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Asheville Music Jamboree - June 1-3, 2007 - Take 1

Posted by: trevor | June 6th, 2007

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As I sit at my computer and download the photographs my family and I had taken over the weekend, I cannot help but reminisce about those wonderful days in the North Carolina Mountains.

As a volunteer, my three children and I arrived on Thursday and set up camp in what was to become the “family camping” area. By Friday afternoon this small wooded glen was filled up with wonderful families, whose children became fast friends, playing endless games of tag and exploring. And what exploring there was! On our first day we found several wonderful places to swim (there were two lakes) and a wonderful babbling brook to wade in. The water was cold, yet refreshing. It was a nice treat after getting all sweaty setting up camp.

Summer Camp Music Festival - May 25-27, 2007

Posted by: Anonymous | June 5th, 2007

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As music-and-camping festivals become more and more ubiquitous, there are an increasing number of ways that enthusiasts categorize their favorite, and not so favorite, summer haunts. There are the “massive festies” that will certainly not fail to be a party touched with large-scale hedonism, nearly 24-hour activity and welcomed sensory overload, i.e. Bonnaroo in Tennessee and 10,000 Lakes in Minnesota. There are the “chill festies” like Connecticut’s long-standing Gathering of the Vibes and California’s High Sierra.

PART 1: Of or Pertaining to a Certain Grit…

Euforquestra is an eclectic world-beat ensemble from Iowa City, IA with interests in different cultural and traditional musics from all over the globe. The band has made a mission statement out of preserving different traditions, undescriminatingly trying anything at least once and fusing different styles that appeal to them. The self-proclaimed "Afro-Caribbean-Barnyard-Funk" touches on such genres as Afrobeat, Afro-Cuban, Samba, Soca, Funk, Reggae, and Bluegrass.
     Interview with Matt Grundstad of Euforquestra

Interview by: Stephen Reinheimer

HGMN: Euforquestra--the name can be a bit difficult to pronounce. Who came up with the name? Where does it come from? What is its significance?

Matt: The band was originally called Euforia. After adding a horn section and extra percussion, we all looked at our stage setup and thought it looked like an orchestra. So... combine Euforia with orchestra, give it a Spanglish sort of spelling to represent the Afro-Latin aspect of our sound, and you get Euforquestra (pronounced yoo-FOR-kes-tra).

HGMN: Being an eclectic band, how is it decided what genre is played? Does everyone agree in musical taste? Do certain band members yield a stronger interest in other areas than others?

Matt: We just try to keep our minds open. We don't always agree on everything, but when we write and/or arrange music, we try to find ways to incorporate everyone's ideas. That is one of the reasons why people have a hard time categorizing us. If you break our songs down, you can see elements of many different musical styles all occurring at the same time. Each member specializes in different things. We use that to our advantage by working together and learning from each other.

HGMN: Being such a young band, what were some of the things you were involved with individually (or collectively) before Euforquestra was born?

Matt: All 7 of us have been musicians our whole lives. We've all participated in wide variety of musical endeavors (some school related, some not) and have learned from many different teachers. While each of us have musical grounds that are unique from one another, we all share the ideology that any musical experience will make us better musicians. As a result, we have a very versatile group.
As far as formal education goes, most of the band members have music degrees. I have a degree in percussion performance from the University of Iowa and I have traveled to Cuba on two separate occasions where I participated in intensive workshops on folkloric Afro-Cuban drumming, singing, and dancing. Adam Grosso (bass) got his undergraduate degree from the University of Northern Illinois before he went on to get his Masters Degree in percussion at the University of Iowa. He has also studied folkloric music in Cuba, and in Trinidad. Both of our saxophone players studied jazz at the University of Northern Iowa. When Austin Zaletel (alto sax) was done with college, he went to live in Brazil for 6 months where he studied many styles of music including Samba, Bossa Nova, Forro, and Capoeira.

HGMN: Were you all always friends? How did you meet?

Matt: We all met each other by being active in the Iowa City music scene. I think it was persistence that brought us together. We've all watched each other play with different groups over the years that have come and gone. In order to get a good band together that is going to last, several things need to happen. First, you need to find musicians who are proficient on their instruments. Out of that group, you have to find people that have similar musical interests and who can get along with each other. From that group, you have to find people that have a common goal. Not every musician wants to play full-time and deal with all of the grunt work that goes along with it. As groups develop and get more serious about what they're doing, the less dedicated members tend to get filtered out and replaced by people who are a better fit for the direction that the band is headed in. That's what happened to us. Our group started in the late 90's, but has only been together in it's current form for about 3 years. Now we have a group where everyone shares the common goal of taking this band as far as we possibly can.

