Drawing Infinity

Band members of Drawing Infinity include, from left, lead guitarist Preston Smith, 20, rythm guitarist Nate Morris, 18, both of Marion, Wayne County, and Alan Overslaugh, 27, of Honeoye Falls, Monroe County on lead vocals. Missing from photo is drummer Sam Estochen, 18, of Marion, Wayne County. (Credit: Kate Melton)

Imagine rocking a high-school graduation party with intense guitar riffs and pulsating drums. That's where local band Drawing Infinity found itself in last May.

The quartet - playing at The Montage Music Hall Saturday, Feb. 7 - formed when guitarist Preston Smith responded to a post on HeavyRock.com left by singer Alan Overslaugh. The  vocalist was looking to start a band, while Smith and his bandmates - guitarist Nate Morris and drummer Sam Estochen, both 18 - were searching for a lead singer to round out their lineup.

Just 11 days in, the band had its first gig.

"It wasn't a great show," Overslaugh says. "It was a grad party. What would you expect?"

Drawing Infinity spent the summer casually playing other graduation parties for friends and family until September, when a phone call changed the band's direction.

After checking out the band's MySpace page, Neil Sheehan, owner of Cleveland-based Chin Music Studios, contacted the guys to see if they'd be interested in recording at the studio and having Sheehan shop their demo to a record label.

"At that point it was like, ‘Maybe we should start taking this seriously,'." Overslaugh says. He and his bandmates began promoting themselves exhaustively through MySpace and became regulars at The Montage, putting on frenetic performances (some of which feature Overslaugh swinging his microphone cord over his head).

 "It's definitely balls to the wall and all over the place," Smith says, describing Drawing Infinity's live shows. But that goes for the music, too. The band's instrumentation is rooted in the heavy, aggressive tones of metal. But Smith's background in classical piano adds a more accessible, melodic twist.

"We do complex rifts, but we make it so the average person can get into it," he says.

And whereas sometimes the high-octane quality of the music begs for that stereotypical rock star scream, Overslaugh tends to resist. Most of Drawing Infinity's songs are driven by the lead singer's uplifting harmonies.

The band has six songs it plans to record at Chin Music this coming May, but that list keeps growing. Overslaugh says there are three new songs that Drawing Infinity will premiere at the Montage show Saturday, Feb. 7.

"Everything's happening so fast," he says, excitedly. "Now that we've got a vibe down with each other, it's like, ‘Wow, we can really do this.' Right now we're just trying to spread the word and get our name out there."