EMPTY SLATE – From the Latin : tabula rasa ; a new beginning.

Western North Carolina's Hardest Working Band

In little more than a year and a half, Empty Slate has played over 250 professional shows throughout western North Carolina. In April of 2008 the trio played a set on the west lawn of the U.S Capital as part of a Freedom Festival. Opening this summer for Asheville legend Woody Wood and last summer for the Atlanta Rhythm Section have highlighted the exciting ride that has been the early days of the Slate.


During this time, Chris, Caleb & Lee have shared the stage with many incredible musicians of late, most notably Al Al (a.k.a. Sweet Nasty) Ingram (BASS) and Dave Partin (DRUMS) from 'Yo Mama's Big Fat Booty Band.' Al joins the Slate on stage whenever he's not on tour with the Booty Band, and he sets the bar extremely high for guest players. Jake Wolf has also joined the Slate jam, and his melodic chord phrasings (on a 6-string bass) blend beautifully with the Slate sound.


What then is this Slate sound? We'll start with Chris Williams. (Acoustic Guitar, Lead Vocal, Composition, Lyrics) Reggae-rock is the easy description of Chris' style - conscious lyrics and dancing rhythms. But he also started studying piano at the age of 4, played trombone at the Grand Ole Opry when he was 12, and began studying the Bel Canto method of singing in Dublin, Ireland at age 21. Somewhere spiritually between Bob Marley and John Lennon, Chris' voice is unique in its diversity and its quality. His danceable guitar rhythms meld perfectly with Lee's percussive drum sound, and lay the foundation for Caleb's incredible lead guitar playing.


Caleb Hensley (Lead Guitar, Vocals, Composition, Lyrics) was born in Waynesville, NC, but grew up in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. He studied there under the renowned guitarist/instructor Stan Campbel and went on to teach guitar himself at Louisiana State University.  Caleb taught private guitar lessons at this time as well, teaching up to 40  lessons per week. He has devised his own system of guitar notation, and continues to teach players of every skill level what he has to offer every day. A rocker at heart, Caleb's virtuoso talent is equally at home with funk, reggae, soul, Latin, swing, jazz, and especially the mix of all of it, Empty Slate.


Lee Kram (Drums, Cymbals, Percussion, Vocals) is a legendary jam-band drummer from St. Louis. He played for his last 6 years there with Grateful Dead Cover Band, Jake's Leg before relocating to North Carolina. He has sat in with Mick Taylor, (Rolling Stones, John Mayall's Blues Breakers) Mike Gordon, (Phish) Johnny Johnson, (Chuck Berry's keyboardist) Buddy Cage, Merle Saunders and Dark Star Orchestra (to name a few.) Lee's improvisational abilities are irreplaceable to the Slate and his years of experience add incredible professionalism to every Slate show.


Feeling confident, Empty Slate is ready to take their show on the road and they have set their sights on Atlanta, Greenville, Knoxville, Greensboro and Roanoke. They will still be playing in their usual spots in western Carolina throughout fall of 08, so be sure to catch them this season. Big Rick's in Sylva has turned into a major party every Thursday, as the Slate vows to reach every student at WCU before the school year ends. When their schedule slows down a bit, (the boys had one mid-summer run of 11-out-of-12 nights) Empty Slate will be heading into the studio with producer Chris 'Fatty' Bert (from Atlanta trip-hop legends ph Balance.)


So keep your eyes and ears open for Empty Slate [myspace.com/emptyslate] and become a part of the blossoming 'Asheville Sound' that the Slate is ready to spread to the world. It's definitely a jam, but with all of its different influences, Empty Slate truly is a new beginning in music. When the crowd is on, they may improvise fully structured songs with rhyming lyrics and extreme dynamics. They may take a reggae song into a heavy rock interlude, turn a funk tune into some crazy jazz or fill an entire set with one super-jam. These three musicians have a unique approach to their art, and you must experience the Slate for yourself to truly feel what is going on here. Then try to define their genre yourself. Someday someone will find the perfect words to define Empty Slate. Will it be you?

Check out this video: Empty Slate (EPK teaser)



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So it finally exists ... THIS IS YOUR FREEDOM CALLING has been demoed ... we're sending two songs to Ron Paul ... our only hope to get this country back on track.

YOU'VE GOT TO SEE RON PAUL
HE'S GONNA FREE US Y'ALL
ONLY IF WE STAND TALL
BEFORE THE COUNTRY FALLS
THIS IS YOUR FREEDOM CALLING

WE'RE GONNA HEAL THE NATION
STOP ALL OF THIS INFLATION
AND ENDLESS TAXATION
GET BACK TO FOUNDATION
THIS IS YOUR FREEDOM CALLING

WE SHOULDN'T SEEM APPALLED
IT'S GONNA BE OUR FAULT
IF WE DONT SEE RESOLVE
WE'VE GOT TO RE-EVOLVE
THIS IS YOUR FREEDOM CALLING