Peoria Journal Star
Web propels band's success - 10 million downloads later, Ten Mile Tide is coming to ICC and The Cafe in Macomb
Peoria Journal-Star
Scott Hilyard
4/1/2004



EAST PEORIA - When 1,000 of their songs were downloaded for free off a file-sharing Web site, the members of Ten Mile Tide celebrated like they'd won a Grammy.

"We were like, 'Wow, look at that - 1,000 downloads,' " said Jason Munning, guitarist and founding member of the San Francisco- based band. "It was very cool."

Then the counter on the site showed 10,000 downloads.

Then it hit 100,000.

Then a million.

Then they lost track.

"We're told it's more than 10 million now," Munning said. "And that gave us the exposure that let us take the songs on the road."

Ten Mile Tide represents the flip side of the argument that peer- to-peer (p2p) file-sharing - the act of downloading and sharing music (and other) computer files at no cost - cheats professional musicians.

Though they made no money from the 10 million downloads, band members credit the popular p2p sites Kazaa and cornerband.com for helping establish themselves as touring professionals.

The six-piece band plays its harmonic blend of folk and rock Saturday at Illinois Central College and on April 29 at The Cafe in Macomb. The ICC show is at the Performing Arts Center on the East Peoria campus from

7:30 to 10:30 p.m. Tickets are $3 for the all-ages show.

Together just three-and-a-half years and unsigned by a record label, it might appear that Ten Mile Tide has little business playing beyond the boundaries of suburban San Francisco. But, thanks to their success on the Internet, band members have quit their day jobs and are halfway through their second national tour playing to dancing, sing-along crowds on college campuses. Even in cities they've never before visited. When they were selected as the best emerging band on cornerband.com, downloads of their music took off.

"It spread like wildfire from there," Munning said in a phone interview from a truck stop in Virginia, where Ten Mile Tide was holed up awaiting word on the fate of its alignment-challenged, 33- foot tour RV. "Even in new cities, people are treating us like old friends."

Munning understands why established artists oppose file-sharing because of its potential to cut into album sales.

"That's really only applicable to a small percentage of very wealthy artists. It's the record companies that are going to have to learn to adjust to the new realities of the industry," Munning said. "But on the positive side, file-sharing has created a new landscape outside of the old model. I think it encourages independent artists who have been shunned by the industry and commercial radio."

At the band's core are Stanford University graduates Munning and his twin brother Justin, who also plays acoustic guitar. The third voice in the band's tight, three-part harmonies is their Standford roommate Marc Mazzoni, who also plays keyboards. Another roomie, Steve Kessler, plays fiddle; John Morales is on drums; and Jeff Clemetson plays bass. All band members help write the songs.

"We're focused on the songs and on songwriting," Munning said, adding that many of the songs are stretched out and improvised on stage. "The music is spreading, and we're having even more fun this tour than we did in the first one."