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"... intense stage presence ... absolute talent ... It's hard to believe that Offering74 is only a three piece band, nothing seems to be missing..."
-S. Black-Greening, Sum Can Grow It
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| 09.2001 Detonate Denver's amazing three piece - Offering74 is back with their second and finest release, "Detonate." This CD offers a much more heavier and fine tuned Offering74 than their first release, "Get Out" (which has been in my CD changer since the day it came out.) "Detonate" has a way better production than it's predecessor and as I mentioned before, there's a lot more "metal" on this CD. What does Offering74 sound like? Put The Gathering, Pat Benatar, Green Day, Jack Off Jill, Soundgarden and Concrete Blonde in a room to fuck and you'll get O74. Retarded comparison? You listen to the CD and come up with a better one! These guys are original! Vocalist/bassist Dawn Cheairs's voice will captivate you within the first listen. She has one of the most powerful and unique female voices that I've heard, yet keeps the "feminimity" in the music with songs like "Consumed" and "Black and White and Blue". She's the type of girl that you'd marry just by the sound of her voice alone. She's incredible. Oh yeah, the guys in the band...that's another story. Guitarist Gil Martin likes to tell people that I have a vagina, so I'm going to go on record by saying that Gil IS a vagina, at least he plays like one. In all seriousness, Gil's guitar work keeps getting better by the day, and his riffs are not only original, but catchy as hell and very groove oriented. And finally drummer Garry McCulley shreds on the drums. He knows when to keep it simple and when to show his talent. I highly recommend this CD to anyone that loves music. -R. Brown, Throat Culture
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| 08.2001 Detonate The Denver, Colorado based power trio, Offering 74 has released its’ second CD, titled Detonate. Fronted by lead singer and bassist Dawn Cheairs, the band is full of energy and drive. Albeit short (27 minutes), Detonate is eight cuts of raw power, grit and vigor. From the opening score, The Bomb, Cheairs belts out the songs with deftness, style and confidence. As a rare female lead for a metal band, she conducts the tasks with apparent ease and confidence while handling a powerful, driving bass. Guitarist and co-founder (along with Cheairs) Gil Martin and drummer Garry McCulley play their axes with equal skill and determination. No better selection on the CD demonstrates the bands agility and dynamics than Quality Control. Shifting from a driving metal to a soft cadence and back without missing a breath, Offering 74 demonstrates a sophisticated and seemingly at the same time raw approach to their music. Definitely worth a listen The Bomb, Throttle and Consumed can be sampled on MP3 and Hapi Skratch Records , both of which can be reached through the Offering 74 web site. -T. Yanno, Musicians Realm |
| 08.2001 Offering74 - From Denver Band Look = 4 . Bio & Press Kit = 4 . CD Packaging = 3 . Songs = 4 . A Chance of Getting A Record Deal = 1 . Comments = Back to the drawing board -Metal Sludge ... out of a possible 10, but please visit Metal Sludge's main page, read their criteria, then read the full review |
| 04.2001 Offering74 Offers Up Their Last Interview Offering74 is an unusual band. Offering74 is a metal band...kind of. This power trio consisting of guitarist, Gil Martin, drummer, Garry McCulley and bassist, Dawn Cheairs can pop up in places that might spell doom for most other hard rocking outfits. Somehow though, they remain not only unscathed but somehow more popular for their efforts. Whether it’s the widely diverse local metal bills they’ve played on, or whether it’s opening for such UN-metal nationals such as A Flock of Seagulls or Gene Loves Jezebel, or even if it’s wooing the lesbian community with the much loved and lesbian approved, "Inside Of Me", Offering74 is the "not really metal" metal band that every headbanger loves. Guaranteed, if you have a CD library stocked with local hard rock, this 3 piece's debut, Get Out is among your collection. -M. Great, MaristheGreat.com WARNING: full interview contains material that some deem offensive
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| 03.2001 Band makes offer you can't refuse with Wyo shows Offering 74 says their sound is a little bit schizophrenic. They like it that way. Better to sound a little like everything and be diverse than to mimic one band, says the group's guitarist Gil Martin. "For a while, I went phase where I was trying to write a lot of music in certain styles, rather than writing from the heart. Eventually, we gave up on trying to specifically write stuff and just tried to let things flow," Martin said. Bassist and singer Dawn Cheairs' favorite description of late is rock-grunge-pop-metal. The Denver band's first album, "Get Out," mixes genres to create 10 tracks that are mellow, tense arid gritty or poppy -sometimes all in the same song. Offering up a wide wall of sound allows the band, who plays all around Colorado and Wyoming, to