Act of Congress declares their talent to world

Published 9:21 pm Tuesday, May 12, 2009

Not even the blowing whistle of a nearby train could drown out the lively music of Act of Congress Saturday as they played Helena’s Buck Creek Festival.

Now, with one of their tunes set as the theme of “Bluth Family Values,” a documentary on the show “Arrested Development,” AOC hopes their music will be heard above a lot of distractions.

The documentary is set to come out later this summer.

“I think any exposure we can get is great,” Wright said. “Exposure is key when you are an independent band.”

It doesn’t hurt that Wright also happens to love the show.

Wright proudly announced the fact Saturday and found plenty of fellow Arrested, and AOC, addicts within the crowd. The band hopes to continue that vibe this summer.

“We play events like the Buck Creek Festival to bring our music to new ears,” said guitarist Chris Griffin. “I think the biggest thing for us is new fans. We want to be able to introduce new people to our music.”

AOC began playing together two years ago this month. Since, they’ve been putting themselves out there in a very serious way.

The band played the VIP stage for numerous LiveNation shows last summer, played at South By Southwest in Texas earlier this year and have a calendar packed with upcoming festivals and shows.

It’s a good thing this band thinks of one another as family. With all of this traveling, they spend a lot of time together.

Fiddle player Bethany Borg said it really isn’t so bad being the only female in the group.

“The guys are really great. It’s really cool cause everywhere we go I get my own room and they get the floor,” Borg joked. “They don’t give me too bad of a hard time.”

The guys, and Bethany, know they have to have a mutual respect for each other’s talent to make the band work. Just like a family, members bring their own unique skills into play.

Bass player Tim Carroll’s background, for example, is rooted in jazz and classical music. He freelances with local symphonies and even played with the orchestra for “Wicked” when it came to Birmingham. Borg, meanwhile, claims the title of champion Texas fiddler in several states.

The combination of jazz, rock, bluegrass and classical creates a natural blend of each person’s musical background.

“When we all got together, it just worked,” Carroll said. “We started making music and the chemistry between us created a great mesh of talent.”

Band members said it’s never felt forced. In fact, they’re committing themselves to even more projects in the near future. They’ll play an encore show with the AROVA ballet, travel to Huntsville to perform with the symphony, shoot a music video and put out a four-song EP with covers of Radiohead, Coldplay and Postal Service.

To find out more about Act Of Congress, visit ActofCongressMusic.com.