Late in the month of August 2008, while in the throes of touring the western United States on a warm-up jaunt in anticipation for a much larger and longer tour with Neil Young, Wilco, and Death Cab for Cutie--news of a recently deceased hero had reached the members of the band Everest. The news of their fallen comrade had come as a severe shock to many of the members, who felt their very lives had been irrevocably changed for the better by the invention he had unleashed upon the world decades ago.

Who was this champion inventor who had so recently shuffled loose his mortal coil, sounding a death knell upon Everest and their tour? None other than Jack A. Weil, famed inventor of the snap-button western-shirt, the man responsible for a handful of wears in the Everest shirt collection. Weil's proven timeless American classic caused a fashion sensation that has endured many repeated cycles throughout history. Fads, as everyone knows, come and go. We all participate in their ebbs and flows to a certain degree. However, there are some things that never seem to completely fall from our collective favor. The snap-button shirt is one of them.

As I observed Everest's mournful posture regarding the death of this Abalone pioneer, I realized: these guys have a deep appreciation for the tried and true. It seems to show in their music, as well as their lives. The collars of their shirts are in fact, blue, and folded down. They're the brand of fellows who'd knock back a beer or two with you at the bar before going onstage and then return--all sweaty from playing and loading-out--ready to have a few more with everyone.

Having just released their debut record "Ghost Notes" on Vapor Records in May of '08, the five members are no strangers to the road or the business. Indeed, Everest have had their collective parts in a dizzying number of disparate musical projects and tours over the last decade; most recent being a European tour opening for My Morning Jacket. It seems that after years of navigating the weary and curvy paths--riding waves of trends, et al--they have remained steadfast with what never fades. Like the aforementioned American icon they so love and cherish, they have set their sights on creating something that lasts. Creating a musical legacy that survives beyond their dying breaths.

Written by Elijah Benjamin Thomson, September 2008.