HGMN: Your schedule this summer appears to be fairly busy. Would you say traveling fits Euforquestra as a band? Or do you consider yourselves better as a studio band?

Matt: We love to travel and play live shows. That is our favorite part of doing what we do. We love the studio, too, but for different reasons. For one thing, putting good studio albums together enables us to get gigs. It's our "ticket to the ball game" if you will. But also, spending time in the studio really helps with the song writing process and tightens up the band. When you're in the studio working on a song for hours on end, you are forced to look at all of the fine details and intricacies of your music that you might have overlooked otherwise. Listening to recordings of yourself lets you get a different perspective on what your music sounds like. Just because something is fun to play doesn't necessarily mean it's going to be fun to listen to.

HGMN: I couldn't help but notice your tour dates were predominately in the Midwest. Do you have plans to expand coast-to-coast? What is preventing you from a broader touring region?

Matt: Our main reason for spending so much time in the Midwest, as opposed to being on the road constantly, has had to do with our availability. We wanted to let everybody in the group have a chance to get their college degrees. That limited us to weekends, spring break, and summer vacation. As of last December, we're all finished with school so we're starting to broaden our touring region. We've spent most of our time concentrating on Colorado, but have also played at clubs and festivals in Texas, New Mexico, Idaho, and Montana. Within the next few months, we'll have also made it out to both coasts.

HGMN: Which do you prefer, festivals or concerts? Why?

Matt: Definitely festivals. For one thing, we love to play outside. It's way more fun and satisfying than playing in some smoky bar (weather permitting, of course). Also, it's an opportunity for us to play for new audiences. People that hang out in bars or clubs tend to fall into specific age ranges and demographics. A good festival will bring out people of all ages, and from all walks of life. While these people's musical tastes may vary, they are all congregating in the same place for the same reasons. They want to be part of a music community. The idea of fostering community is very important to us. In America, a lot of people tend to listen to their music privately (e.g. in their car on the way to work, or walking around listening to their headphones). There is also a tendency for children to want to listen to something other than what their parents like and vice-versa. The Euforquestra plays a lot of music that originates in places like Cuba, Brazil, and West Africa where playing and listening to music is almost always a community event where everyone participates in some way. Playing festivals helps facilitate that type of atmosphere. There's no reason why we as Americans should segregate each other based on age.
Festivals also provide us with a great networking opportunity. It's always fun for us to meet other bands and talk to all of the people who work behind the scenes to make everything run smoothly. We have our own festival called Camp Euforia that we throw each summer just South of Iowa City so it's nice to get advice from other people who put on similar events. This year, our 4th annual festival will be held on July 13 and 14. Check out www.campeuforia.com for more info.

HGMN: You categorize yourself as an Afro-Caribbean-Barnyard-Funk band. Who first defined your music this way? Would you consider yourselves to revolutionary? Do you know any other bands that would fit in this category?

Matt: People are always asking us to describe our music by putting it into a specific category. That's not an easy thing to do because the answer to that question would depend on which song they are asking about. Since we don't stick to any specific genre, we decided to describe it the same way it is created: by combining genres. Most if not all new music in the world that gets created and would be considered "original" is a product of combining ideas that already exist. It's kind of like a painter painting a red circle. Red circles have been used before, but how is that particular artist going to use it? What other colors or ideas is he/she going to combine it with? What types of emotions is that painting going to evoke? It's those types of things that will make the art original as opposed to being just another red circle.

HGMN: Why is it that you call your horn players Ryan Jeter and Austin Zaletel the Stank Horns?

Matt: All I can say is that they didn't choose the name... the name chose them

HGMN: So, the Stank Horns worked with Millstream Brewery to create a pale ale which will be provided at Camp Euforia Outdoor. Are there any plans for other beers in the future? Where else can we expect to see these beers sold?

Matt: They've been brewing beer for a few months now and have already come up with several delicious recipes. The one that Millstream is currently brewing is called E.P.A. which stands for Euforquestra Pale Ale. If you like hops, you're gonna love the E.P.A. If not, keep your eyes open for different flavors in the future (including the Stank Dank). Camp Euforia will be the first time that the Stank Horns' beer will be sold, but it definitely won't be the last.

