7dayBinge is another one of those side project bands made up of already established musicians that just wanted an attempt at creating music they felt needed to be heard. The Binge is made up of bassist Todd Harrell of 3 Doors Down, guitarist Jon Nicholson(who also took on vocals for the Binge) of Muzik Mafia, Kenny Olson from Kid Rock's back up band on lead guitar and Shannon Boone manning the drums portion of the group.The first inkling of 7dayBinge came about when Muzik Mafia was opening for 3 Doors Down on a European tour and a stop in Amsterdam where Harrell and Nickolson discovered a similar musical interest that eventually led to the formation of the group. On January 26 2010 the band released an 8 track self titled debut through their label Rock Ridge Music.
7dayBinge is a southern rock disc with a few tunes a little more rock than others. The lead track off the disc called "7dayBinge" is one of the weaker songs in my opinion, something feels forced, the lyrics don't flow like some of the other tunes. The second song called "Oak Tree" is more of an alternative southern rock tune and one of my favorites off the disc. The third song called "End of the Road" is another good tune showcasing some exceptional lyrics and vocals. Track 5 is a semi ballad called "I'm No Good" with a great melody and song structure. The rest of the album follows along with no real surprises or changes, the songs are fairly well written and recorded.
All in all, I think the Binge has done a stand up job on this first foray into a side band that they all had in the back of their minds. The music isn't going to win them a bunch of awards, it isn't anything new or spectacular but I believe the disc achieved what the members were trying to accomplish.
