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Unified Theory boasts a pretty impressive roster. The band came into being when bassist Brad Smith and guitarist Christopher Thorn, formerly of Blind Melon, discovered vocalist Chris Shinn playing in an unsigned band in Los Angeles. After Chris later met up with the duo in their hometown of Seattle and wrote two songs, the next step became clear. "We knew it was something good," explains Smith. "We all said, let's be a band and not do these other side projects. Now it feels so good to have all the elements together." The final element, of course, being drummer Dave Krusen (who actually played drums on Pearl Jam's Ten). Unified Theory just launched a multi-month North American tour this week, and are all set to release their debut album, Unified Theory, out Aug. 15 on Universal's 3:33 Music Group label. The record, a mix of alt-rock and soaring soundscapes, was produced by the band and mixed by Dave Bottrill (of Peter Gabriel, Tool, and Remy Zero fame). It's certainly inevitable that Unified Theory will attract a great deal of Blind Melon references, but Smith isn't worried about being pigeonholed. "I think people readily look for the Blind Melon comparison," Smith says. "But our focus is Chris Shinn's voice. It's way more smooth and more of a modern take on melody." Blind Melon came to an end in 1995 after frontman Shannon Hoon died of a drug overdose. "We were a good band and it's great to hear the kind of respect from a lot of people. I'm proud of it." But why not talk about everyone's favorite issue, dear Napster? Like most, Smith says he has mixed opinions. "With Napster, people can listen to your music for free," Smith says. "But the bottom line is if the music is good, they're gonna go buy the record. It is free advertisement, but you know what? We weren't asked. It's giving away a product without the author's permission." Check www.unifiedtheorymusic.com for tour info, news, pictures, music, and more.