Cradle (14)

Shawn Zeilenga (5/7/85) - (Bass Guitar) Tyler Kent (3/29/85) (Drums, Backing Vocals) Tim Leensvaart (9/27/80) (Lead Guitar, Backing Vocals) Troy Weiss (11/29/80) (Rhythm Guitar, Lead Vocals) Cradle was formed in 1999 with front man Troy Weiss and drummer Kevin Heath. Troy wrote a lot of music and wasn't happy with the way it was sounding without a singer so he decided to do it himself. The beginning was rough: after Troy mastered the art of singing and playing simultaneously, the band had to tackle a very real problem - a very empty sound, and a very empty band. The duo recorded the song "Cradle" with no bass and no vocals - only Troy's rhythm and Kevin's drums - and Troy, fed up with nearly everything, immediately invited Tim Leensvaart to join the band as another guitarist. The addition was much needed, of course, but Tim's transition was anything but smooth. The founding members of Cradle had already written much of the material that would become the band's first CD Burnt Around the Edges. Tim learned quickly, however, and since then, nearly all of Cradle's music has been a collaboration between Troy and Tim. Tim learned lead guitar as he went, growing just as quickly as did the band's talent. Now with two CDs finished, Tim is responsible for nearly all of the solo guitar work and many of Cradle's memorable riffs. Despite the addition of Tim and his lead guitar, Cradle was still far from complete - not since the band had been created had Cradle been host to a single bass player. Tyler Kent would change that. Tyler joined as the band's bass player in early 2000, and for a while, Cradle was a real, complete band. Tyler stepped right in as a backup vocalist, and even contributed the main riff to the song "Blindsight." Growing in skill, style and numbers, Alex Schodrof joined the band soon after Tyler as a third guitarist. Alex had helped to write several of the band's songs, and his bluesy, free-flowing style is especially audible in "Bound," which he co-wrote. Alex wasn't happy in Cradle, however, and left the band after just two gigs to play with another band. Kevin Heath, too, dreamed of much more than Cradle, and left the band soon after to pursue playing baseball. Out a drummer and a guitarist, Cradle did some soul searching, and in good time, Tyler, being a much better drummer than bassist, took Kevin's place as the backbone of Cradle's rhythm machine. After much practice, Tyler took to helping out with background vocals again, even as he pounded out his signature, fluttering double-bass. With Tyler on the drums now, Cradle spent much of 2000 and 2001 as a three-piece. Even as the band stepped into their home studio to record Burnt Around the Edges, the band was without a bass player. All bass guitar work on the demo was done collaboratively, with Troy, Tim and Tyler all stepping in to play different parts. It was during their time in the studio, however, that the band became acquainted with Shawn Zeilenga, who had at that point never even touched a bass guitar. This wouldn't stop Shawn…he joined in late 2001 - too late to record anything for the album, however. His first gig was in February of 2002, for which he learned all of the songs the night before in an all-night session with Tim. Shawn would not be slighted twice: the bass on the band's newest CD, Hard to Swallow, is entirely Shawn's. Complete at last, Cradle spent their summer playing their hearts out at live shows and pouring their energy into new material. By summer's end, the band had enough for a new trip into the studio and their six song demo Hard to Swallow. Throughout winter 2002 and into spring of 2003, the band dreamed and created and produced, in the end, not only a significantly better recording than Burnt Around the Edges, but music that was vastly improved stylistically and musically. The band is nearly ready to call the CD complete, and it will be available at live shows and on their website sometime this summer. Until then, the band remains dedicated to play as much as they can, wherever they can, for whoever will listen.