open for a even-wider range of established musicians - everyone from Gene Loves Jezebel to Superdrag. "We've got a weird structure where we can play a really heavy set if we get stuck with a metal band or we play light, poppy set," said drummer Garry McCulley. They've even opened for A Flock of Seagulls, the new-wave band known best for its 1982 hit "I Ran" and its swooping, Aqua Net-aided hairdos of the time. It was a great show, McCulley said. "I thought it was going to be a ho- hum kind of show. But believe it or not, it was a blast," McCulley said, noting that the old hairdos were history. "They had modernized their sound, it didn't sound completely dated. Actually, the crowd was really receptive." The band loves to play anywhere - from smoky little dive bars to 1,000-plus capacity venues like Denver's Ogden Theater. They like it so much, Martin and Cheairs dropped out of Mines just a semester before graduation to pursue music. The "74" in their name is for 1974, the year Martin and Cheairs were born. The "offering" is about their art. "When we write a song or play on stage it's just like offering your soul to the audience," Cheairs said, adding that McCulley, who joined the group a year and a half after it was formed, was not born in the 1970s. "But we weren't going to change our name to Offering 69." The band has an album's worth of new songs that they have been playing live, songs they are recording at FTM studios in Lakewood, Colo. " Actually, new tunes are coming out of live shows. We've got to get this album done because we've got more on the way," Martin said. They have been working on a second self-produced album since September 2000 and expect it will be out by late spring. "The new album's going to be a little bit more refined than the last one. Some of the songs are more catchy, some of them are a little heavier," Cheairs said. "We're still a little bit schizophrenic, but it definitely captures Offering 74." -R. Scott, Casper Star-Tribune
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| 12.1999 Live Performance . Bluebird Theater . Denver CO Last up was Offering 74. Offering was in great form that night. They exploded with energy from the first song. Their happiness was written across their faces. FEMMUSIC has seen this three piece play many times before, but that night they brought the house down. -A. Teitz, FEMMUSIC.com
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| 07.1999 Get Out The quietly growing Denver music scene is slowly showing some rising talent and among the list is Offering74, a trio playing a style that is just a bit to the lighter side of metal, touching on grunge and perhaps riding the wake of Husker Du. Essentially, hard to peg but ultimately enjoyable. The primary point of interest of the band is Dawn's powerful vocals, one of the best lungs I've heard in quite some time. Her voice is commanding and very expressive throughout on the disc. Want evidence? Check out the drums'n'vocals "Inside of Me", where her voice positively soars and chills with passion. Morever, she's actually quite a capable bassist as well. Guitarwise, the sound is reminiscient of a shredded Bob Mould guitar amp. There are hints of the grunge thing but to be honest, it's very slight. At times I do sort of wish there was more going on with the guitar lines to perhaps beef out the song. "Powder" and "Sunday" both suggest a bit more could be done there, rather than just straight distorted riffing. In the end, the best songs are the most emotional and moodier ones: "Holding Still", "Stutter" and the "hidden" track at the end of the disc. Offering74 has shown themselves to be a very solid live act in Colorado and the CD is a very solid piece of work which should encourage listeners to keep an eye and ear on their future. -J. Chedsey, Satan Stole My Teddybear
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| 05.1999 Get Out Number One begins with Gil's trademark fuzzy guitar tone, Dawn's voice kicking in all strong and clear. The rhythm is catchy, the drums steady, with just the perfect amount of cymbals. It's very easy to lose yourself in this song, the bass lulling, the drums full of zest, each piece of this song is great when examined individually, and even better as a whole. Powder opens with jangly guitar then turns heavier. I just love Dawn's soulful voice, the way her tone sucks you into the song. As is typical with Offering74 songs, the lyrics are well written, and appealing. This song features impeccable drumming, with stops and changes made to sound effortless. The bass creates an almost sensual groove, while the guitar kicks you in the a**. Cymbals start Holding Still, with a broody, dark sound from the stringed instruments joining in to accompany the haunting lyrics and vocals. The bass works its way underneath your skin, into your blood, and Dawn's voice is intoxicating, smooth and powerful. The guitar is subtle, enforcing the shadowy energy contained in the song. The notes Dawn draws out are nothing short of delicious, and the sultry rhythm won't allow me to sit still in my chair. The backing vocals are a welcome touch, adding to the whole vibe without pulling any attention away from Dawn's