Tainted Society finally finds right chemistry

By: JIM TRAGESER - Staff Writer | Wednesday, January 23, 2008 2:42 PM PST ∞

If Tainted Society took a while to get its first CD finished ---- it's releasing its debut, "Bound for Hell," on Saturday at the Jumping Turtle ---- it was because it took a few years for the founders to find the right mix of musicians to create the kind of guitar-based hard rock they wanted to make.

Lead singer and backing guitarist Tim Palmer said while he and bassist Doug Eidsmoe founded the band in the summer of 2005, it wasn't until last spring that they ran across lead guitarist Patrick Shea, and last summer when drummer Sean Cravens joined the fold.

"We finally found that perfect fit between the four of us where everything clicked," Palmer said last week during a conference call with him and Shea.

For Shea, the band has provided a place where he feels at home musically, which, he said, is ironic in that when the band first asked him to join, he hesitated because he wasn't sure he was in tune with their hard rock style. But being listened to, and having his ideas help shape the direction of the band's music, has made his leap of faith in joining Tainted Society worth the risk, he said.

"This is a band that's actually a team band," Shea said. "I've been in bands where I felt I had no say even if I had an idea. It's a really good team-working band."

Somewhat oddly, it was Shea who gave the band a tryout ---- bringing it into his studio to record some tracks and sitting in on guitar to see how it felt.

Shea is the old man in the group, being in his 40s, while Cravens is young enough to be his son at 23. But Palmer and Shea both said the age range isn't something they even think about ---- the interpersonal dynamic within the band is more about the musical influences each brings to the table.

Growing up in Mission Beach in the 1970s, Shea said he was first drawn to the Rolling Stones.

"I got my first electric guitar at 10 and never looked back."

At 14, he was in his first band and at 16 had his first paying gig ---- $10 to sit in with a band at an ice cream parlor.

Growing up in Escondido, Palmer said his path was similar, with his parents wanting him to get a "real" job rather than focus on music.

While Shea owns his own recording studio and plays as a session guitarist for other musicians in addition to offering private music lessons, Palmer and the other members of the band hold down day jobs. And while all four men are married, both Palmer and Shea said the band's wives are supportive of their musical aspirations.

"We've reached that point in our lives that we're serious about it," Palmer said.

With the new five-song EP now out, the band is looking to really focus on the music, hoping to set up some regional tours and maybe hook up with an independent label to distribute their self-produced CD.

"We all have enough longevity and sock away our vacation time so we can put together a regional tour that would encompass Arizona, Southern California and Vegas," Palmer said of himself, Eidsmoe and Cravens (who work variously in construction and manufacturing).

Although they recorded the new record in Shea's studio, and have printed up the first run on their own dime, the two men said they hope their success on garageband.com (Tainted Society is the No. 2 most-popular band on that site's San Diego chart) helps them get an indie record label interested in helping the band with tour support and distribution, citing the ability to get local radio stations and newspapers interested in providing coverage in each city while on tour.

"In today's industry, and with electronic media the way it is, we can put our own stuff out there and have it distributed nationally and even worldwide," Palmer said. "Our CD is on Amazon.com ---- it's a question of marketing it."

"We can get our music out there," Shea added. "but to get us out there is a different story."

Tainted Society, with Death Rattle, Feeling of Hate, Monovox

When: 8 p.m. Saturday

Where: The Jumping Turtle, 1660 Capalina Road, San Marcos

Admission: $10

Info: (760) 471-7778 or thejumpingturtle.com

Web: taintedsociety.com

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