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A group of musicians have to find some purpose that unites them, apart from money. Pop groups are only gangs of pre-adults huddling together, finding mutual security in a three-chord language. Once they start to become individuals, curious and critical, the thing falls apart and they grow up. Playing music is a way of prolonging adolescence. After years of near-total inertia, broken only by the sporadic tuning of guitars, do musicians find a sense of satisfaction in their projects. They recognize the territory.  CD In Tray

The Onlys were born sometime in October '94 when drummer Jason Lavalle joined brothers Jason and Jocl Chenoweth and their longtime friend Steven Bonn at jam sessions at the house on 1300 w. 51st. Through persistence and sometimes monotonous practice sessions the band put together the basic foundation of music that would shape the future in what would become their live show. "Even when we got together for a serious attempt at a rehearsal, it was hopeless" says guitarist Jason Chenoweth. "No one knew what to do. It didn't matter how clever or proficient you might be, you couldn't fake the stuff. Either you felt it or you didn't." Often struggling through their first live shows at Austin clubs such as The Electric Lounge, Hole in the Wall, and Emo's. it was clear that The Onlys were one of Austin's hardest working bands. 

"Sometimes I felt like we put fliers up in every window of every comer store in the city" adds bassist Steven Bonn. "And when we played out of town, there were times that there were more people in the band then there was in the bar." 

As frustrating as things were, The Onlys began to produce a winning formula in the area of their business management. They started playing on better bills at larger venues the state with bands like Schlep Rack and Fireside From Los Angeles, Liar from San Francisco, and, of course, local favorites like El Flaco and The Packet Fishermen from Austin. "We started hearing of locals coming to see us in San Antonio and College Station because they heard our songs on their college radio station" says drummer Jason Lavalle. "We were becoming much more confident as a band." Where it was difficult for the band to get gigs before (They practically pleaded), it was now easy. Shows were becoming available at Liberty Lunch (Austin's largest independent venue), and Emo's outdoors. The Onlys were being offered more headlining spots with Marquee billings. 

Throughout thc following year, as the band was changing in structure, the music changed as well. With Jasan Lavalle offering solid backbeats in his drum progressions, songs that were originally soft and melodic were now becoming more aggressive. Songs were becoming more transcendental with various alliterative effects, feedback, soft acoustics and harmonies. The effect worked. The Onlys were drawing larger crowds at their live shows. They were becoming batter performers. 

"I felt like people were starting to get into The Onlys because we each have individual personalities that are evident when you watch our live shows" adds guitarist Joel Chenoweth. "At one moment, we can be playing high energy music. At other times we can crack jokes at the crowd." 

In the spring of 97 The Onlys hired producer Cris Burns (of The Pocket Fishermen) and Stupendous Sound Studios to help with the production of an LP - The Onlys first commercial release. By buying blocks of studio time the band was able to experiment with vintage amplifiers, drum sequencing, samples, md various effects that was inevitably incorporated into the album. With a collective vision for their music, The Onlys grew within the confines they set for themselves with the new record. The music is a presentation of a structured melody in descriptive settings. The guitar sound could be in a relaxed subtle tone while the backbeat of the drums and bass push between grind core and industrial. The genre often changes in context. The two most obvious examples of this can be seen in the songs "Strange Perception" and "Touch without feeling." The first, being a soft melodic presentation of the imperfections of human nature, while the other presents an aggressive illustration of a chaotic demonstration. The framework of the LP is true to the character and musical drive that is so present to The Onlys live shows. 

"It was only fitting that we named the album 1300 after the address of the house where we put the band together" says Jason Lavalle. "We have tried to grow as a band by playing live shows across the state, but it's difficult when yow resources are limited. The production of this album has been a nice change." 

The new album, 1300, hit the stores in the summer of '97 after the release party at The Electric Lounge. Ernployees at Tower records were quoted after The Onlys in-store performance that "This is one of the most innovative and creative records released here in a long time." 

The Onlys have been a band for three years and have established a fan base across Texas. They will play severa1 dates before saying farewell to Austin. Don't worry it's only for a few weeks, The Onlys are hitting the road for a tour to support their new LP. The tour wi11 take them to St. Louis, Chicago, and New York.