What started as a Craigslist ad and a chance encounter has turned into one of Columbia’s last rock bands: The Many Colored Death.
As the story goes, drummer Shea Spence met frontman Brent Moore through Moore’s band’s Craigslist posting. Later Moore and Spence teamed up and started looking for a bassist to complete their group. One day, while Moore was working at a music shop, Preston Rodgers meandered in and started playing bass. Thus, The Many Colored Death began.
Moore, who writes the songs and sings lead vocals, says the band name originally came from a character in “The Neverending Story,” a German fantasy novel by Michael Ende.
Later, the band went on to pen a song titled, “A Many Colored Death,” which added a new layer of meaning to the trio’s name.
“The song developed from that name and described living life to the fullest, so that when you die, it’s a celebration,” Moore says.
Don’t let any preconceived notions of “hard rock” get in the way when it comes to MCD’s sound. Moore says that people may think MCD has a much harder sound then it actually does. “It’s much more technical than just us screaming.”
As a result, this attention to musicianship attracts a lot of other musicians in their fan base because MCD’s songs are so technical and not just designed to hook a wide audience, Moore says.
Still, Spence says the band isn’t trying to fit a certain image or fit in any category.
“We’re just out there to have fun,” she says.
Being the female drummer in an otherwise male group has not been an issue for Spence within the band, but she says sometimes at shows people think she’s there to run the sound check.
“It comes with the territory just because this is a man’s world,” she says of the music industry.
The Many Colored Death recently signed with local indie label Home Tone Records, and members are currently working on their first full-length album. Spence says the album is more than halfway done. The group is just finishing some songs and cleaning up its overall sound while still touting a DIY work ethic.
Seems like that mindset is working for The Many Colored Death. The group is planning to release a single off the album Friday at The Blue Note and will play Dec. 8 at The Bridge.