The Forward

About The Forward
LOS ANGELES TIMES FEATURED BUZZ BAND
"Before setting out to make their mark on the post-punk landscape, Leonard Jackson and Ian Schaeffer -- pals from their day jobs at Guitar Center -- left their marks on plenty of bottles of beer. "We were drinking buddies first, and we'd sit around and philosophize about how things should be," Jackson says. "Once we'd created our utopian band model, we realized there was no other solution but to do it." Now, singer-guitarist Jackson and bassist Schaeffer, along with guitarist Greg Smith and drummer Tom DuPree III, have moved forward as the Forward. Their debut album, "Nothing But Teeth", showcases the quartet's quick-hitting guitars and agitated rhythms, and the wry, literate songs Jackson conceived during long hours of hawking merchandise that helped other artists realize their dreams. "I've tried to write songs that you can have an emotional connection to," Jackson says, "songs that tell stories but have subtext." Nothing But Teeth was produced by Ethan Allen (the 88) and mixed by Mark Needham (the Killers). "Ethan really helped us focus on getting a great performance all the way through," Jackson says. "His ideas made a big difference in the end." - LA TIMES
- The Forward have traveled three US tours in 2 years.
- 5 Showcases at Ausin's SXSW conference in 2007 and 2008
- Reviews in Outburn Magazine, Absolute Punk, and many local and internet publications
- Featured on Westwood one Radio Syndication
- Charted on The CMJ Top 200 for 7 weeks straight in June and July 2008.