Blueground Undergrass was originally formed in 1998 by Reverend Jeff Mosier. While breaking up in 2002, the band came back together with a multifacet music mix and some new faces. The band is composed of Mosier (vocals, banjo), David Blackmon (mandolin, fiddle), Matthew Williams (guitar, vocals), Seth Hendersot (drums, percussion, vocals), and A.J. Adams (4 string and 5 string Fretless Electric Bass Guitar). The sound of Blueground Undergrass brings audiences to their feet. Their new album Faces combines an energetic bluegrass sound with the freedom for improvisational mastery. When I caught up to the Reverend Jeff Mosier he was able to speak about his upcoming festivals, his views on animal rights, influences in his music and the composition of the new Blueground Undergrass.
Interview by - Erin Wheeler Wesner


HGMN: What future projects are you going to be doing, if any?

Rev. Jeff Mosier: Not really sure. We are talking about a DVD and I personally want to work on a pod cast about music and the mind. There are a lot of new shows up on archive.org of the line-up we have now with Seth Hendershot on drums and A.J. Adams on bass. David Blackmon and Matthew Williams and Myself remain on the front line so to speak. We would love to do something visual that would allow us some footage to talk about what we do and the process of BGUG.

HGMN: What category would you put your music style into and why?

Rev. Jeff Mosier: Experimental on many levels. We are bending genres and trying styles and instruments that have never worked together in music. Banjo and fiddle driven rock hasn't been done that much in the past. We are song driven roots rock with bluegrass sensibilities at the end of the day. Sometimes I honestly don't really know how to describe what we do. What we do is more like watching a cooking show than watching a band. The process is more interesting live then what ends up on tape at times. We urbanize rural ideas and ruralize urban ideas.

HGMN: Who is your biggest musical influence?

Rev. Jeff Mosier: Col. Bruce Hampton. Ret. nobody else comes close for me. The band would list also Vassar Clements, Bob Dylan, Wilco, Jay Farrar, Gram Parsons, Ween, Grateful Dead, New Grass Revival and Bill Monroe, and many more

HGMN: Who is the person in your life that impacts you the most outside of music?

Rev. Jeff Mosier: My wife Kathleen and my children. Col. Bruce Hampton, Eckhart Tolles the philosopher, Writer Kurt Vonnegut, Jon Stewart host of "The Daily Show", Bill Moyer, Jazz pianist Kenny Werner's book "Effortless Mastery", The book "The Four Agreements" by Daniel Ruiz, Various fans of the band that have become my friends over the years, Books on tape, My personal trainer at the YMCA whenever I get off my ass and go see him and stick to the program. Dr. Andrew Weil and his books on health and nutrition, PBS and NPR. Fred Rogers when he was alive. Movies like "What the Bleep do we know" and the "The Secret" and all great independent films that try to document human existence with a bent towards changing it for the better. Bloggers. Comedians George Carlin, Dave Chapelle, Lewis Black and Bob Newhart.

HGMN: Blueground Undergrass has made many transitions since first beginning, how do you think these changes have impacted your fans?

Rev. Jeff Mosier: I'm not really sure. Our real fans talk to us and understand the changes. I never have thought that we were popular enough to make that big of an impact on many people. The band has always hovered in a small cult like status and never "broke" out in the true sense of popularity. If I had ever measured our success that way it would not have lasted as long as it has. I always tried to get the music right and the line-up stable without worrying about "making it". "Making it", to me, is simply making music that you are happy with and that challenges you. Obviously line-up stability has been a struggle for the band since the beginning. Some of it was directly my decision and some was just a function of life changes and circumstances in the lives of some of the early members. The biggest struggle I think for people was the abrupt nature of the break-up, which was sad but necessary at the time. We were all done on some level with various aspects of BGUG. They were mostly done with me. I get that now, I didn't then. Life is all about learning from life itself. I hope I have done that. Having regrets is an exercise of futility and forgiveness is a gift you give yourself as a good friend once told me right after the band broke down. Seth and AJ in my mind and in the mind of many if the first truly suited bass and drummer for BGUG. They hold the music up without stylistically coloring everything with a specific sound. They are great players, but they also can play simple and yet they bring their own ideas to the table since they have known each other since high school. They are also curious and interested in BGUG's music, which has not always been the case with all players. I think their agenda is simply to be the best they can be for the music and that's hard to find sometimes in drummers and bass players. If you haven't heard us live lately you would probably be really surprised and no one is harder on BGUG then I am. We are really having fun and the shows have been everything I ever wanted in my vision of Blueground Undergrass.

HGMN: The addition of Matt Williams has brought a new flavor and sound to the band. What is Matt's background and how did you begin working with him?

