With a soulful, raspy voice cutting through an atmosphere of melodies, Blake Lankford stands comfortably between rock and a soft place. Months before the release of his debut album, the single 'Broken' has already climbed to # on multiple Broadjam Top Ten Charts--including Best Indie/Low-Fi Single, Best Up-Tempo Single, Best Rock Single---and also gained Lankford recognition as one of the top three artists in Oklahoma (Broadjam ).
Currently, you can find the singer/songwriter voted as . KISS FM's Homegrown Artists of the Week all over the OKC scene, performing at venues such as Bricktown Brewery, Tapwerks, Toby Keith's, UCO Jazz Lab, and Lumpy's to name a few.
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"This singer/songwriter band has what it takes to create a modern and appealing track. The professionalism Stroud portrays through their music shows the sincerity they have for their art. By using Jack Johnson-esque guitar riffs and melodies, overlapped by his deep soulful voice he is able to create an interesting fresh sound, unlike much of what the main stream
has heard."
--Elizabeth O'Brien (Tinderbox Music)
" songwriting is amazing."
--David Lowery
(Cracker, Camper Van Beethoven)
Category:
Singers - Folk Singer
Additional Category:
Solo - Acoustic Guitar
Genre:
90s Hits Alternative, Country, Folk, Pop, Rock, Rockabilly
Without a Whisper is a dark-edged power group on the rise. Fans and scouts flock to see their harcore, energy-packed live shows.Without a Whisper got its start in early 2005 as a four piece hard rock band. The group played a handful of shows before undergoing a much needed lineup change, that has now formed into the much needed breath of fresh air for the Midwest Music scene. Lead guitarist Aaron Straub and bassist John Burnett chose Pamela Thompson to fill the lead vocalist position. Pamela came into the group fresh off of winning first place in the Starlight Charity Ball competition (judged by Paula Abdul) by beating 50 of Arkansas best female performers. Pamela was the blessing that the band had been seeking for so long.
In 2005, Without a Whisper had four out of five songs from their June 2005 released EP already regularly featured on numerous state wide commercial radio stations, including Hot Mix 101.9 (KMXF) and New Rock 104.9 the X (KXNA). Look for their full length debut album "Caught In the Fire" Summer 2006!!
Without a Whisper performs throughout the states of Oklahoma, Missouri and Arkansas. The group was recently chosen to open for national acts Cherry Monroe (Universal Records) and Frickin A (Toucan Cove), The Myriad (Floodgate Records) and Revelation Theory! Check out the band's tour schedule for the shows nearest you!!
Standing out in the crowd, we are the ones next to you that were never seen. We remained the reserve, those who choose to lack in vocal contribution to the majority, but never miss a single beat of the world and its cold effect, building candid emotion. Our silent, expressive nature never realized, but christened our outside message even more. Our words spoken, few and far between, were never heard, drifting away like a thin smoke captured by the wind.
Now, on this stage, we release this energy, with built pressure from years of listening... years of watching... years of transcribing feelings into screaming syllables of rage. Now, its time for you to listen to how this God given life is anything but perfect - yet, is at the same time.
You have to hear us.
You want to hear us.
You will hear us.
We are Withheld.
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For those that thirst for musical expression, the need for it stands out above all things. These were the feelings of Chris Shumate and Noah Labhart as they followed their separate paths toward the same goal. Chris started playing bass guitar at age 16, and Noah started playing guitar at age 14. Both self taught, the musicians thrived on expression and writing music from the soul, rather than conforming to societal standard. Once the two met, they began experimenting with several projects, trying to fill the musical void that was for so long. Influenced by the sounds of Sevendust, Breaking Benjamin and Atreyu, the two began formulating ideas to create the perfect sound. But who would be the front man? Or would it be a man? Shelby Standley, long time friend of Noah’s, had been singing since she was 10 years old. The unmistakable consistency of her voice led Chris and Noah to consider a female vocalist. Once Shelby joined the band, her enthusiasm and hidden desire for self expression became an asset to the bands musical composition. Here, the band began exploring other influences, such as Flyleaf, Evanescence and Lacuna Coil. But the group felt that the music was still missing pieces. So they moved forward, and started considering rhythm guitar players. Jeremy Caywood had previously played bass in a band with Noah, and had taught himself to play guitar and drums. His steady, driving riffs removed this responsibility from Noah, allowing him to focus on lead guitar. After many nights of late dinners and rigorous sessions, each member agreed that it was crucial to find a drummer. The band allowed a few people to try and mesh with the groups sound and dedication. However, none of them fit the bill. Steven Summers had not only played drums in several bands, but was a childhood friend of Chris. Coming from a metal background, Steven provided the band with thrashing beats and momentum needed to reach their goal. At the conclusion of the bands second practice with Steven, they had already recorded a 4 track live demo. With this type of progress and questions from inquiring fans, the group figured it was time to choose a band name. Long discussions led to the group’s decision to go with Noah’s suggestion of the name “Withheld”. Each band member can recall time periods in their life where they have stood by and watched, observing their world evolve around them without contributing an opinion.
But they are withheld no more…
