Shreveport’s Members of the Board to Play DemonFest 2014, Connect With New Singer

Members of the Board, a progressive metal band from Shreveport and Monroe, is ready to break out thanks to a larger-than-life sound that comes from utilizing more musicians than most bands.

“We try to represent where we’re from in our sound," said band member Tyler Christiana. That sound features clean vocals and a strong southern element. The addition of new singer Jeremy Cloyd helped the group adopt a different sound, though they hope to stay true to their heavy metal roots.

Cloyd first experienced the heavier side of music in the mid 90s with “nu-metal” bands such as Korn and Lincoln Park. Intrigued by how the singers’ voices sounded, he began experimenting with his own.

Backed by 14 years of vocal training, Cloyd can listen to someone’s voice and figure out how they make certain sounds. His parents enrolled him in choir, where the director taught him voice techniques such as projection and how to put power behind the singing.

Cloyd’s new band is a far cry from the choir, but that knowledge helped him to enter into his more aggressive style of vocalizing.

“I have to know how to use my voice yet limit the emotions within it. It’s a lifestyle," he said. "My voice is like a machine that I have to take care of. I use it a lot and expand it. It’s important for me to preserve the strength of my voice."

When asked about his musical relationship with band mate Christiana, Cloyd said, “Our voices mesh well together. He wanted someone who could do more melodies; a front man who could do both harmonies and screaming.”

Christiana learned his craft at the Musicians Institute in Hollywood and when he’s not performing with Members of the Board he teaches private guitar lessons and students at Caddo Magnet.

“I like to help people," Christiana said. "I don’t have a steady hand for surgery so I can’t be a doctor, but I love to help everyone from kids to seniors with arthritis achieve something through music."

He recalls helping an old man whose arthritis was so bad he could barely open his hand. After working together, the flexibility was slowly restored to his fingers.

Christiana is definitely excited about the band’s new singer. “Cloyd is pointing us in the right direction and we’re really excited to have him on," he said.

Other band members include Chris Ball and Cade Vanderhoeven -- both seniors at Haughton High School.

Attending NSU on a drum scholarship, Ball is very invested in his drumming at school and for the band. Meanwhile, Vanderhoeven is a part of the high school’s jazz ensemble. Taylor Ford provides the group with some wicked guitar riffs.

Christiana and guitarist Brad Giger have played together for years. “Brad is one of those musicians that can always pick up a piece of music,” Christiana explained.

Members of the Board will perform at DemonFest 2014 on Northwestern University's campus in Natchitoches, Louisisana Saturday, March 22. The all-day music festival begins at 11 a.m. and features an array of genres and artists.