Rev. Jeff Mosier: I produced a record for "Captain Soularcat" when he was in that band. That is where we met. He had had several bands mainly based out of Carrollton, Ga. And the only one I had heard of was "Dysfunction Junction" back during the days of "The Dunham's" when they had played a radio event. He's great and he sings and he writes and he's nothing like me which is great. His heroes are many of mine and I really liked his songs and mostly loved his drive and his pure intent for being on stage. He needed a band that would showcase his material and put him under the kind of performance pressure that everyone needs to get that edge that only comes from playing all the time. He immediately rose to the occasion and gets better and better at his craft as time goes on as we all hopefully do. It reminds me of what happened to my playing when I joined ARU, it was do or die for me back then. His songs are great, his voice is great and he loves people and he's not only easy to work with but he is a pleasure to be around which is hard to find when you lead a band and you're looking for people. Bruce used to say "you have to be a person first and player second." So many people come to bands with so much to prove and with a chip on their shoulder. Matthew just wants to play and learn and be, he's great that way and teachable on many other levels as well. I've never enjoyed being on stage with anybody as much as I do him. If nothing else ever comes out of BGUG, I will be proud of having at least had a small part in revealing to the world the talent of Matthew Williams.

HGMN: Many fans certainly want to know, what is going on with the bass player situation and why hasn't there been consistency?

Rev. Jeff Mosier: There is consistency now. You have to find a "rhythm section" not just a bass player and drummer. They have to want to work together or the music sucks. People forget that the first rhythm section I played with in rock was Jeff Sipe and Oteil Burbridge. My standard is high and if it's not right, meaning the feel and the improvisational pairing of skills, BGUG can't do the thing that we do best which is improvise through songs and inside of songs. Fans often project way to much on the situation as if it were always personal. Don't get me wrong business is personal, but like in any business you have to have the right person for the job. Just because someone is nice and the fans like him or her doesn't mean they are right for the band and the music of the band. Many bands in my opinion let their music suffer in order to avoid conflict. The jam band community is often guilty of thinking that if everybody just loves each other the music will be great. Chemistry often happens between people who struggle to get along. The music must come first. The ultimate way to cheat yourself, your music and ultimately your fans is to compromise the music itself. I do yearn sometimes to hear a fan say, "Hey I appreciate all that you have gone through as a band to find the right player and boy I can hear the difference". But fans don't know music like we do. They may never hear the difference, but we do. Also fans forget that people's wants and needs change and people leave bands for many reasons. Not everyone that has left BGUG has been fired. Usually people in this culture imagine the worse because that is how the media programs us. I can tolerate all kinds of bullshit, but being on stage with someone who doesn't want to be there doesn't last long for me. Nothing kills music faster than that. Everybody has got to be comfortable with things, not just me. That's just how making music together works. I see bands all the time and I can look up there on stage while they are playing and see the conflict and for me it's so distracting. You can't hide it if you're like me. I'm way to sensitive and vulnerable to try and hide my feelings. It's just not worth it to me if the music doesn't fire on all cylinders and work on every level. Fans have supported line-ups of this band that could barely get through the tunes and we sucked at the time, so I learned long ago to never let fans dictate musical standards. It has to be right for the band. It's music, not hamburgers!!

HGMN: David Blackmon has been playing with you for years even throughout your own projects, do you feel that you and David speak your own language on stage at times?

Rev. Jeff Mosier: We met on stage with WSP at the Fox NYE 1998 and we played our first BGUG gig 2/20/98 at Smith's Olde Bar in Atlanta opening for Col. Bruce and the Fiji Mariners. He was the first person I hired because he was like a musical soul mate in that he had been in rock and other music like me, but at his core he was a real bluegrasser. With the exception of my brother Johnny, we play better together than anybody I have ever been on stage with. We are born the same year 2 1/2 months apart and our musical journey has been almost identical. I'm an air sign and he's earth and we get along great. People wouldn't believe it but we have never had a blowout or conflict of any kind or a cross word. Everybody should be blessed to have a friend like that. Even when we had to let him go in 1999 we didn't argue or let it cause us conflict. I think we have the healthiest respect for one another and that is at the core of our success as friends. He trusts my intentions and my sensibilities as a bandleader and if he has questions he talks with me. David is also a genius on many levels and he keeps my music mind going and my other mind going. I get bored with most people really fast but he is an explosion of knowledge and surprises always. He is a computer wiz, amp repairmen, studio equipment junkie, loves comedy, loves old instruments and the list goes on. He has tons of road and studio experience and in the true sense of the word is a veteran of stage and craft. He has been through a lot and recovered from a lot and plays better than ever and is happier than ever. Getting him back out playing is a gift that most fans have yet to appreciate. He is a legend, that is not just something I say on stage to be cute. His rants and discourses on life and music in the van could be a movie. Most people have no idea what an incredibly amazing human he is. He sits there in that chair and just blows all of our minds on stage. His ear is always in the past and in the future at the same time. David and Bruce Hampton are no doubt my two best friends. In the early days of the band David really helped me figure out how to rock without killing the bluegrass, which was my greatest challenge since I had never had a band with drums and electric guitar. He knew, along with my brother Johnny Mosier where I was trying to go with the music. Not everyone who has been in the band has really believed that a band with banjo and fiddle could or even should rock. David has rocked and is one of the best guitar players ever. He's a wizard player and knows electronics and effects and amps. He has helped many of the players including me try to get the sound we were going for. He reads all the latest magazines and knows more than most 20-year-old kids about modern music technology. He's always been to many of the players like a "Yoda", and all with no ego, imagine that. He's great and I consider myself one of his biggest fans.

