Oracle Online

Nelson is a Twin Cities native spent time at USC before making his way back to Minnesota, transferring toHamline a few years ago. He is set to graduate next year with a degree in music and a concentration in business.

The band also features Tony Donahue, formerly of local band Sentimetal Alliance, on vocals, John Ryan on guitar, Hamline graduate Tim Binkley on drums, and Mike Felton on bass.

Mike is currently a student at the University of Minnesota, while the rest of the band has made its way somehow or another into the working world.

The Diary Concept used to perform as Finder before adding Donahue to fill out the current lineup in July.
With no dominant songwriter,writing is a group process, and the band has been concentrating primarily on writing and development of their sound since their formation. They play out once a month or so, and they currently have a four-song demo CD and are writing and raising money for a future EP release.

This limited experience and lack of emphasis on booking shows led the band to be pleasantly surprised by their invitation to play in the battle of the bands.

They had played a show earlier at the Rock that had impressed the sound guy, who went on to recommend the band for a spot in the opening round of the competition. The initial phase featured 15 bands over four nights with the winner each night (as selected by the audience) moving on to the final round.

For their performance, the Diary Concept tied for the lead on their night with local act Thoughtcloud, allowing both bands to move on to the final round.

While the Diary Concept’s sound is somewhat similar to that of the other bands in the competition, they have a faster, more punk-influenced sound than 93X typically provides. Nelson believes this different style helped them stand out among the metal and rap-rock acts that made up the bulk of the battle of the bands, giving them an edge that hopefully will carry them into the finals. He added, however, that the band’s limited experience created low expectations for the competition, which have already been exceeded in their surprise victory in the first round.

The winner takes home the top cash prize of $2500, and with the decision in the hands of the audience, the band hopes that as many fans as possible can make it out to the Rock for the finals on Thursday, Feb. 24. The bands remaining are 3 Pill Morning, Sunset Black, Likwid Blu, Thoughtcloud, and, of course ,the Diary Concept.

Nelson said he isn’t expecting victory this Thursday, but so far, he’s enjoying the experience.