Live!

On stage at Saturday's North Wales Day!

One of the area's hottest rock and roll bands

Echolyn.

Say what?

"Everyone always asks us to reapeat it," says vocalist Brett Kull of the band's rather unusual name. "It seems like some names have to have some kind of hidden meaning. (The name Echolyn) doesn't mean anything. It serves as a representation of us. If anyone ever hears the name - it's just us."

At 24, Kull is something of a veteran, the founding member of Narcissus, a cover band that ruled the North Penn area for years.

But when the bandmembers started settling down, getting married and such, the group dismantled. Kull never abandoned his dream though, to make a living making music.

"My ultimate goal is to be self-employed through music," says Kull. Narcissus enabled Kull and crew to build a studio in West Point, where the current band rehearses. It's there that the group creates their original tunes.

"The music is a collection of a lot of different influences...classical, jazz, rock," says Kull, the self-appopited leader of the band. "It's a particular feeling about something. Music is very universal. Unfortunately it gets categorized."

Kull and the other members of the band still have day jobs, but not for long. The band is performing all over the place, in Philadelphia, New Jersey, even the veenerable CBGB's nightclub in New York. Kull is savvy enough to know that in order to succeed in the music business, you have to develop a following and work your tail off. Community events, high school assemblies, the band will perform just about anywhere.

"We've played a million of those," says Kull of gigs like this Saturday's North Wales Day. "They're important. I love it."

Indeed. This weekend will be a whirlwind one for the band. On Friday, they perform with Dynagroove at the Ambler Cabaret. On Saturday, the band performes from 2:30pm to 4:00pm at North Wales Day, then packs up and heads to Philadelphia, where it's opening for Tommy Conwell at the Chestnut Cabaret.