HGMN: What is your philosophy on music and how it represents you as a person?

Rev. Jeff Mosier: Music should be true and should communicate all aspects of human existence. It should be presented with playful reverence, gratefulness for one's talent and sensitivity to those who are within earshot. I hate selling it and making money on it, but we have to support ourselves. I wish culture would support music for its value. I think more people love music now then we realize. However, I wish live music wasn't so connected to the beer, pot and pussy vibe of the American bar scene. Playing to people who have drunk themselves back to fourth grade loses its charm, as you get older. You know they don't hear what you are doing. They can't. I try to find the real listeners and play to them.
   Cover bands, tribute bands, and rave sounding bands are really taking up a lot of space now. Lights shows and grooves are like the latest ride at Six Flags. It's almost like they are saying, you bring the drugs and we will supply the proper sensory stimulation. There's really nothing wrong with that but I wouldn't call it music as much as I would call it disco or rave. "Jamming" can't be planned or it's not jamming. If the lighting guy knows what is going to happen next then it has been done before. Imagine 200 cars planning a traffic jam. A Jam is something you "get out of " and not something you plan to "get into". The momentary confusion during a real "jam" on stage and the dependence you have to on each other skills in that moment is what makes for interesting sound, not lights and orgasmic solo explosions happening on cue. If you jam you're a jam band and if you don't you are something else. ARU is my template. We played for hours and never discussed anything. It may have sounded crazy but it was jamming. I wish more original bands would emerge. It's hard when bands are doing other people's music and playing for nothing at a lot of these festivals just for the exposure. I've seen it for years. They last for a while, run out of dad's money and then get out. Myspace.com, which I love, has created a lot of opportunity for all music to be quickly promoted, even badly played music. By "bad" I mean not musically good, out of tune, out in time, not artistically original, not well thought out or presented with seriousness of intent that would assure longevity. Imagine if filmmakers put out work as fast and with as little experience as most bands nowadays are popping up. The desire to feel important, meet chicks, get laid or have drug connections is undoubtedly still the driving force behind many bands. I know I listen to hundreds of backstage conversations all over the country. The craft of playing live music has been replaced by almost a karaoke kind of vide from bands that feel good about doing music somebody else has already done and done much better at that. Music deserves better, but it's all just an extension of our culture. I want people to say that we "sound a lot like Blueground Undergrass", not some other band. The book "The New Earth" by Eckhart Tolles is helping me try to let go of so much of what I thought was important about being a musician. We should all take music more serious and not ourselves as much. We have dummied it down a lot over time in this culture. Festivals like Magnolia and Springfest revive the power and importance of music. I wish more evolved promoters would emerge like Beth and Randy Judy and more online music pod-casting and ways to get more into what is behind the music and it's power and meaning. It's all getting better, but the way for the bar to be raised in music lies directly with the musicians. If we cheapen it we hurt only ourselves and diminish music's future value in society.

HGMN: What is your favorite musical venue and why?

Rev. Jeff Mosier: Festivals and theatres are the best. We want to do more of that.

HGMN: Dogstock is such a unique festival because of the purpose it is serving. What is your view on animal rights and how do you think music plays a part in it?

Rev. Jeff Mosier: I was a vet tech for 14 years. I was going to be a vet. I have nine cats, two Chihuahuas and a Jack Russell terrier. David Blackmon's dad was the president of the UGA VET School for years and David himself has worked with livestock all of his life as a vet tech and developing feed programs for cattle, a skill most people don't know he has. Musicians should do anything to bring about any change towards more civilized human behavior. Live music is powerful that way I think.

