| Los Angeles and London: combined the two music Mecca's have been responsible for half the greatest songs of the last four decades. So it's only fitting that when you merge the two into one musical metropolis you get i-94, three English ex-pats and a L.A. musician, who take songwriting to new levels.
The quartet's self-produced debut album, Don't Get Nervous (BootDisk imprint), is packed tight with songs that would sound great coming out of your car speakers, computer, iPod, or wherever, right next to U2, Maroon 5, and MatchBox 20. Hollywood has taken notice. The foursome's high-energy songs have caught the attention of many Music Supervisors. Among the movies and TV series that have featured the songs of i-94 are MTV's "Laguna Beach" (the band is now featured on MTV.com), Cruel Intentions 3, Smallville, Without A Trace, Imaginary Heroes, Little Nicky, One Night At McCools, The Animal, "Six Feet Under," "Once & Again," "Jack & Jill" and "Crossing Jordan".
"As a philosophy you seem to have radio-driven bands and then you have bands that focus on the live thing. We intend to do both," says drummer Martin. "Be the band that is played on the radio and are touring all over the country simultaneously."
i-94 make radio-friendly songs with no apologies. Tracks like the crunching rocker "Walls Around You," the engaging mid-tempo ballad "Oxygen," and the hook-propelled "Go Back In Time," the closing song and centerpiece of the quartet's live set, show a band at the peak of their songwriting prowess.
The four individual members of i-94 have taken their extensive collective experience and brought it together into the well-oiled, harmonious machine that is Don't Get Nervous.
Because the band members believe in Bob Dylan and Satchel Paige's philosophy of not looking back: here's the barebones of their background. Mark and Danny were in a band signed to Universal called Bottlefly. Band broke up, they brought in bassist Angelo, and once they hooked up with guitarist Matt, who was a friend from the U.K., the current line-up of i-94 was born.
While the band is thankful to have the support of Hollywood and to see their music on the big and little screen so much, they also hope that fans will take the opportunity to discover i-94 in their natural habitat: on stage.
"Our favorite songs to play live are 'Walls Around You,' and 'Go Back in Time,'" Martin says.
"What we do is start on a high, then move up a gear, down through the set, and take you out with a party in your pants."
Despite the fact the band are modern road warriors, having played around the world, and living for the chance to get on stage, the name i-94 doesn't have a thing to do with the interstate highway. "It's the immigration/visa waiver form you have to fill out to get into the U.S. as a non-resident. It's called an i-94."
Ultimately, the band knows a name is just a name. "Let them think whatever they want," says Arnell. "It's okay as long as they love the songs."
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