Years active 2007–2008, 2010 Members Shawn Cheever | Labels Independent Genre Acoustic | |
Genres Acoustic
Alternative rock
Pop rock Associated acts In Search of Rescue, Aeros Past members Dan Tokarz
Jacquelin Valentine Origin Southbridge, Massachusetts, United States | ||
the Artform was an American acoustic rock band from Southbridge, Massachusetts. the Artform was founded by Shawn Cheever (singer, songwriter, guitarist) and Dan Tokarz (drums, percussion) in 2007. the Artform has played several local venues such as Mill Street Brews, Sturbridge Coffee Roasters, Moonstruck Cafe and The Q to name a few. With the recording of their debut album Rush Hour (2008) underway at Shatterproof Studios, Jacquelin Valentine (backing vocalist) joined the two to add background vocals on a few select tracks while recording a duet with Shawn, titled "It's You". While Rush Hour was in its final stages of being mixed and mastered, they disbanded and agreed to release the album as a digital-only release available from their MySpace and official website. By May 2008, Cheever and Jacquelin started work on a new project dubbed In Search of Rescue with Jacquelin's brother Jake Valentine (guitar) and friend Aaron Rider (drums, percussion). By the end of August 2008, In Search of Rescue disbanded quietly. Since May 2009, Shawn has resurrected the Artform back as a solo act until "some course of action can be agreed upon".
Contents
Rush Hour
In 2008, the Artform recorded their debut album at Shatterproof Studios. The album was recorded during February 2008 and was produced by Matthew Soper. Due to the Artform disbanding near the end of the process, the album was released as a digital-only release weeks later, on March 11, 2009. The most recognizable tracks at shows seems to be "Unbreakable" and "Man Down". "Unbreakable" was written in mid-2007 "about a friend who had given their life to substance abuse". "Unbreakable" seems to be a favorite amongst established fans and new comers. "Man Down" is the second most notable track on the album due to its more personal nature. "Man Down was written about the unknown, about the something out there you know you'll never figure out", says Shawn Cheever. "Man Down" was written in early 2005 and has been played at every live performance since then.
Hiatus and second album
By May 2008, Shawn Cheever and Jacquelin Valentine had begun a new project under the name In Search of Rescue. They brought aboard Jake Valentine and Aaron Rider. After several months of writing and a couple shows, the group disbanded from conflicts in scheduling. As of May 2009, Shawn Cheever has started writing again under the Artform name. Plans to rejoin with Dan Tokarz are in the works.
On July 1, 2009, Shawn announced on the Artform Twitter that he is working on two new tracks "Look Around" and "Ocean, Sky".
Break-up & Aeros
Shortly after recording Rush Hour, before the album was ever officially released, the Artform parted ways. The album was posted online as a free download but has since been removed. You can still hear four tracks from the album on their MySpace page; "Heart and Bullet", "It's You", "Hold Your Breath" and "Are You There". Copies of the album can still be acquired from Shawn via Facebook and the Aeros website.
As of July 2011, Shawn has started a new project named Aeros with his debut album set for release in September/October 2011.