To find out more information about tour dates for Blueground Undergrass, visit BluegroundUndergrass.com. Tickets for Dogstock Music Festival are on sale now. Check out the artist lineup at DogStockFestival.com. 
MJ Project creates an exciting blend of instrumental groove, funk, electronica, complex rock and progressive jazz. The 4-piece band, which has been together since high school, creates a rich and cosmic sound based heavily on improvisation. As a result of their constant desire to find new influences and ability to play together without any pressure, the members of MJ Project have evolved together at their own comfortable but rapid pace.
Interview By Melissa Bruck

HGMN: What does your name stand for?

Paul Weinstein of MJ Project: This question is a lot more complicated, I think, than most interviewers realize. You see, we've been performing together for several years (since middle school), and we had performed under various awful names that I'm too ashamed to even repeat right now. One summer when we were really young, Ben Karp (our guitarist) and I were away at camp, I believe, and Ian and Jinx decided they wanted to make some money and get some experience, so they obtained several gigs, just drums and keyboards. For whatever reason, they settled on MJ Project, standing for McGuire and Joglekar, their last names, and "Project" because it was really a side project to the other band, which hadn't really broken up but wasn't really playing much. Interestingly, they started to generate a decent audience at these MJ Project shows, playing original tunes that Ian had written but never shown us in the other band. After I got back, I started learning those songs, and Ian and Jinx asked me to play some MJ Project gigs with them; it wasn't long before Karp joined us again too. Since they were starting to establish something with the name MJ Project, we just stuck with it for a while; neither Karp nor I were offended that our names weren't part of it. After a few years, we considered changing it, but couldn't find anything better; we feel like we've grown into this identity as the MJ Project, where the M and J really can just stand for whatever you want as a listener. Sorry if that sounds pretentious. The alternative is to ask one of us when we're in a particularly goofy (or drunk) mood, at which point you'll receive various nonsensical but certainly intriguing interpretations.

HGMN: You guys are based out of Philly, did you all grow up there?

Paul: As noted above, yes, we did. All of us were in the same school system since kindergarten, though Karp and Ian go back further, I believe. We became friends in middle school and sort of just grew and evolved musically together, both in terms of what we've been listening to and our own personal skills on our instruments. It's actually quite a nice little suburb just north of Philly called Cheltenham; it's a decent community with a lot of great people that have supported us for a while. But it's especially awesome to be able to have a great, thriving city scene so close by (not to mention, New York, Baltimore, and several other cities ain't so far away either). Philly has been very good to us and we're always flattered when people tell us we have a "Philly sound," even if we don't quite know what that means.

HGMN: Please briefly describe each of your musical backgrounds.

Paul: I started obsessing over music when I really started digging into my dad's record collection around age 10 or 11, and picked up the guitar shortly after. I somewhat stereotypically picked up bass because no one else would around 9th grade, but it was the best decision I ever made, and I've never looked back. I took lessons for about 6-7 years and stopped when I went to college, but while there I performed in various jazz combos and big bands. Didn't actually study music, but still played and evolved, i think, quite a bit.
Jinx (drums) - Has been playing drums as far back as I can remember, even like in elementary school. He took lessons throughout high school, then went to University of Pittsburgh, where he majored in Physics and Music and continued studying the instrument and gigging around town. He went to Africa one summer and studied all kinds of traditional drumming and dance, then wrote a ridiculously impressive thesis on the subject. I like to think this has translated heavily into his playing.
Ian (Keyboards) - Also has been playing piano forever. He was "that kid" in high school, always the accompanist for the musicals, etc., but without all the stereotypical geekiness normally associated with that job (well, maybe SOME of it). But more than that, he was the first kid the really have any talent in terms of improvising, and that set him apart from all the other musicians at our school; everyone recognized there was something special about his playing pretty early on. He went to Berklee School of Music in Boston, where he majored in Jazz Performance and actually graduated, unlike many Berklee kids. He won several scholarships and was definitely a superstar. Today, he teaches students on piano and drums and performs as part of several groups in several settings.
Ben (guitar) - I think he started guitar around the same time as me, except he wasn't cool enough to realize that switching to bass was a good idea. Anyway, he took lessons throughout school and also went to college in Pittsburgh (Carnegie Mellon University), where somehow he woke up one day and discovered he had turned into a jazz guitar genius. I kid you not. It was like one day, he sounded all right, the next day he was blowing minds. He spent a lot of time teaching and gigging, and just plain practicing, for hours on end. He created his own jazz-related major and performed in groups around town, really built a name for himself. He also teaches students today through various schools, including the Paul Green School of Rock.

