After successful college radio play across the country, Clear the Day is ready to release new music.
The Omaha band is celebrating the release of its debut album “…Listening” Saturday at the Slowdown.
Clear the Day consists of vocalist Mark Gregory, drummer Ricky Green, bassist Pat Whitlock and guitarist Jon Snyder. The group formed in 2012 after meeting through the Craigslist music interest section.
“My friend wanted to record me playing songs I wrote myself on my acoustic guitar, and we posted videos on YouTube then used it as a post on Craigslist,” Gregory said. “I was like ‘if you like these videos we should start a band’ and they responded; we’re just a random group of guys.”
Gregory is the only Omaha native while Green is from North Carolina, Whitlock is from Texas and Snyder is from Baltimore. The band says having members from different parts of the country influence their style, and everyone enjoys making music out of Omaha.
“Our guitarist has traveled around in the Air Force and says that Omaha has a great art scene,” Gregory said. “We’re proud to say we’re from Omaha because there are a lot of great bands that come out of here like Bright Eyes and all of the Saddle Creek bands.”
The band describes its sound as a blend of folk, rock and indie with influences of emo music and says the new album embodies that sound.
Jeremy Garrett, who has worked with various recording artists out of major record labels, helped the group create the new album.
“The recording process was great and he really knows his stuff,” Gregory said. “I’ve been recording and playing in bands in Omaha for about 10 years and I’ve never had a better experience.”
Gregory says the album is an “accurate sound of the band” and listeners can expect a diverse selection of music.
“Every song is a little different,” Gregory said. “It’s made to appease the short attention span that we live in today, where people usually don’t listen to a record from start to finish, and they pretty much just listen to a bunch of different stuff.”
The band hopes the new album helps listeners who may be going through a difficult time or need something to relate to.
“I’ve been through some pretty rough times; I’ve lived in group homes and Boys Town for a couple of years; I just had a lot of struggles,” Gregory said. “Music was a big part of my life and helped me get through those tough times.”
Gregory says the band looks forward to sharing its message and new music with everyone Saturday night.
Clear the Day will be playing songs from “…Listening” and two new tracks not featured on the album.
“People can expect great music and lots of smiles,” Gregory said. “We’re just really excited about it.”
