Divest is a product of the legendary musical breeding ground that is Woodstock, NY. In the spirit and tradition of the region’s roots in revolutionary music, the band has dedicated itself to carving their niche with a musical style that resonates with all heavy music fans. The band is part of an underground movement, stemming from the same regional/upstate scene that gave the world Coheed and Cambria, AnaDivine and AutoPilot Off (In fact, Josh Eppard from Coheed was in an early version of the band). All of these groups, including Divest, have worked hard to perfect their unique and ground breaking sounds. Many hard rock fans are becoming disheartened at the proliferation of “thumb-sucking new metal” and a drought in the talent pool for new artists in heavy music. While independent music has gained a strong foothold with emo-core (Thursday, Sparta) and hard-core punk (Glassjaw, Converge) the mainstream has seen little innovation. More progressive forms of heavy music are flourishing (Tool, Deftones) and the crossover success of more pop-oriented new metal artists (Incubus, Linkin Park) continues to surprise the skeptics. The rapid appearance of so many hard rock sub-genres marks an important shift in the tastes of the heavy music fan. The audience has developed a sophisticated palette of various shades of heavy music, from the introspective to the outwardly aggressive. As such, listeners are waiting anxiously for a band to come along that can deliver the entire spectrum of contemporary heavy music in one package. That’s where Divest comes in. The band has been inspiring audiences in their home state of New York since 1998, steadily developing a word-of-mouth fan base with limited releases of self-produced EPs. Each member has paid their dues, cut their teeth and are chomping at the bit for the rock and roll cause. Guitarists Kurt Brown and Dave Parker combine guitar parts like a new interwoven language, a style developed from years of paid dues in the scene, from past bands like Lizard Boy (Dave) to time spent helping things run smoothly at shows (Kurt). Drummer Dave Bodie, the newest member, comes to the band after a year spent at the NYC Drummer’s Collective, with chops and timing that are right up there with the best drummers in rock (Listen to ‘And I’ for proof!). Dave is actually the original drummer, back for seconds in the wake of ex-members Josh Eppard and Zac Shaw. Bassist Mike McCoy comes to the band from NJ, bringing along steady low-end theory, a wise ass attitude and a smoggy haze of ganja. He joined the band in 2001, following the departure of original bassist (and 6 year Shabutie/Coheed drummer) Nate Kelley. Singer Morgan Y. Evans is well known for his flailing on stage mayhem, as well as his intensely personal and worldly lyrics, which often deal with social and interpersonal issues (or screwing). All this combined with his ten years of independently booking shows and studying music lend weight to the words from the stage that most bands just can’t offer. With an ambitious vision and infinite potential, the members of Divest would like to welcome you to their sound.