The band started wayyyy back in 1997 when the lead vocalist/guitarist/songwriter Zachreen Zakariah was at the tender age of 16 and Aizat Zawawi were just 15 years old impressionable kids playing cover tunes of all bands that they were listening while they were growing up. (bands like Collective Soul, Bush, Everclear, Smashing Pumpkins, Silverchair plus identifying themselves with the Grunge movement in Seattle, Washington,..the Swedish indie/hardcore scene in Umea, Sweden and the Britpop revolution in the UK at the time..
From being a band of playing alternative/indie cover tunes both of them discover hardcore/punk rock and quickly insert themselves in the Hardcore/Punk scene in Perak underground scene and quickly they formed “Scorched Earth Policy” which was a emocore quintet that thrived between 1997-1999..
The band was finally disband in 1999 after both of them went and continue their studies at local universities and went on to formed and featured in numerous local acts like Undead, Tabaraka, Forget Me Not, MaybeOneDay a.k.a Awaken plus a bunch of others as well..
Fate finally brought back both of them together and Zachreen slowly develop his songwriting skills and without knowing Witherspoon was formed. They both quickly obtained the service of their close friends (Shazril who was Zachreen’s best friend on 2nd guitar & Zahiri who was Aizat college roommate back in Perlis).Soon after that Shazril left the band due to work commitment and Azim Hulaimi who Zachreen met earlier when he was a sessionist in Tmn Tun’s scremo darlings, Forget Me Not agree to fill in Shazril shoes, but no as a guitarist but rather on synthesizer & piano which takes the band into a whole new musical direction and different dynamic..
After nearly 2 years of struggle of keeping the band together and finishing the recording session on their debut EP..Witherspoon finally release “Scapes & Sounds” which is an E.P containing 7 songs produced by Bakry (Meet Uncle Hussain, ROB, Koffin Kanser) and with Zachreen’s eccentric visions & the band’s distinctive musical direction, Scapes & Sounds was release to flying colours review from several magazines like Junk, ROTTW who named them as to be the next big thing because of the distinct quality of their sound & also their songwritting skills/musical direction which sets Witherspoon apart from any other local acts here in Malaysia.
Their first single, “Tingles & Everything” quickly gain attention from overseas labels and listeners and was included in Quince Records (one of Japan’s respected Indie label) Asian Shoegaze Compilation representing the only band from Malaysia in that compilation together with a host of Indonesia. Japan. Korea plus other Asian countries as well..also “Tingles & Everything" have been offered to an airplay on Manchester’s Bing Satellites radio residing in Manchester, UK.
Witherspoon are best known form leaving quite an mind blowing impression with their combination of dream pop, post rock, 90’s alternative sounding plus killer harmonies on stage together Zachreen’s angelic voice on stage dazzling people who’d craved for something different in bands within these days..
The band is currently in the studio recording their 2nd released and just sign under First Stance Records and this release should be out in stores somewhere April 2010.
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