HGMN: How long have you all been playing together?

Paul: As I said, since middle school. The lineup we're currently in hasn't changed since 10th grade. I see this as a kind of "advantage" we have over some other groups, especially for a band that is very focused on improvisation and keeping things interesting instrumentally. A lot of groups form quickly with a bunch of strangers that hardly know each other on a personal level, let alone a musical one. Plus, many musicians have a tough time balancing the need to make money off of being a musician, in order to make ends meet, with taking the time to really make their bands sound good and professional; so they might start gigging in public for cash, but sound horrible, and end up getting nowhere because it's just not working. We were able to get that all out of the way while we were still young and living at home, mooching off our parents, without having to worry about actually making a living off of what we were doing at first. In other words, we were privileged to get all the bad stuff out of the way before anyone was listening, without much pressure, and this has allowed us to sound much tighter and more professional considering we're fairly new on the actual scene.


HGMN: How would you describe your style?

Paul: Always a tough question. "Instrumental" is always important to say early in the description. More specifically, though, I always like to use words like "funk/rock/groove", definitely with an electronic influence. I think "progressive" is a good word too, because we do try to take a lot of definable stuff and do something else with it that pushes it ahead. I sometimes hesitate to use the word "jazz", although I'd be ignorant to say we weren't jazz-influenced and didn't sound quite jazzy at times. We improvise a lot, we solo a lot, we never play a song the same way twice; but I don't feel like we fit well into the serious jazz scene, and we sometimes feel awkward at jazz clubs. Progressive jazz might be a better way of putting it. Throw "progressive" in front of anything and it makes it OK, right?

HGMN: Do you guys have any pets?

Paul: We sure do! We're big on dogs. I have a rather large golden retriever named Jackson, Karp has a very excitable pit bull-type dog named Zac, and Ian has an energetic young cocker spaniel named Iggy. I also have a cat named Daisy, who likes to boss Jackson around. It's awesome.

HGMN: How do you feel about the Dogstock cause?

Paul: It's a great bonus for a great gig that we were already excited about playing. It's kind of like this: Three of us, plus several of our friends, are vegetarians, not necessarily exclusively for animal rights reasons, but it certainly helps to know we're doing something that could make a positive dent in the lives of other living beings. I personally like to believe that what goes around does someday come back around, so the more positive your life, the better for everyone and everything you reach.

HGMN: What do you think sets you guys apart from other "jam" bands out there?

Paul: Again, like I said before, I feel like we have almost an "advantage" in that we have years of playing experience that a lot of newer bands don't have before they start to reach a larger audience. We're able to communicate very well through our instruments; we can take risks without worrying if the other guys will react well enough to make it work. I also like to think something interesting about us is that we're able to admit to ourselves when something is NOT working... If we're practicing a song or a cover or something, and it's just not coming together, we will keep trying, but if it's REALLY just not working, we'll scrap it and focus on something else that we're sure we CAN get. We try to make sure our shows live up to the high standards we set for ourselves.

HGMN: Please describe your ultimate dream show.

Paul: Personally, a dream show for me would involve a lot of positive audience response and connection. I'm talking about a large group of genuine fans that know our songs on such a level that they can anticipate every little transition and nuance, but are also excited to hear the different directions in which we take them and actually surprised by our surprises. Mass active listening is another way of putting it. It would be a huge bonus if this show also included all our closest friends and family, and maybe even some of our fellow musician friends from all over, sharing the bill. That sounds good, yeah.

HGMN: What are your plans for the summer?

Paul: I dunno, I'm hoping to stop typing these probably unnecessarily long answers before July :) Just giggin' and workin' and chillin' I suppose. 

The Avett Brothers - Emotionalism CD

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Aptly named, these artists introduce listeners to their “emotional” sides on this new, 14 track album. Due to be released on May 12th, “Emotionalism” sports songs with names such as “Shame,” “The Ballad of Love and Hate,” “Living of Love” and “Paranoia in Bb Major”. This CD has a masterful blend of the light and airy tune to the most despondent of ballads. The lyrics are heart felt, truthful and can hit uncannily close to home. The three members of this talented group of artists, Scott and Seth Avett, along with bassist Bob Crawford, did well with this one.
Labeled an art-space jamband by some, and an electronic indie-pop band by others, it’s clear that Metro Detroit’s Bump is poised to explode on the scene! With the release of the debut LP Incredible Consequence, Bump succeeds in showcasing their extraordinary songwriting skills forged on top of a dynamic neo-synth hook-driven brand of intelligent rock.

