THE BAND John Booker (bass guitar) age: 23 Hometown: Chapel Hill, North Carolina Ben Flanagan (vocals/guitar) age: 24 Hometown: Durham, North Carolina Eric Kuhn (drums) age: 21 Hometown: Durham, North Carolina Jamie McGoldrick (guitar/vocals) age: 32 Hometown: San Francisco, California THE MUSIC Fusing the complexity and uniqueness of what has become known as "The Chapel Hill Sound" with their anthemic power-pop driven arrangements, io caters to the ear with a full plate of muscle and melody. In the fall of 2002, the band completed work on their independently recorded debut album. The 13 track CD, "Where The Engines Lay", was recorded and produced by Chris Manning (Santana, Metallica, Third Eye Blind) and io in San Francisco. Centered around songs about relationships, death, and the uncertainty of habitats, io's sometimes dark music still possesses a youthful energy and outstanding display of musicianship that is connecting with audiences from coast to coast. THE HISTORY In 2000, North Carolina native Flanagan graduated high school and moved to San Francisco to attend college. During his first year at USF, Flanagan played numerous solo acoustic shows at coffeeshops and venues around the city. Record label reps took notice and courted Flanagan, but he wasn't interested in the "frontman backed by studio musicians" angle they were seeking, and he insisted on returning to NC to recruit an all-star cast of old friends from the flourishing music scene. Immediately on board were members of Flanagan's old band Vecordia- guitarist Geoff Register and drummer Kuhn. The band found a bass player in old friend Booker(formerly of Strunken White), and in the summer of 2001, io became official and migrated to California. Upon their arrival, the band met McGoldrick(formerly of The Signal) and began recording the debut album, playing shows up and down both coasts, and steadily becoming a truly engaging live act. In the summer of 2003, the band made an amicable separation with founding member Register and continued on their path, happier than ever with the sound they were creating. The members of io have played shows in the past with such notable acts as Bright Eyes, The Dismemberment Plan, Boy Sets Fire, Spoon, and The Squirrel Nut Zippers. Since their formation three years ago, io has been championing a wall of sound they can call their own. Melding an angular guitar approach into a post-punk setting, dynamite vocals and one of the most driving rhythm sections period, io could be- the next great rock band.