Renae. I almost don’t even know where to start with these guys. The first time I saw them play live was January 2nd, and I instantly had a new favorite local band. Consisting of front man Stephen Rosborough, drummer Adam DeWitt, guitarist Ben DeWitt, and Brad Pigg rockin’ the bass guitar and one helluvah beard, Renae puts on one unique and refreshing show.

L-R: Stephen, Brad, Adam, Ben

On stage they are full of so much energy, but it isn’t depicted through over-the-top antics and lollygag dancing. Instead Stephen’s subtle hand gestures, which have a hypnotically crowd pleasing effect, and truly innovative and energetic tunes keep fans entranced throughout the entire set. The quality of their music doesn’t stop at the stage, either. Their first album, “The Coward, The Storm, & The Outlaw” is in near constant play on my iPod. The brilliant lyrics and powerful music shows that the boys behind Renae know how to pour both heart and soul into making music.

The band hails from Central Illinois, Springfield to be more precise, and have managed to garner a huge following from coast to coast and earn the respect of coutless bands they’ve performed with. All that fandom is expected to increase dramatically over 2009 as the boys work towards their 2009 goal — performing in no less than 200 live shows. They’re off to a great start, too. They’ve already performed over 30 times this year.

So where exactly does the name “Renae” come from? It was the middle name of Ben and Adam’s mother who, sadly, passed from this Earth in 2004, diagnosed with a rare form of cancer. Their mother was very supportive of everything they did, and they keep her in mind all the time and she provides them with the inspiration and courage it takes to make sure she’s proud. And trust me, there’s no way she could be anything but proud.

And if you plan on attending 2009’s Cornerstone Music Festival you can expect to see Renae on July 4th at 1 PM on the Enchore 2 stage. But if you can’t make that, they’ll be there all week, so keep an eye out for them hanging around and tell them hi. They love getting to know their fans.

Renae is a band that is quickly taking over the Midwest’s music scene, dominating it with their loud presence, brilliant songwriting, and mastered execution. But don’t take my word for it, check out their MySpace which has songs from “The Coward, The Storm, & The Outlaw” for you to listen to and a link to their iTunes so you can buy the album right after you fall in love with it, which shouldn’t take long. Make sure to add them as a friend and throw up your support in the form of placing a banner on your page or telling your mom about them.