In the 90s and early 2000s, Tracey Lande + Lorenzo Conte’s musical careers seemed to be on an upswing. Their writing and production team, Trenz Music, Inc. was busy writing and producing for many R+B, Pop, Rock, and Hip-Hop artists, scoring record deals and releases with labels such as Clive Davis’s Arista Records, Universal Records, MCA Records, Motown Records, and more. However, artist attitudes, crazy managers, and label problems - forces outside of their control - always seemed to cause each project to fizzle in some form or another.

In 2002, being frustrated by putting their energies and creativity into other artists, Tracey + Lorenzo decided to take a hiatus from the music “business” and return to their musical “live performance” roots by picking up a guitar and bass, and playing out live purely for the love of music. And in perfect timing, an old friend from the 90s happened to stop by right as they desperately needed a drummer - in entered ERNIE BERNZ. He originally came by to show Trenz Music an artist he was interested in working with. But Lorenzo joked with Ernie that he’d only “take a listen” if Ernie would jam on the drums with them, which he did ... it was at that moment that THE XCHANGE was born (Ernie forgot about his artist, by the way!)

With Ernie locked down on drums ... Lorenzo on guitar ... and Tracey rocking the bass and lead vocals ... the trio began playing their first small local bar, the Nip + Tuck in Long Branch. Although there were only a few people there (seriously, folks, THREE people!), they had so much fun playing and had such chemistry that it didn’t even matter. All three people (!) in the club had a blast watching this funky trio. The Xchange quickly became a Nip + Tuck favorite, and their repertoire of tunes was like no other band ... they played a crazy mixture of Hip-Hop, Rock, and R+B tunes never heard before by other cover bands. Ernie got wilder on the drum kit, adding a lot of theatrics and that Bernz BOOM, Lorenzo played some killer guitar, and Tracey continued to hone her skillz as a frontperson ... incorporating melodic rock vocals, spitting hip-hop lyrics, and mixing stage charisma from her many years prior as a dancer and performer. And the crowd loved every minute!

Next entered local guitar player Rob ... at the 2003 Brookdale guitar show, Lorenzo + Tracey ran into an old acquaintance of theirs, Rob Meehan. The Xchange happened to be playing a gig that night at the Nip, and Lorenzo invited Rob to come by and check out the band. Rob was blown away by the bands electricity, and he promptly e-mailed Lorenzo mentioning that he would love to jam with The Xchange! Tracey + Lorenzo had seen him playing with other local bands and new he had something special to add to the band. He joined the trio for their first rehearsal together, and they knew he would fit in perfectly, making The Xchange’s sound even fuller. The Xchange was complete.

Soon The Xchange became a local hit, packing clubs, and expanding to bigger venues, playing their sassy and eclectic mix of Hip-Hop, Southern Rock, and R+B hits. One night after driving home from one of their most incredible, packed shows at The Downtown Café, Lorenzo felt unfulfilled considering the amazing show the band had just played. “I felt like ‘so what’ ... we are a great band, but we are still only playing other people’s tunes ... "It was at that moment Lorenzo decided to bring in some of the writing and producing craft he and Tracey had honed for the past decade into the wild, live experience known as The Xchange.

Originally, Tracey + Lorenzo began writing straight-up rock songs for the band. The songs were hot, but they just weren’t "different". In true Gemini nature, Lorenzo decided to blend two worlds together ... southern rock guitars along with Hip-Hop beats ... "As a kid, I grew up playing guitar in Rock + Roll bands. In the 90s, I was producing rap and Hip-Hop along with R+B and dance music, but in my mind they were all separate compartments with separate artists. I also looked at songs I loved like RUN DMC and Aerosmith’s “Walk This Way”, and artists like KID ROCK. But I never saw anything like that done with a FEMALE vocalist. And, hello, Tracey was rapping and singing ... why not just have her do BOTH in the same song?"

The pivotal moment came when the chorus for their original song “came to be” one late night. The song was called “Hip-Hop Country Rock Jam”. Tracey’s lyrics tell the story, and it was then that the SOUND of The Xchange was formed. “It could be called “Hip-Hop Country Rock”, it could be called “Country Crunk”, call it whatever you like. There’s nothing better than taking down walls, and I believe we have formed a brand new sound.” Currently, The Xchange are in the studio working on their debut CD. They continue to perform live regularly, and their shows are becoming legendary. The new fusion of sound is exciting and fresh, and mixed the with the live antics of each special band member? THE XCHANGE is definitely a musical force to be reckoned with ... and they are coming soon to a speaker near YOU!!!

“I dig that country, mixed together with a rap beat, add the soul to make it rock me, whatcha got is a Hip-Hop Country Rock jam!” - The Xchange