SECOND COMING IS FIRST IN LINE FOR MAJOR CONTRACT WITH CAPITOL RECORDS

Seattle Post Intelligencer

By Gene Stout, P-I Pop Music Critic

Friday, May 15, 1998 (date published)

Seattle Rock band Second Coming is about to capitalize on a new recording contract. "It's a doozy of a deal," said bassist Yanni ("Johnny") Bacolas of the contract his group signed last Friday with Capitol Records. "It's beyond my dreams," added lead singer Travis Bracht.

Though band members wouldn't talk specifics, the multi-album deal follows a vigorous bidding war that erupted amoung Capitol, Columbia, Elektra, and other major labels. The winning bid came from Capitol, whose president and CEO,Gary Gersh, has worked with Nirvana and Foo Fighters. "We don't really comment on deals," Gersh said by phone from Los Angeles. "But it's one that gives them the opportunity to make money and be successful and gives us the same opportunity."

Los Angeles-based entertainment lawyer Kim Guggenheim helped negotiate the contract. "It's a multi-album deal potentially worth many millions of dollars," Guggenheim said. "But the record company and the band have to agree to do all those records together."

Second Coming's first album on Capitol will be a repackaged version of the band's current eponymous album produced by Kelly Gray. Three new songs, also produced by Gray, will be added. "It must be immensely satisfying for them as musicians and performers to have recorded this album by themselves and have so many labels think it was so terrific," Guggenheim said.

Gersh discovered Second Coming after members of his own A&R ("artists & repertoire") department began following the group. Negotiations heated up when Gersh flew to Seattle to see the bands April 10 performance at The Fenix.

Gersh said he was impressed by the groups self-assurance and the quality of it's music. "I think they have a good idea of who they are in the market place, where they can fit in and what their strengths are," he said. "And I think they know what it's going to take to (succeed)."

A key player in the groups major label signing was Greg Sorrels, "aggressive rock editor" for the Album Network. Sorrels, who lives in Los Angeles, began "shopping" the groups album last December.

"I think their songs are better than what anybody else is doing right now," Sorrels said. Second Coming's hard-rocking, melodic sound fits in with what other popular young bands, amoung them Days of the New and Creed, are currently doing.

"It's a sound that's really popular right now," Sorrels said.

Second Coming features original members Bacolas and drummer James Bergstrom, plus lead singer Bracht (formerly of Seattle band Peace and Silence) and guitarist Dudley Taft (formerly of Sweet Water).

An early ally of the band was Alice in Chains singer Layne Staley, who recorded a song with an earlier lineup of the band and later sang it at several performances.

Seattle rock station KISW-FM has been a Second Coming supporter for five years. The station is playing three songs - "Vintage Eyes," "Travisty" and "The Song" - from the groups current album.