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More About

• Chris Stake
• Todd Davis
• Edwin McCain
• Scott Schroeder
• Dave Herrera

The Trampolines formed in February 2004 as an acoustic collaboration between Ordinary Poets' Mark Sundermeier (left) and Losing November's Chris Stake. By the following January, after a year of performing as a duo, the Trampolines officially became a full-fledged band, with the addition of former Battery Park keyboardist Todd Davis on bass and erstwhile Exit 232 skinsman Scott Schroeder on drums. On Tuesday, August 2, the Tramps celebrate the release of their inaugural disc with a main-stage performance at Red Rocks, as part of the annual Film on the Rocks series. The seven-song, self-titled debut is a solid representation of the act's songwriting, a sturdy, economical blend of straightforward acoustic rock along the lines of '90s-era outfits Toad the Wet Sprocket, Gin Blossoms and Sister Hazel. Wisely, the band avoided overly ornate production on the disc, and this stripped-down approach has served it well, leaving plenty of room for the album's centerpiece, the vibrant vocal interplay of Sundermeier and Stake -- whose voice bears more than a passing resemblance to Edwin McCain's. Add to that some tightly wound three-part harmonies, which Davis helps round out in the live setting, and you've got a good jumping-off point for the relatively young band. -- Dave Herrera