driving force. Gil's processed guitar leads off Zero To Infinity, with drums bass and vocals not far behind. This song is easily radio friendly, with plenty of adrenaline and finesse. The drums are prominent, but not overpowering, the bass keeping the groove flawlessly. The chorus infects my feet, forcing them to tap along, and only a strong willpower allows me to refrain from just getting up and dancing around the room. The vocals meld perfectly into the guitar, and wrap delectably around the rhythm. Drums, hollow and enticing, are the only sound accompanying Dawn's vocals, which are nothing short of stunning on Inside Of Me. This song demonstrates the best of O74's writing and arrangement. The effect is hypnotizing, and I have yet to find another vocalist in Denver with the balls to go so near a capella. The lyrics are poignant, touching a nerve, the drums hold their own in this song, so well that you don't miss having other instruments, thus demonstrating the power of both the drums and Dawn's voice. The touch of backing vocals at the end steer this piece one step closer to perfection. Completely changing styles, Sunday is harder, harsher, with lyrics sung almost bitterly over the angry guitar feel. The energy is focused, the playing is tight, arrangement skilled. It's not as memorable as some of their other work, but certainly not disappointing. Teasing bass begins Overflow, guitar still heavily processed, though the rhythm is not as compelling as other songs. Still danceable, still enjoyable, you won't want to skip it, but this is more a B side type track. Stutter. Sweet bassline over jangly guitar, this starts with an almost poppy feel. Dawn's vocals are downplayed a bit, though no less impressive. It's kind of a summery tune, to bop along to while driving with the wind in your hair. Some up-tempo moments show off obvious flexibility and talent. The guitar solo is almost uncharacteristic, but lovely over the brooding bassline, with the sturdy drumbeat anchoring everything firmly. Speaking of brooding, the delicate bassline, silky vocals in the opening to Dry Complacency are the definition. The guitar detracts nothing from the vibe, adding a bit of gasoline to this flickering fire, vocals passionate . One huge mark in Dawn's favour is she feels the words, instead of just singing them. The emotions and intellect conveyed perfectly, she makes them hers, instead of laying them flat. After, Over & Over is another adrenalized piece, the drums powerful, guitar and bass driving the rhythm into you, vocals not letting you get away. Ecdysis is "hidden", located precisely 74 seconds after the close of the last song, and has melancholy guitar, soulful bassline, with just the right drum influence. The chorus is faster, less moody, then slips easily back into the emotional singing, the backing vocals emphasizing the power of this song. Federal laws require me to warn that if you must buy this CD (and trust me, you must), your other CDs will get jealous. Get Out is one of the best CDs I've heard in a long time, with each aspect meticulously attended to. The guitar, bass and drums in each song complement each other, with the vocals possessing even the most cynical listener, and the lyrics worthy of attention. On second thought, you'll need to buy several, because your friends are guaranteed to covet and possibly steal this from your collection. Get Out is available at all Offering74 shows for $5, or visit their website. -C. Soltero, Denver Music Plus
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| 04.1999 Live Performance . Cricket on the Hill . Denver CO Offering 74 headlined the show and celebrated the release of their new CD, Get Out. This power trio is comprised of Dawn Cheairs on 5-string bass and vocals, Gil Martin on guitar, and Garry McCulley on drums. McCulley used a huge, impressive drumkit and he hit it with fine timing. Their original music has lots of heavy influence but what makes this act is really Dawn's decidedly non-heavy-metal vocals. Metal vocals are usually some guy screaming words into a microphone that nobody can hear, understand, or care about. They played mostly original songs but covered some familiar ground with Pat Benatar's "We Belong". Their originals were better, though they may rely a little too heavily on echoy vocals and oddly familiar guitar riffs. Some of the grooves were impressive in their depth and power. Dawn demonstrated excellent range and control with her voice. This reviewer would rather hear more vocals and less wall-of-sound from Offering 74, but check them out, they are worth a listen. -D. Barber, Commotion Music Promotion
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| 12.1998 A Weekly Review of Denver Area Original Live Bands Every band should be like Offering74. Great songs, a captivating stage presence, and a lot of fun to hang out with. Not to mention they're very supportive of the scene and other bands, plus maintain their professionalism. That's a lot to package in a three-piece, but I caught up with Dawn, Gil, and Garry before a show to bug them with questions... -C. Soltero, Denver Music Plus, full interview
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