To Second Coming guitarist Dudley Taft, the name of his new band has particular significance-he’s been through the music industry machine once before. As a member of Seattle grungsters Sweetwater, Taft spent the better part of the Nineties watching many of his peers cash in on the great Northwest signing frenzy. Although Sweetwater eventually landed their own major label deal, they ultimately disbanded after both of their releases met with disappointing sales. Soon thereafter, Taft found himself back in Seattle, playing in a local cover band that ultimately became Second Coming. “It’s one thing to get together with a couple of friends and jam on some of your favorite songs,” says Taft, “but to get up on stage and play Soundgarden covers-and still be known as the guitarist from Sweetwater-was a little weird. But in my head, I always knew what the ultimate goal was.” That goal was made clear by the cover band’s name, FTA. “That was an acronym for ‘Finance the Album,’” says Second Coming frontman Travis Bracht. “We did those gigs to raise enough money to record a Second Coming demo. The eight songs that were recorded for the demo eventually became the foundation for the group’s major label debut, Second Coming (Capital). The album’s dark, sludgy melodies and epic, Zeppelin-esque ballads recall the early Nineties sound of their hometown, updated with the occasional drum loop or synth pad. And while the Seattle scene is with their FTA days now firmly behind them, are determined to prove that the Northwest is still churning out original, hard rock and roll. “Performing as FTA was a blast,” says Taft. “Those shows helped us to gel as a band, to learn to play together and make the music really tight. And I think that’s reflected on the album.”