The Invite at Belcourt Theatre

Rhode Island's The Invite have Ken Vasoli from The Starting Line to thank for writing the soundtrack to their dream - a little ditty called "Given The Chance," which epitomizes their longstanding desire to play shows from one town to the next and hear their own words come back from the crowd. That dream seems likely to be realized in the not-too-distant future, if you look at the momentum they have gathered themselves after releasing only a couple of EP's/demos independently. The do-it-yourself attitude these six bring to the plate has gotten them so far, but they have definitely gotten some help along the way from the intervention of big-time players, such as RI promoter Mike Delahanty. Delahanty has already gotten The Invite on shows with The Receiving End Of Sirens, A Thorn For Every Heart, The Spill Canvas, This Day And Age, Straylight Run, Paramore, Plain White T's, and The Ataris. With that being said, it would not be a stretch to also say that The Invite probably has one of the fastest growing fan bases in Rhode Island, if not New England. That's not to say it has been all easy so far. It's hard for a band to find a home in such an established scene as New England has, where the same bands always play the same lineup. The Invite has had some tougher times in big cities where they didn't fit into a certain mold, and they have had some great experiences playing in Maine at hall shows with harder bands, where the crowds have been incredibly responsive. But whether or not they are winning hearts, they are constantly making new friends and meeting new people. That is something that has always been essential since the beginning. Originally drawing influences from The Starting Line, as well as other musical favorites including Dashboard Confessional, The Early November and Something Corporate, the young band quickly outgrew their imitation phase and began creating original rock music derived from a catchy pop-punk background. The fact that all of the members had been friends throughout high school helped stitch the close-knit relationship the band has now. The result is a flawlessly meshed sound due to the combination of friendship and music; you have your core lineup in vocalist Johnny Gates, lead guitarist Jamie Jarbeau, drummer Matt Scanlon, rhythm guitarist Pete Hayden, keyboardist John Losek and bassist Josh Cournoyer. Coincidentally, by the time Cournoyer joined the band, The Invite started taking on a new shape musically. Shortly after recording The Daydream EP in 2005, the band really started examining their music and strove to refine their writing in hopes of creating more mature sounding songs. Even with the positive response they got from The Daydream EP, The Invite still wanted to stand out from trendy emo bands that seemed to draw large crowds because of their image, and not their talent. However, The Daydream EP served as a springboard from which they have soared. "We started writing for The Daydream EP the day The Invite formed. We were different members from different bands. But more importantly, we were friends who came together and said, 'Let's write a record.' There are definitely some memorable moments on that CD. Penny Heads Up is about the death of my grandpa. I remember writing that song in tears. It was the first time I ever sat down and was like, 'There's more to writing than broken hearts and revenge. There is a world out there.' I started to understand that then and I am starting to take it on now," reflects Gates. The ideas Jarbeau has developed about writing music are not far from the same. "My reason for writing music is that I try to show everyone that this is my take on things, this is my voice, this is how I reach out, and this is how I see the world." The way Jarbeau, and the whole band, sees it, music is a simply voice to listen to when you feel a certain way. "[With] our music we want to be like a helping hand, a friend. I think that, in essence, is our dream, and that is how we want to people to react. We want to reach out and just hope that people grab on, and just hang out with us for a little while."