Natives Are
Restless began in 1992, when Dan Smith, Alan Burd and Robert
Witherspoon decided to combine their nascent musical talents and put
them toward the task of writing songs with strange titles like "My
Interest Lies in Oxygen" and even stranger lyrics, most of which
(thankfully), have been lost to the ravages of time. :-)
Shortly after its
formation the band, which had been dubbed "One Tribe," had swelled its
ranks to seven members, as longtime friend of the band Trace Brooks
joined, along with Jeff Blackburn and Shawn Adamick. Alan Burd's future
brother-in-law, Rob Hobbs, also joined for a stint on the bass. Some of
Natives future "hits", such as "Mushroom Crumbles" and "Loser", were
written during this period.
It was also during
this period, in 1993, that NAR found an indispensible part of its
voice, when vocalist Mary Ellis joined the band. Mary's raw, soulful
delivery was a perfect compliment to Robert's and Alan's more
pop-oriented vocal stylings, and to Dan's folksy, down-to-earth singing
voice. Under Mary's direction, the band had three and four-part
harmonies for the first time.
By 1994, Trace,
Shawn, Jeff and Robert had all left the band, leaving One Tribe without
a drummer or a proper bass player. However, this situation was only
temporary. Robert and Alan had both done vocal work for the
Conroe-based company Rock 'n' Learn, which produces educational music
and videos for children, and through this connection, One Tribe was
introduced to Brad Caudle, co-owner of Rock 'n' Learn. Brad's skill on
both guitar and bass was . . . intimidating, but he expressed
enthusiasm for the sound the other members created when they performed
together, and he quickly signed on as the band's new bassist and
occasional guitarist. However, Brad also brought to the band an fine
singing voice, which he could extend into the upper register, and which
gave the band the ability to perform five-part harmonies. These
harmonies are showcased on the track "Good Day," from NAR's
eponymous first CD.
