{mosimage}Indie Band “The Never” is set to play at the Fayetteville Museum of Art for their premiere party “Fused & Divided, Life & Art.” The shindig is Friday, May 16th at 6 p.m. The event is free, includes swanky snacks, adult beverages, fantastic art č and the best yet č The Never. Daytrotter.com called them a “spry vigor band with much wisdom” with the interview as evidence below. Jonny, rhythm section and singer in the band, decided to delve deep into The Never’s history, their mission, and their passion for music & our homečEarth.

 If you only had two words to describe your band, what would they be; why?

“Folk Art. It’s really hard to describe what we do. We add a lot of theatre ideas into our shows č whether it’s a light show or performing at an outdoor movie theatre with artwork from our last record projected behind us on the silver screen. Our new record will have a ‘lil bit of a folk feel with loud bombastic moments bursting thru the quieter parts.”

Who came up with the name and why do you think it fits your band?

“Finding a name for your artistic outlet is a really awkward thing to do.╩ Especially for us because we don’t really have a set idea for what our band is musically and there’s so many other things that we’d like to do under that name. But the definition of “The Never” is from a Stephen King novel and is reference to “the time before time began.” It’s kind of epic in a way. Seemed to fit what we do but also not limit us to your expectations upon first hearing it.”

Give me a “The Never” history lesson, how did you guys get started?

“We’ve got a long history... the short of it is... Joah my brother, and we were in a group called Vibrant Green with our oldest brother and we began doing shows with a friends who were also from Pittsboro. Our bands fell apart within the same month so we kind of formed like voltron and it worked! Vibrant green is still an active band on our label! We first signed to Morisen Records out of Charlotte and released one record with them and dropped them after that because they wanted rights to our publishing. We didn’t feel comfortable with that so we kind of mutually dropped one another. We then signed with Trekky Records in Chapel Hill and released Antarctica, our story book record, and have worked with Trekky Records ever since. We are completely content and have been touring for past two years.”

Who does The Never look to for inspiration č who do you think did it better before you?╩

“So many people deserve our respect... Arcade Fire is doing great things right now musically while also inspiring a whole new generation to better their living conditions č whether that be politically or just as simple as supporting your local farmers that you buy your food from. We also take heed of older artists like Harry Nilsson and Elvis Costello. A lot of my friends think it’s cheesy but I love U2 and what they stand for. They try to teach people through their art and challenge them to think. Seriously, Africa needs our help, but it seems we’d rather “liberate” countries who don’t even want to be liberated.”

The Never has an obvious connection with art č the album Antarctica was released with an illustrated storybook. Can you detail more about this relationship and how it affects the band’s work?

“Our guitarist is an amazing painter and Joah and I would love to see him do more work. Our records are a great way to include that talent and in the future we’d like to have more of what we can offer brought into our group’s work č all three of us have been involved in theatre at some point and would like to bring that aspect of teaching thru art to our performances.”

Can you explain the Anarctica concept and theme, if there is one?

“It’s a storybook album: a full length CD literally coupled with a fully illustrated storybook by guitarist Noah Smith. The story is centered on a young, naive boy named Paul and his journey to find the owner of a large bomb he finds near his home in the country. Antarctica is a plea for everyone young and old to remember the simple things of childhood. The book also serves as a reminder to appreciate our world and the beauty it has to offer.”

Why should people get off their butts and check out the Never at the FMoA?

“First off you’ll be supporting a great local arts venue like the FMoA. Secondly we like to chill with cool people! Thirdly, there’s alcohol... and that’s always fun. Music, good vibes, and art!”

Sounds like reason enough to me. Be sure to check out The Never at the Fayetteville Museum of Art, May 16th, from 6-8pm. Get more information about the band at www.thenever.org and about the art at www.fayettevillemuseumart.org.