Straight Up!, the timeless and uplifting debut album from Refuge/MCA recording artist One Way Ride, was born out of both adversity and diversity. When singer Leldon first came to California in the early '90s - by way of Alabama - he was lured not only by music and adventure, but the promise of a job and place to live. "When I got off the bus, I had two guitars, an amp and three bags," recalls the frontman. "Then my friend in Cypress [California] told me we were homeless. I had $165. So, I went to the store and got two 40 ouncers. Then we walked to Long Beach."

Things got better, but not right away. And the introspective and humanistic songs on One Way Ride's album, produced by Don Gehman (John Mellancamp, Hootie & the Blowfish, Tracy Chapman, Better Than Ezra, R.E.M.), reflect the singer/songwriter's years of turmoil, triumph, musical growth and exploration. Straight Up!'s premiere single, the dynamic and prophetic "Painted Perfect," was created in collaboration with drummer Brian Carhart, with whom Leldon "vibes subconsciously" with when it comes to writing. The duo first met in the mid-'90s, but didn't work together until several years down the road when upon a second meeting, it became clear they were the ideal musical complements to each other. Carhart, a talented multi-instrumentalist and busy producer with his own studio, The Green Room, built his own drum set at 5. The Long Beach native then picked up the piano at 8 and guitar at 12, worshipping musicians from Keith Moon to The Beach Boys to Bill Bruford. "I was in my brother's band when he was in college and I was only 12," Carhart relates. The prodigy learned music theory, eventually dropping out of high school to record and write full-time. By the time Carhart produced a demo for Leldon in 1998, both were accomplished musicians/writers who were instantaneous kindred sprits. Or, as the forthright frontman explains it: "We realized it would be the sickest thing in the world if we worked together." Thus, a collaboration was born that led to a One Way Ride. 

But we're getting ahead of ourselves. Leldon, who was nurtured on bluegrass and gospel music thanks to his Southern roots, also went through a metal and 80's rock phase, plus was a huge fan of everything from classic rock to classical. These varied influences ultimately created a musician whose strong vision and rootsy melodies were augmented by a memorable stage presence and powerful energy. However, Leldon wasn't always a lead singer. In fact, in the early '90s, Leldon, having settled - somewhat - in Long Beach, was playing guitar in a local band. But wander and wonder-lust conspired to take the musician away from California. Leldon headed to Nashville, another of the country's musical hotbeds. And it was in that Southern city where he found his voice. Literally. "In fact, much of Straight Up! represents that two-year period where I lived in a cabin in the woods, because that's where I learned how to sing and realized I was going to be a singer, not just a guitarist. I played and sang for the trees in Tennessee, belting it out in the woods. 'The Train Song' and 'Painted Perfect' were written, later, about that time," he explains. "Pot of Gold," he furthers, was inspired by reaching a dream, "but then getting slammed and getting back up, going, 'fuck it, there goes my pot of gold again. I write best when I'm down and out," notes Leldon. "And travel inspires me lyrically as well." 

After his soul-searching and voice-finding stint in Nashville, back in Cali, in 1997, Leldon's new direction as a singer-songwriter-guitarist began with a two-year plan. If, on this second trip to the Golden State, he couldn't find the right musical collaborators, he was ready to get back on the bus that once took the young dreamer from the South. But in 1998 came the fortuitous re-acquaintance with Carhart that led to the roots of One Way Ride. The fruits of Leldon's and Carhart's labors are apparent on the dozen cuts on Straight Up!, in the music Leldon laughingly refers to as "Homegrown-hillbilly-backstreet-billygoat straight-up bootleg rock 'n roll." Of course, in making the transition from solo artist to group, a name - and a band - needed to be created. The name came courtesy of Leldon's dad, a musician himself. "He once told me that music was my one way ride," Leldon says, "because I quit school and didn't give a shit about George Washington. Just music." 

The quartet was created after Leldon garnered interest from his singer-songwriter gigs and demo with Carhart. Label reps were making the drive from L.A. to Long Beach to check out Leldon's gruff, melodic, heartfelt vocals and equally unique and memorable songs. And soon, record companies and Leldon himself were interested in seeing the songs taken to a different level. While both Chris Scott and Timmy Lunsford were in Huntington Beach-based lineup Magdalen, the duo were compelled by the songs and excitement surrounding the project to play a July 29, 1999 showcase at the Viper Room. They quickly became the last two members of the newly minted One Way Ride. Needless to say, the show was a success, and after the gig, several of the nearly 100 industry folk invited cornered Leldon outside the club to sing One Way Ride's praises. The band inked to Grammy nominated producer Don Gehman's Refuge/MCA label in October, and in December, began recording with Gehman and engineer Mark Dearnley at L.A.'s Track Record studio and Sherman Oaks Woodcliff Studios, finishing Straight Up! in early 2000. 

The "two year plan" had come to fruition naturally, and the two final pieces of the One Way Ride puzzle mesh perfectly with the team of Carhart and Leldon. Lunsford, who cut his teeth in punk bands in Huntington Beach before moving into a "trippy Pink Floyd hardcore band," proved the perfect musical complement to Leldon and Carhart. Ditto Scott, a "beach fanatic and surfer" who once lived in tent in "the middle of nowhere, Montana for a month and a half, just playing guitar and looking at the world." 

Of the diverse and hard-won chemistry in One Way Ride, Carhart believes that it's "a lot different than any band I've been in; we're done with the bullshit." Leldon agrees. "Everybody has their faults, but when it comes to the band, any crap is swept out the door. It's about the music; communicating with each other and with the fans via music." 

Clearly, One Way Ride's singular acoustic-electric sounds, in the less than dozen shows they did prior to their album, has struck a chord with fans. In fact, producer Gehman was shocked and thrilled by the audiences he observed at the foursome's gigs. "It was so crowded and such a diverse audience; some of the people you'd be scared to see in an alley at night, to a 75-year-old couple." laughs Leldon. 

One Way Ride are creating classic rock for a new generation, and as the band themselves note, "we fit in a lot of different categories. You can sing our songs. And they can be done heavy or melodically or both. We're a young, fiery band, but with strong traditions and influences." Perhaps the song "Painted Perfect" encapsulates One Way Ride's bold approach best: "Another day in the life sits right in front of me / rock 'n' roll machine of the century / every day of burning and burning out / live to ride high that's what it's all about… it's music and melody painted perfectly." 

Clearly, as the album title indicates, One Way Ride is Straight Up!

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