about lost love, and the feelings of isolation and disbelief that follow a breakup. I really love how this song contains very meaningful and deep lyrics, but delivers the message is an “upbeat” way. The fact that this song is not a slow ballad, makes ‘Without You’ unique and memorable. Reachback released their first official music video to accompany their next single ‘No One Else’ on April 9th, 2012 REACHBACK – No One Else (OFFICIAL VIDEO) (up until this point, all of the singles had only had a photo of the band, and were not actual music videos). ‘No One Else’ is a song about a girl loving one guy so intensely, that no one else could ever take that guy’s place. These feelings become so intense, that the girl in the song still only loves that one particular guy, even after he is gone. I love how powerfully the message of the song is delivered, and the passion that is behind the lead vocalists’ (Ruby Williams) voice. I would definitely suggest that you purchase this song, and the rest of the band’s EP because it WILL have you singing along to every track before you know it.

Well I think that you can infer form this blog post that I am seriously obsessed with this Reachback…and trust me after listening to one of their covers or original songs you will be too. I can see why this band has already made such an impact in the U.K., and I know that it’s only a matter of time before they become a global sensation. I am very excited about what the future holds for Reachback, and I urge you all too go along with them for the ride!

Keep in touch with Reachback!!!:

YouTube: Reachback YouTube

Twitter: Reachback

Facebook: Reachback Facebook

Website: Reachback Band

• All photos and information used in this blog belong to Reachback, Absolute Radio, McFly, Scouting For Girls, Mayday Parade, and Forever The Sickest Kids, Sarah Champion, Radio 1, Kerrang! Magazine, MTV, Extreme Music, Abby Road Studios, Red Bull Bedroom Jam Tour, ‘BT London Live Hyde Park  Festival’, the Olympics, any and all persons and companies associated or working with the previous mentioned credits, and all other original owners. I do not own anything in this blog. All opinions expressed in this blog are my own. I wrote this blog for entertainment purposes and no copyright infringement is intended.