Somewhere in between the polished sounds of popular format radio and the fuzz and raw energy of a garage band on four tracks, the sound of Washed is forged with addictive hooks, layered vocal harmonies, and roaring guitars over top of solid pounding bass and drums. With a focus on simple good songwriting, Washed aims to capture all of the energy of a great live performance on a recording, grab the listener and have them singing along by the end of the performance - while feeling like they are listening to the band practicing next door. Washed songs are written to leave the listener feeling like they enjoyed an entire album full of good songs from start to finish, but with no consistent formula or method. Simply rocking in the style of a Nirvana or old U2 record, the effort is all directed at the feeling of the songs and capturing it in its raw emotional state rather than over-complicating it. All of this is achieved while allowing for many different moods to be explored; a song like 'My Fault' may take you down a dark depressing tunnel of self-abasement while 'Trip to the Sun' just rocks your imagination. One might expect that it would take several experienced like-minded musicians to put together such an ambitious project, but all of the noise is suprisingly created by one person. Hailing from northeast Houston, Texas, Darin Powers has been honing his songwriting and compositions for about 8 years. Serving as drummer in two different bands, and finally as a bass player for Elsa Mira, Darin has played the utility role in several bands in the Houston area. During his tenure with Elsa Mira, the band was able to independently release their self-titled debut album and play a short tour in support of it before disbanding in April 2002. Throughout his involvement with these bands, he was able to amass several albums worth of recorded demo material, self-produced and recorded solo. Laying down drum tracks, followed by basses and guitars, and finally vocals, Washed was given life if only in Powers' home recording studio, but with a sound geared for the masses.'The songs often start off with just a chorus and chord progression on the acoustic guitar,' Powers says. 'Or sometimes the ideas come out of thin air - I may just think of a hook and compose the entire song in my head walking down the street.' 'Technology and complexity are good to an extent, but there has to be a feeling, a space. Something that separates your band's performance from the next one, but without being too intentional.' This space can be found abundantly in Washed song ideas and recordings - 'Day of Life' grooves in a heavy direction for half of the song, then into a jam section for the latter half; 'Resolution' brings a very emotional, dynamic characteristic not unlike Pearl Jam's first album; and 'Go On' has the familiarity and catch hooks of a pop song, but rocks with unfettered loud intensity reminiscent of the band Seaweed. After the demise of Elsa Mira, Darin and former EM drummer Matt Kelly began swapping solo tapes with each other in the hopes that a new opportunity might arise to play together again. After passing around copies of the Washed demos, a few of the former bandmates exchanged enthusiastic ideas about forming a new group with a new approach to help Powers present his vision for the project. Shortly thereafter, former EM singer Eric Lungstrum and guitarist Jay Foster re-entered the fold augmenting the group with bass and guitar respectively. The former Elsa Mira members bring solid performance experience, focusing on the energy onstage and the interaction with the crowd. No crowd is too small or large to feel the impact of a performance by these passionate musicians. 'We want to take our time and make original, creative music that people enjoy, that they can sing along to or rock out or whatever makes them happy, and just put some feeling into music. It's more important than success, ' Powers says. Perhaps it will be that very attitude that brings success to Washed. It will most certainly bring loyal fans, and some exciting shows in the next year.