News on the Cardinal Trait forefront has been quiet for a while. But the band — now a foursome again with the re-addition of bassist Will Porter — is coming out of the shadows Saturday night.
The group will play a hometown concert at Two Frogs Grill designed to raise money for a trip to Los Angeles to record a long-awaited CD to follow up their popular release “You Already Know.”
The last big news about the band, rounded out by Mark Sullivan and brothers Aaron and Josh Vaughn — came two years ago when Cardinal Trait won the KJ103 Summer Slam in Oklahoma City. They were flown to L.A. to record a demo CD for Warner Brothers. It was on this trip that they met and worked with record producer Michael Lloyd.
Lloyd was vice president of MGM Records by the age of 20 and has produced hit records and soundtracks for more than 35 years, including more than 100 platinum and gold albums. He also was the music supervisor for the film “Dirty Dancing” and produced the “Dirty Dancing” soundtrack album.
Aaron said that during that trip, Lloyd, who was contracted by WB as a producer for the demo, showed a lot of interest in the band and gave the group his contact information.
WB execs were scheduled to come to Oklahoma later that year, but the trip was canceled because of an ice storm and all momentum on Cardinal Trait’s anticipated follow-up success fizzled.
In the meantime, the guys got tired of “being a cover band” and took a hiatus, from performing, at least. Sullivan opened his own studio in Ardmore. Porter had left the band before the L.A. trip to do the same in Marietta. They all held down full-time jobs and, in between, met together at Sully Studio to continue writing songs, reinventing their sound and putting a mature spin on their message.
Two years later, circumstances arose that led to Josh contacting Lloyd, who gave the band an unexpected invitation. If they could get themselves out to California, he’d record a new CD for them.
The timing fell into place, and Cardinal Trait is ready to continue the track to success that started years ago.
Saturday night’s show will feature old Cardinal Trait songs, songs from the band’s days as “Habit” and the newer songs they’ve worked on that they hope will strike a positive chord with listeners.
According to Aaron, the new songs are “a little more rock,” Sullivan says they’re “a little more introspective” and Josh described them as “a lot more mature in the way they’re arranged.”
“We really feel lucky. This thing in L.A. at (Lloyd’s) studio, it’s pretty incredible,” Josh said. “This just doesn’t happen every day.”
“He definitely sees some potential in our band,” Aaron said. “We’ve asked for a chance from somebody who’s in a position to do something about it.”
Some of the new songs that will be debuted Saturday night include the song “New Monday,” which was the one that caught Lloyd’s attention two years ago. There’s also “Tell Me Something” and “Cloud of Dust.”
The band has a song titled “She Asked Me” with lyrics that might seem a bit strange at first until the listener realizes it’s written from the perspective of what a girl might say to a guy about their relationship.
Cardinal Trait backers can get a preview of some of the band’s new material on the Web site myspace.com/cardinaltrait, including an as-yet unnamed song.
The guys hope listeners like the new sound, which reflects changes each of them has made in their lives in the meantime.
“We have learned so much in two years,” Aaron said. “We weren’t ready for this (opportunity) two years ago.”
“So far, we never felt like we had a legitimate chance to make it,” Josh said. “This seems like the right time. I really think everything that’s happened with us up to this point happened for a reason.”
Doors to Saturday’s concert will open at 8 p.m. and will start with an opening performance by Derek Harris before Cardinal Trait takes the stage. Tickets are $10 at the door.
