Clocks - Bloomington-Normal

Clocks is a progressive metal band from Bloomington, IL. They have drawn their inspiration from jazz, all the way to electronic, and post rock. The five piece metal outfit has built on an already expanding genre of metal. Their music uses intricate rifts and intense polymetric grooves to pull the listener in and take them through a whirlwind of musical nirvana. Their unique style of music is most relatable to bands such as, Between the Buried and Me, The Contortionist, The Faceless, and The Human Abstract.

Clocks
Origin	Bloomington, Illinois, U.S.
Genres	Progressive Metal
Years active	2010–present
Labels	None
Website	http://weareclocks.net

Members	Ian Sheridan Alex Poole Dakota Roberts Nick Mullins Tony Troemel

Past members	Dustin Mathews Eric Mehrkens

HISTORY

From left to right: Alex, Dakota, Nick, Ian Clocks formed in December of 2010, when Alex Poole (guitarist) and Ian Sheridan (drums) came together with Nick Mullins (vocals) to form the band, formally known as Clocks. They found longtime friend Eric Mehrkens, who had played in The Illest Array with Ian in the past to play guitar. Eric’s knowledge of guitar and his thirst for perfection made him a perfect fit for the band. Finally they found the fifth piece to the band, Dustin Mathews who lived with Ian at the time in the house previously known as the Clock Tower in Normal, IL. Here, the band would practice and record music which eventually led to their debut EP, “Hardwiring the Human Mind”, released in June 2011. After releasing Hardwiring the Human Mind, Clocks went on their first tour. A week long excursion across the Southwest, which gained Clocks quite a bit of attention. Shortly after, guitarist Eric Mehrkens left the band to pursue other goals of his. This is when, current band member, Dakota Roberts joined the band. He learned the music quicker than anyone expected and soon became an essential piece to the band.

The band had played many local shows all across central Illinois, at first. In June of 2012, they released their second EP, “The Dividing Line.” Their newest EP gained a lot of attention in the online metal community. Having several tracks featured in compilation videos and metal mash-ups with other progressive metal bands. This helped secure Clocks’ place as a serious metal band. Late summer 2012 they left the Midwest to tour the Southeast for a second go around. During this tour, Clocks gained much more attention from areas outside Illinois. They continued to play shows in Central Illinois, opening for some notable with bands such as, Volumes, Born of Osiris, and Within the Ruins.

Shortly after the release of “The Dividing Line”, bassist Dustin left the band and became a father. This left Clocks without a bassist and with members now skewed across Illinois made it near impossible to play shows. This hasn’t stopped Clocks from recording new music and recruiting bassist Tony Troemel to fill the void left in Dustin’s absence. Currently, four out of five of Clocks members now live in Bloomington/Normal area, while Dakota attends the Art Institute in Chicago to earn an Audio Engineering degree. The band is working on releasing a series of conceptual EP’s over the next year, led by Audio Engineering student, Ian Sheridan accompanied by Dakota Roberts. The band will continue to record all of their own music, with fans anticipating the release of new material.

BAND MEMBERS

Nick and Ian from ClocksIan Sheridan- Ian is the drummer in Clocks and one of the founding members. Ian is currently attending The Art Institute of Chicago and plans to graduate in May of 2015. He is set to have a degree in audio, and records 90% of Clocks music, with the rest of load going to Dakota. He has eight years of recording experience to date, is a freelance engineer under the “IJS Studios” moniker. Ian has 13 years of drum experience 5 years of playing guitars, 8 as a session musician. Outside of Clocks, Ian has also played drums for The Kings of Olde, The Illest Array, and even played at South by Southwest in Texas. Outside of music, Ian enjoys electronics repairs, lutherie, vinyl and woodwork.

Alex Poole- Alex is one of the other founding members of Clocks. He plays guitar for the band. He self-taught himself the guitar when he was fifteen, stemming from a love for bluegrass that formed when he was eight years old. Alex can also play the bass and the banjo. Alex’s profound love for music has led him to be able to shred with some of the greats. He currently plays bass in The Burial, alongside Clocks. He has toured with both bands, playing shows such as Cornerstone. Alex has a degree in Political Communications from Illinois State University.

Nick Mullins- By talking to Nick, you’d never think someone as mild mannered could produce some of the lowest, and heaviest screams in the metal scene today. Nick has previously been done vocals for bands such as Harder to Fall, and Brother of Ours. Nick graduated from Illinois State University with a degree in Political Science.

Dakota Roberts- Dakota is the youngest member of Clocks. His knowledge of music and aptitude to learn helped him learn all of Clocks’ music quicker than the band anticipated, making him perfect for their first tour. Dakota music is heavily influenced by jazz, as he is an accomplished jazz musician. He plays bass for the band Caesus, a heavy black metal band from the Champaign area, and guitar for Clocks. Currently, Dakota lives in Chicago and attends The Art Institute of Chicago for audio engineering.

Tony Troemel- Tony is the newest member of Clocks, playing the bass like a man on fire. Tony started learning to play the guitar when he was eight years old. Through mutual friends, love for metal, and creating intricate melodies, Tony joined the band. The band has high hopes that Tony will fit the part, and bring a “kick ass” stage performance to shows.

FORMER BAND MEMBERS

Eric Mehrkens- Eric went to high school with several band members before the band formed. He is a talented guitarist drawing inspiration from Trivium, and strives for perfection in all that he plays. He has since left the band, and gotten married.

Dustin Mathews- Dustin was the original bassist for Clocks, whose party attitude, and stage presence brought a whole new light to Clocks. Dustin left the band to pursue other goals, and has since become a father. Dustin still remains in close contact to the band when his schedule allows.