|
The Small Business
Resource Center (not affilitated with any other SBRC)
|
|
Garage Bands
Liven Up Local Music Scene by E. L. Grant When Bob Lydecker and R.J. Falcioni were in middle school in 1998, the music scene in Darien was dead. To hear live bands, they and their friends had to venture to Greenwich. Even Troop 53, Darien’s only punk-rock band at the time, played out of town. Fast forward to today. Darien boasts at least ten garage bands appearing at lively local shows. On a recent Friday night in January, seven of them played at The Depot, Darien’s teen center, drawing a crowd of over 125 high school kids. This revolution came about as a handful of kids formed bands and created their own performance opportunities. Bob and R.J., who are now juniors, played key roles. “I was tired of having nothing to do. And I wanted my band, DFH, to have a place to perform,” R.J. explained. DFH is only a year old. “Bob and his band, American Upstart, were my inspiration. I went to every one of their shows.” Bob had started American Upstart in early 2000 with his sister and some friends who also wanted to play punk-rock. But they had no place to play. “It’s great that R.J. has a band now because he is arranging shows in Darien that lots of bands can play at. It doesn’t matter how good the bands are, because everyone has fun,” said Bob. “It’s good to give kids something to do besides going to drinking parties,” added R.J. R.J. took the initiative in the fall of 2002 and approached The Depot’s new Program Director, Janice Wiltshire. “R.J. came to me with the idea of a Band Night. He asked if he could bring a couple of his friends’ bands, including his own, to the Depot. I thought, ‘You gotta give ‘em a chance.’” Ms. Wiltshire was particularly impressed because R.J. “organized everything.” The first show, which was last November, featured American Upstart, DFH, The Good Fight, and Harvest, and attracted over 200 kids and raised over $700. “The bands decided to donate all the money to Kids in Crisis, a charity supported by the Depot,” Ms. Wiltshire pointed out. “I thought this was so great that these kids care about others.” “It’s not about money,” said Ian McGill, American Upstart’s guitarist. “Music is a release. It’s energy.” Other band members agreed. Bassist Coleman Miller allowed that music for him is “expression.” Ian had been playing guitar for four years when he joined Coleman and Bob, the drummer, and Pat Kelliher, the vocalist, to form American Upstart. (Guitarist Drew Lydecker is now away at college.) At first American Upstart took elements from other bands they liked such as Rancid, Pennywise and Dropkick Murphys. But over the past three years, they have developed their own style and have written over 20 original songs. They recorded 16 of them in an independent studio last summer to make a full-length CD. Coleman and Ian also designed a web site, www.aucrew.com. Their first real show was a performance in October 2001 to benefit the families of firefighters who were killed in the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center. “We just had to do something,” said Bob. “Coleman is a firefighter in Darien. That’s why we choose the 9-11 fund.” But even then, The Depot was not available, so they put on the event at SHAC at Noroton Presbyterian Church. To find bands to round out the show, Bob had to scour the Internet punk sites and recruited bands from as far away as Torrington, New Haven and Long Island. After that, American Upstart went on to play shows at the Empress Ballroom in Danbury and as far away as East Haddam. Now, thanks to R.J., they are playing regularly in Darien. “Putting on these shows makes more kids want to have bands. There are new bands at every show. Three are playing for the first time tonight,” R.J. said, referring to the January Band Night, which I attended. The event’s appeal impressed me as I witnessed a non-stop stream of kids flow into the Depot, paying $5 a head. Pat Kelliher, who is American Upstart’s vocalist, as well as DFH’s rhythm guitarist, was really excited by the turnout. “Connecticut always has had good music, but in most places unless you fit a certain profile or mold, you’re not accepted. That’s why the Depot stuff is good.” Pat even wrote lyrics focusing on this very point of acceptance in the CT scene. Ian and Bob compose the band’s tunes, but different band members write the words. American Upstart’s songs make striking points about larger issues, rather than focusing on the usual teenage angst promoted by most pop-punk mainstream bands. “We want to have a positive message,” said Pat. The last line of “Join Together”, which he