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The Myriad is back for another round at Cascade

Things have only gotten better for Redding's favorite broody rock 'n' roll sons, The Myriad. After this year's dominance of the states with a cross-country spring tour supporting indie-pop rockers Eisley, the band ushered in the kind of instant notoriety that remains firmly out of reach for most bands.

Their song "A Clean Shot" was featured on the game Rock Band, the music video for which was the most played on MTV the week before their album "With Arrows, With Poise" was released; they filmed their last performance at Redding's Cascade Theatre for their video "Grandfather Clock"; and they have continued to skyrocket into the psyche of the mainstream music industry.

Most importantly, they have resisted the the cigar-chomping record industry washout and remain firmly grounded in the creation of their music. The Myriad will be performing once again at the Cascade Theatre on Oct. 4. Guitarist/vocalist Jeremy Edwardson of Redding spoke with d.a.t.e. for an update on the band.

Q: The Myriad's been touring a lot, basking in the glow of a successful album and has been noted as one of the more exciting up and coming bands in the music scene. In what ways do you remain grounded despite all the hype that comes along with these types of distractions?

Well, the Humvees and the pit bulls we own certainly make it difficult [laughs]. The truth is we've been working very hard at this for a long time and we are still working hard. There's not a lot of money in this stage of our career so there's no risk of us getting lost in our billfolds. We have a lot to be thankful for.

Q: The Cascade Theatre served as the backdrop for your video "Grandfather Clock"; is it exciting for the band to be able to represent what was your home base for a long while to a huge audience via MTV, YouTube, etc.?

Super cool. That video means so much more to me since it was shot in my hometown. Jesse Rosten, the video director, did such an awesome job. The people at MTV were blown away by the cinematography and were surprised to hear it was Jesse's first music video. I'm sure he'll be busy for a while.

Q: What, if anything specific, does your lyricism become influenced by after experiencing the ascent your band has? Does success affect your music?

It most certainly does. But for us I think it's good. We've had long talks about this as a band lately. Our platform has grown tremendously over the past 12 months. With that comes a new responsibility to write music that moves people at their core. We're not just writing for ourselves. We are already locking ourselves away in the studio working on the next album and we feel restless.

Q: I'm sure you've had a lot of outrageous moments since your tour this summer, since the Dew Breakout, etc. What would you point out was the best/most outrageous/most memorable moment of the last year for the band?

MTV wrote a series of commercial spots for The Myriad that aired during our "Artist of the Week" campaign.

They dressed the band in medieval attire, replete with swords, bow and arrow, shields etc. and had us on location in downtown New York City acting out different skits.

The NYPD was also on site due to the weaponry and there were hundreds of New Yorkers gathering at each location…to get a glimpse of someone actually famous but Nicolas Cage was nowhere to be found. It was crazy, to say the least. You can see these spots at MTV.com.

Q: According to the Web site, your show schedule will be sparse for a little while; what is the band planning on doing after this Redding show?

We're taking the fall off to spend time with our families. It's been four years since we spent fall at home. Sad, but true. We are going to work on material for our next album and pick up touring again in the spring.

Q: What role does spirituality play in your music?

It is really the driving force of our music. Not in a "Christian Music" way or some sort of propaganda for our faith. We are all pursuing God and are constantly blown away and reminded that he is pursuing us in an even greater way.

The experiences we have and the mystery we find in the pursuit of God spill over into what we write. It's hard to separate the two.

The content for a particular song may be a love song I wrote to my wife or a story about an old western cowboy who was wrongfully shot in the back, but I believe our creativity always points to the one who gives us breath.

Ryan J. Prado is a Portland, Oregon-based freelance writer.

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