Fresh out of Bothell, WA, This Providence has spent the past year securing their place in Seattle’s local music scene – a scene that has welcomed them with open arms. After garnering a dedicated fan base, This Providence – vocalist/guitarist Dan Young, 20; guitarist Gavin Phillips, 19; bassist Phil Cobrea, 19; and drummer Paul Benson, 18 – scored a record deal with Rocketstar Recordings, recorded their first album, and embarked on their very first tour, all in a matter of months. Let’s clear away all doubts, this is a hardworking band and they’ve got the fans to show for it. So many fans, in fact, that I couldn’t even get into their November 13th CD release show at the Graceland because the place is so packed. The line that stretched outside the door a full hour after the show had started briefly disappointed me but certainly did not surprise me.

This Providence found its beginnings in Young, Cobrea, and Benson, who played together for two years before picking up Phillips about a year ago. Naming the new group after the word meaning “divine intervention or guidance,” they shortly thereafter recorded the 9-song EP that became The Sunday Best.

“It was a big transition,” says Cobrea. “It was a really bad time to record.”

“The songs had been written a long time ago. They just didn’t really represent us and where we were going,” adds Phillips.

Despite their apparent disapproval, the EP became available for purchase and more and more fans attended the shows ready to mouth along the words to each and every song. Additionally, a revamped version of the EP’s most endearing track, “Any Romantic Fairytale” (“I never wanted us to be like this/ I never dreamed of anything but a pure kiss”) would appear on the upcoming album.

The band returned to the studio in April to record a three song demo with producer Casey Bates, who passed it on to his friend Darrick Bourgeouis of Rocketstar.

“They really liked it, we talked it over with our families and signed a two record deal with them,” says Benson.

In July, those three songs were re-recorded along with seven more and became This Providence’s first album, Our Worlds Divorce. Referring to the title, Young explains, “There’s a world of good and then there’s a world of evil. It’s just talking about living in a world that looks like it has no hope, and just trying to stay strong, and the separation you have to have on those two worlds – like being in the world but not of it.”

Drawing on influences and favorites such as Mae, Taking Back Sunday, Daphne Loves Derby, Forgive Durden, Elite Stranger, Jimmy Eat World, and particularly label mates Gatsbys American Dream, the band put together a record that is pop punk at its best. Present are the trademark nice-guy lyrics – “If I could just be all that I can be for her/ That’s when I’d be the man I long to be/ and now it all comes down to, am I treating her right?” – all carried by Young’s unabashedly boyish voice. But this isn’t just a cleaned-up version of The Sunday Best. With catchier melodies, smoother harmonies, and stronger thematic material, the album is undoubtedly a departure for the band.

“It’s a lot more mature, a lot more heart,” asserts Cobrea.

When it comes to messages in their music, Young explains, “The lyrics just talk about life and all the different experiences you go through…a lot of times we’ll have stuff to do with how God intervenes…sometimes it’s just about missing someone. Our message I guess is that there’s hope.” The Christian influence is apparent in some of their material – “The whole world hates us/ The whole world hates our song/ But still we sing/ But still we sing along” (“Our Flag is White”) – “Please would you take this life I call my own?/ Would you let your house become my home?” (“Everyday”) – but the band shies away from any labels.

“We’re definitely Christians and we take our faith really seriously, but we don’t really want to put ourselves under the Christian stereotype,” says Young. “Christian music is usually just for Christians, that’s what they write it for, and we don’t want our music to be just for Christians.”

While the band has made the same sacrifices that most young musicians have to make, such as giving up school and steady jobs, they stop themselves from looking back. “I have no idea where I’d be, because I’ve always wanted to do music,” reflects Young. Along with the support of their families (“We all live at home – for free!”), the guys stay close friends. “We work together, go to concerts, support our friends’ bands,” says Benson. “We talk to each other on IM…we’re MySpace friends,” adds Cobrea.

In the next few months, This Providence will be touring the West Coast with Jenoah (Drive-Thru Records), including a December 5th date at the Graceland. What else does the future hold for a band so young? “Hopefully still touring, on a major label maybe… Opening for Hilary Duff.”

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