The Epochs

The Epochs — pronounced to rhyme with "peacocks" — were formed around brothers Ryan and Hays Holladay, who grew up in Virginia but moved to New York for college. Both musicians, they began playing and writing together seriously, quickly amassing a number of songs. By 2000 they had more than enough to compile an album, and three years later they self-released Ten Billion Light Years of Solitude, a record that was entirely recorded in their apartment. They spent the next few years handing out the album on the street and for free on their website, and playing as often as they could. Because their live show demanded more instruments than the two could handle together, the Holladays added bassist Kevin Smith, drummer Kotchy, and Aaron Reed to the band — though Reed left soon after to pursue other opportunities — with the brothers taking on the vocal, keyboards, and guitar duties. In 2005 the bandmembers moved out to Seattle, where they, thanks to their persistence, ended up being played on tastemaker radio station KEXP. In the fall of 2006, however, the Epochs decided to return to Brooklyn. They started performing around town again — including gigs with Lady Sovereign and Datarock at the CMJ Music Marathons in 2006 and 2007 — and were signed to The Rebel Group, which released their self-titled album in the winter of 2008.