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Energy and Unity:
Without Until brings Wilmington artists together

By: Andrew Kinback

Scott Quinn and Lee Venters of the band Without Until have a sort of Penn-and-Teller thing going for them. Quinn is the energetic guitarist, whose glasses slowly slide down his face as he converses about their latest gig or the evolution of a song that formed in his head. Venters is much more reserved and quiet, but behind his calm exterior is an experienced, well-traveled drummer. And when he talks, it’s impossible not to listen and know that he, too, shares the same excitement and energy as Quinn.

These two musicians have plenty to be excited about as they poured their melodic magic into their debut CD, Without Until: Featuring Scott Quinn and Lee Venters. The 69-minute journey that took three years to complete takes listeners through world-fusion jazz that fuses elements from around the world. From rock and Mid-eastern music, to Spanish guitar and Delta Blues, the record is a smorgasbord of not only various disciplines but Wilmington talent as well. “We could have called in some heavy Johns, but we didn’t,” Quinn says.

Who they did call in was a host of local Wilmington talents who put their own touches on Without Until. Top local players like Gary Craddock, William “Paco” Strickland, Jason Jackson, John White, blues legend Charlie Lucas, Leroy Harper Jr., El Jaye Johnson, Steve Dyer, Taylor Lee, Kevin Kolb and saxophonist Seth Trachy all made contributions to the album.

“The idea evolved with Lee and myself,” Quinn explains. “We were very naïve, and here we are with this Sergeant Pepper’s project.”

The project came together as Quinn laid down certain tracks, and Venters began to make suggestions on having certain artists come in to play.

“It was magnificent working with these guys; we never knew these guys would play for us,” Quinn says, still astounded by the thought.

The rest of the Without Until experience developed from more naivete, experimentation and phone calls at three in the morning from Quinn screaming at Venters, “Oh, my God, you have to hear this!” It also was made possible by those working behind the scenes.

“Tommy Brothers mixed the record, and he was magic. He made this
all happen,” Quinn says. “His reputation and experience were invaluable.”

The band is also thankful for their CD cover art which they say captures the essence of the band and continues to amaze them as they find something new every time they look at it.

“R.C. ‘Gil’ Warren did the album cover, and it is incredible. Part of the music community is the art community, and he brought them both together,” Quinn praises.

Without Until is grateful for the support Wilmington gives the art community, and they hope that support continues into the future. It is rare to find a town so welcoming of such a variety of music, where the artists are willing to work together for the cause of just playing it.

“We are honored by all these cats playing on the record,” Quinn says. “I hope we are inspiring to the scene.”

With that in mind, the band hopes the town embraces their brand of mesmerizing music because, as Venters puts it, “I really think this record embraces Wilmington.”

Without Until plays at the Rusty Nail with Taylor Lee on June 5th and 19th at 9pm, no charge, and the French Quarter (the basement of the Soapbox) on June 6th at 10pm, also no charge. To pick up their CD, go to Gravity Records on Kerr Avenue.