Splitting Seconds
The first breaths of Splitting Seconds were drawn in the fall of 2002 when four fanatical music and art lovers stumbled their way into the belly of a dwelling that teetered on a cliff's edge above the Pacific Ocean. Fueled by their brimming enthusiasm for inspired creativity and reckless caffeine addictions, they would for hours pitch themselves wildly about the room, kicking stuffed animals and empty cardboard boxes, swinging limbs frantically and screaming messages of optimism and camaraderie. No one is sure whose idea it was to integrate instruments and a public address system into the bedlam, but it proved to be the perfect harness for their unbridled passion and vigor, and thus this rock band came to be. Strings were changed and vans were gassed and Splitting Seconds embarked on the journey that sees them through blistering high-energy sets across the countryside and at home, barreling through neck-snapping rhythm corridors ornamented with intricately razor-cut guitar phrases. The voice that leads the charge chants the epic tenets of hope, love, fear, pain, life, and death with the insight and grace of a venerated classical wordsmith. The members of Splitting Seconds have developed a reputation in the thriving Santa Cruz music scene as innovative and ground-breaking architects of sound, whose dedication to the evolution of music has become their foremost characteristic. The band's working-class ethic is distinguished by their rigorous practice and touring schedules, with booking and other business responsibilities handled by themselves and a network of family and friends. Live Splitting Seconds shows have been referred to as "enriching. . . everyone here is now smarter," and it has been suggested that, if harnessed, the band's energy could "power their own instruments, or perhaps a small town." It is never uncommon to see sweaty fists pumping the air and throngs of onlookers rapt in unblinking awe at the musicianship and stamina of Mike, Rich, Liam, and Rob.