Riley, Zane, and Elliott (pictured above) are the members of this up and coming band in Morgantown: A Race Against Time. On an early Friday morning, I met up with Riley at The Grind to get to know more about the band.
1. So how did you meet?
My brother is in the band so we’ve obviously known each other a while, and Elliott met Zane because Zane’s grandfather happened to own Elliott’s apartment, and Zane helped move Elliott’s couch in.
2. Who does what?
Riley Imlay – drums (I lay down the funky beats); Elliott Imlay – bass and vocals (he has a degree in classical voice); Zane Huggins – guitarist and vocals/producer/songwriter (he pretty much does everything)
3. When did you start playing, and what inspires you to play?
Music has always been a big part of my life. It started in elementary school when I was taking piano lessons, but I wasn’t really into it. In middle school I played violin, but wasn’t really into that either. But throughout, I’ve always really enjoyed rock music: bands like Brand New, Blink-182, Arctic Monkeys, etc. Then I started playing guitar hero, and the drums were my favorite… And then I realized I was pretty good. I was lucky enough to have parents that would buy me a drum kit, and the band sort of formed organically when I came to college. It’s a really cathartic experience for me.
4. How did you all choose a band name?
We were fumbling around for names, and Zane had already produced some of his own things solo, and one of his albums was called A Race Against Time, and we all agreed that was cool.
5. Where have you played in the past?
123 Pleasant, Mainstreet Café in Clarksburg, U92 Morgantown Sound, The Waterfront Hotel, Schmitt’s Saloon (opened for Eve 6), random house parties, some acoustic stuff at Blue Moose Café and Tutto Gelato.
6. How do you define your music (genre, style, etc.)?
It spans a lot… but I’ll encapsulate it to three areas: funk-math-punk rock.
7. Elaborate…
- Funk – a lot of really groovy sections of our songs, kind of dance-y parts
- Math – we only scratch the surface of math rock, but parts of our songs are very complex; the time signatures of the songs change a lot, which requires a lot of technical unity amongst the instruments
- Punk – at the end of the songs, typically, there’s a really driving drum beat, and a really punk, aggressive ending with the crazy guitar solos
8. Where can people find your music:
Right now we’re about to release a new album we’ve been working on since this summer, it should be coming out definitely by the end of this year. But you can find it on the A Race Against Time Band Camp, we also have a Facebook page where you can find us as well.