Beginnings are never easy.

Three years after forming in a room where the only pieces of furniture were a piano bench and a drum throne, Manic Bloom is finding its voice. It wasn't the delusion of grandeur or the promise of fame that inspired the five members to let go of everything and pursue their musical ambitions. That isn't quite the style of Nashville, Tennessee's "Epic Melodic Rock" band.

"We played plenty of shows to empty rooms when we were first starting out," drummer Jeff Brinkley admits. "It was during that time we had to ask ourselves a lot of questions about who we are and what we were trying to accomplish. If any of those answers had anything to do with money or stardom, I'm pretty sure we wouldn't be where we are today."