Vertical Horizon, now one of RCA's buzz bands, was at the time a well known independent act, and Horan had toured and recorded with them on their RCA demo sessions, but personal chemistry and the songwriting-hierarchy of the band had become issues, and everybody felt it best that they part ways before any contract obligations were jeopardized.

Once relocated in Buffalo, Horan found himself with a slate of original material and no band to play it.

Armed only with his voice and his bass guitar, he explored the Buffalo acoustic scene, the stomping grounds of indie sensation Ani DiFranco and the artists who influenced the latest sounds from the Goo Goo Dolls.

He developed his own style of two handed bass guitar technique to accompany his singing, and everywhere he played, the jaws would drop and heads would - well, bop.

Horan played in a number of acts over the course of the next two years, stylistically diverse and each achieving regional success, but ultimately losing his interest, as the other musicians never seemed to share Horan's interest in the POP SONG.

One group crossed over into the jam-band scene, the other embraced the classic rock crowd.

Horan left both groups in frustration.

The answer came in winter of 1999 in the form of producer/guitarist Scott Fletcher.

An LA session musician, Fletcher had recently relocated to upstate New York to open a recording studio.

This artistic team worked together flawlessly, and the result is the debut independent release from Sethsbase.com: "This is the session." The seven songs on this EP showcase everything that sets Seth Horan apart from other pop songwriters.

His syncopated feel pervades these pop songs, making them instantly catchy, from the funk-meets-folk acoustic groove of "Tarot", to the over-the-top heavy pocket of "What You Don't Say", the material is strong all the way through, and is guaranteed to ensure Horan a speedy ride along the road to success.

His ex-bandmates may have "everything they want", but with the release of "This is the session", Seth Horan may just get what he's been wanting, too.

With the release of "Notwithstanding", Horan has grown tenfold as an artist, and has more clearly defined his sound and his vision in a way bound to attract more attention. The result is one of the best independent releases to cross this reviewer's desk in over a year. Highly recommended.

--T. A. Ryan, rockstar. magazine