Elcodrive's four principals were veterans of two Massachusetts modern rock crews when the band came together in early 2001. Vocalist and bassist Mike Golarz had been in Something Ira, while Tom Smith (keyboards), Mike Courcy (guitar), and Bill Bassett (drums) came from Bob's Day Off. As Elcodrive, the quartet mined a fertile adult alternative sound, heavy on hooks and high on polish. While getting the word out with local gigs, the band began recording its debut album. Somewhere Between Now and Then dropped in early 2003 from area A&R indie XOFF, and Elcodrive began to market itself aggressively at industry conferences like the Midwest Music Summit and NEMO in Boston. In September of that year, Elcodrive found itself a finalist in the third annual Coca-Cola New Music competition. Pitted against two other hopefuls, Elcodrive would play that October at the CMJ Music Marathon in New York City, with the victor performing for a national TV audience at the American Music Awards in November. ~ Johnny Loftus, All Music Guide