penned, says, “Be tolerant be hopeful/ Cause unity is the key.” And Bob’s “Spirit Within” states, “Always gonna stand up strong/ Don’t let them do me wrong/ Ignore ‘em or stand and fight/ Either way let’s do what’s right.” DFH, R.J.’s band, also conveys their feelings about life. “Back Off”, which R.J. wrote, is about being “straight-edge.” This means living life without drinking, smoking or taking drugs. The entire band, including guitarist Andrew Mullin, bassist Ryan Franklin, and drummer Craig Campbell, is passionate about this philosophy. “But we aren’t preaching,” Pat was quick to point out. “People can make their own decisions. I’m not telling them what to do, just what’s right for me.” Then he proudly added, “I wrote the riff for “Back Off”. It’s the first song I’ve composed!” DFH plays hardcore, which is a harsher and more discordant sound than punk. They practice in Ryan Franklin’s garage. “Every Friday we hear them,” one of their neighbors said. “But it’s great that they want to play music.” Each group appearing at the January Band Night had its own musical niche, ranging from punk to hardcore to no real category. And even though the performance level was uneven, the various band members displayed ability and entertained the audience. This particular show R.J. arranged with Neal Perkins, another kid from Darien High who is a fan of non-mainstream music. “I’ve always loved Marylin Manson,” said Neal excitedly. His band, Vomit Squad, which he characterized as hardcore, opened the evening. It was definitely not a boy band. Neal roared his vocals, while the instruments spewed out general cacophony with an occasional series of notes that were recognizable as riffs. Their repertoire was not deep. And the show quickly moved on to a brand new band, Impossible Shot, made up of three girls and a male drummer. Impossible Shot’s songs had positive lyrics, “I’ll be there for you!” and fine guitar playing. While they were on, the audience jumped and danced in circles. DFH performed “Back Off” and several other original songs. The vocals were raw, but they were accompanied by really decent bass and guitar playing. In fact, Andrew Mullin did a dazzling hard rock guitar solo in their last song. Indie, one of the bands making a public debut, included Ian and Coleman from American Upstart. They played with two friends, Jeff Stuart and Nick Ward. Jeff provided the vocals, and Nick the drums. Nick had been the drummer for Troop 53, which disbanded in 2000. His long experience was evident in his precise and powerful drumming. These talented kids seemed to play with as much energy and speed as they could muster. Trog Door – the Burninator also made their debut, having formed only three days prior to the show. Although some of the members had played in a band called Harvest Time, their newness showed. Despite the ability of the individual instrumentalists, Trog Door was searching for a style and for that magic that comes from all band members connecting mentally. The band Nostalgia was the only one made up of both Darien and Greenwich kids. The Greenwich members brought an entourage of fans with them. Their performance reflected their band’s name, Nostalgia, as the music was reminiscent of the blander, more conventional pop-punk sound that was in vogue a few years ago. Their fans loved it. But one unruly kid who didn’t had to be removed. American Upstart, the headliner, gave an energy-charged performance. They had a unique sound that fused the dissonant harmonies of punk with memorable riffs and themes supported by complex base lines and musical drumming. The band’s vocalist had a forceful delivery and was in constant motion, even jumping in front of the stage to engage the audience. American Upstart’s high level of musicianship set them apart. The audience near the stage danced madly, while kids at the periphery nodded their heads in time to the music. Not bad for a high school band. These local garage bands may not be about to save the music industry, but fame is not important to them. What counts is that they love creating music and are truly enlivening the local scene in an environment free from drugs, alcohol and tobacco. Even more importantly, they are having fun doing it without any adult influence or interference. “That’s the greatest gift,” said Janice Wiltshire. “They do it all themselves.” POSSIBLE SIDE-BARAt last count, Darien boasted the
following garage bands, some of which have members from Greenwich, Stamford and New
Canaan: American Upstart The Good Fight DFH For All It’s Worth Vomit Squad Nostalgia Impossible Shot Indie Chess Club Trog Door – the Burninator
(formerly Harvest Time) |