Article by Chris Morris, letter from Drew Mashburn, written for WeAreTheUpstate.com

http://wearetheupstate.com/2012/01/incoming-transmissions-east-north-celebrates-5-year-anniversary/

On New Year’s Day I woke up, checked my phone, and saw that I had an email.  On any given day, this would be normal.  The difference was that I received a heartfelt and inspiring letter from East North guitarist, Drew Mashburn.  He was reflecting on East North reaching its fifth anniversary, our journey, and our future.  Needless to say, I felt it necessary to publish the letter for all of you to see; partly because it’s just that inspiring, but also because it’s partly addressed to you, the Public, so here it is. Continue reading →

Interview by Matt Wake of Metromix Greenville:

http://greenville.metromix.com/music/article/q-and-a-east/2497797/content

East North borrowed the title of Hunter S. Thompson’s 2005 suicide note, “Football Season Is Over,” for one of their wide-angle tunes. The track, from the instrumental quartet’s 2010 self-titled LP, is an anthemic gale. “I was really sad when he passed away and (the title) was something that stuck with me,” guitarist Chas Whitmire says. He’s seated at his kitchen counter and MSNBC is on the TV. “Also, we’re all big college football fans.” On “East North,” the Greenville band — which includes guitarist Drew Mashburn, bassist Matt Mashburn and drummer Christopher Morris — unfurls comfortable-numbness (“Weekend on Europa”) and art-rock (“Ancient Bravado”). The album concludes with syncopated distortion on “Manufacturing Content.”

Chas, do you have a favorite guitar duo?
It would probably be Thurston Moore and Lee Renaldo from Sonic Youth. Their focus is more on texture and building layers of sound instead being hotshots. Continue reading →

Review of East North by Wes Gilliam of WeAreTheUpstate.com

http://wearetheupstate.com/2011/01/album-review-east-north-east-north/

East North is a post-rock band from right here who get their name from a well-known street to anyone that has been to downtown Greenville. While there are no vocals present, this band chooses to grab your attention in another way. By listening to their self-titled record, you can tell that they pay attention to every little detail of their music, from each layer down to each note. They do in fact draw on influences from artists such as Explosions In The Sky and Mogwai, but also nod to the romantic composers Tchaikovsky and Wagner. On East North’s East North, each song seems to flow and break off into separate movements before coming together, much like a composition. These guys can fend for themselves and prove to be more than a Godspeed You! Black Emperor clone. Continue reading →

Interview by Daniel McCord of Create Greenville:

http://www.creategreenville.org/2010/09/east-north/

East North is a post-rock instrumental band hailing from Greenville. With Christopher Morris on drums, Chas Whitmire and Drew Mashburn on guitar and Matt Mashburn on bass, the band is on the verge of the release of its first full-length album.

Continue reading →

Article by Matt Wake, Greenville Metromix

http://greenville.metromix.com/music/article/east-north/1810493/content

The titles for East North’s all-instrumental indie rock can come from anywhere. For example, “Michael Ashemore,” which starts with alt-strumming before shifting into car-commercial charge, was named after a landlord.

“Pool Party” is the key track on the group’s 2008 EP “The Midnight Hunt.” The song sprouts vine-like slide guitar and arpeggios before culminating in train-wreck crescendo. Continue reading →