Interview by Clara Rose Thornton


Close your eyes for a moment and envision Detroit, Michigan. If you've never ventured there before, the image that invades your mind probably comes straight from modern folklore -- abandoned blocks, burned-out hulls of buildings, empty car-manufacturing plants with rusty old Ford license plates rattling along the ground in the breeze. Now imagine the Detroit of yore, the Detroit of Motown's heyday or of mid-1970s rock. Did the image change to ingenues shimmying until dawn, afroed funk musicians laying down a groove and long-haired rocker boys air-guitaring into the night? Well, the reality is that Detroit's wholly unique culture and incredible vitality has not vanished along with its foothold in the auto industry, and it is precisely this music that has kept its thread of life long and sinewy. Detroit neo-synth/electro-funk darlings Bump arrived on the scene in 2001, and with their constant DIY touring and increasingly widespread praise and recognition, the glory days are poised to return. This summer, with their biggest nationwide tour ever, they'll be gracing the stages of several festivals -- most notably Dogstock, in Melvern, Kansas, a fest where proceeds from the 100+ band, four-stage extravaganza go directly to The Akita Adoption and Rescue Foundation. Funk inflections, 80's-inspired synths, soaring guitar riffs, angelic keyboards AND a good heart? You've got to read lead singer Yorg Kerasiotis tell it to believe it. Detroit Rock City, indeed.


HGMN - This is the second time that I've interviewed you guys. The last time I interviewed you it was after your July 2006 Wise Fools Pub show with Bockman, in Chicago. I remember that (lead guitarist) Chris Sterr had just recently suffered a severe health blow.

Yorg Kerasiotis - Yes, that was his first show back. He's fine now; everything's back to 100%

HGMN - If my memory serves me right, you guys didn't even cancel any of your shows at the time -- you just forged on without him for a while.

YK - We had our producer come and fill in on guitar, which wasn't the same, but at least he knew all the songs. We did it without him, but it went fine.

HGMN - Wow. See, that road warrior sort of dedication seems like it's been a Bump mainstay from the beginning.

YK - That's the way it's been for six years.

HGMN - And it seems to be truly manifesting this summer. You're having your largest
and most comprehensive tour ever -- 40 dates in 17 states.

YK - (chuckles) Yeah, yeah; it's going to be great. We're really excited about it.

HGMN - How did that come about?

YK - To be honest with you, we usually like to tour for a month, then take a couple weeks off, go another month, then take a couple weeks off. You know, month by month by month. Although, now, two members of the band are getting married -- in August and September. So we're taking a month off in mid-August, and therefore decided to do the big, BIG tour right now. We're not stopping touring until mid-August. We're booked pretty solid. And then right after I get married, we're going out to California and to play there and then in Oregon, and next head down south and hit up Arizona, New Mexico and all that good stuff on the way down.

HGMN - Nice. Congratulations on the wedding, by the way.

YK - Yeah, lookout! Thanks! (laughs)

HGMN - Who else is getting married?

YK - Chris Sterr, actually -- the one you just talked about.

HGMN - Ah! Excellent! That's so beautiful.

YK - When it's the one, it's the one. That's all that matters.

HGMN - True words. Getting back to this touring aesthetic that you guys have adopted -- this principle of not canceling shows, of garnering more fans, of spreading your music and your style to as many people as possible across the largest landscape possible -- was this the goal when you decided to form the band?

YK - Always. We get categorized with the jambands a lot, yet if you actually go see a show, [you'll see that] we're very different than the quintessential jamband. Like, way different. If folks go see us, they'll think, "What are these guys? They're not anything specific that I've ever seen." But the one thing we do take from jambands is that we've always wanted to tour constantly. We're all about playing live, and becoming better musicians through playing live. That's always the goal, no matter what.

HGMN - Can you describe the band's origins?

YK - At Michigan State University we started. We branched off from there. We wanted to get as big as we could in Michigan. That all basically climaxed this year: We sold out the Majestic Theater in Detroit, which I think is around 1,300 people. It was absolutely the best; we had been playing there for four years. Currently we play all over Michigan and the Midwest. We're doing really well in Chicago. Though we wanted to branch out, so we started hitting up Colorado and all over the rest of the United States as much as we could. The name (Bump) has been getting bigger and bigger, so we can get the shows we want to get.

HGMN - Did you guys go to high school together?

YK - We all grew up in the same town. The bass player (Erick Novak) and the drummer (Clint Carpenter) went to the same high school, while the guitarist (Sterr) and I went to the same high school. We were the only two in the town - the North and South high schools. Everybody knew each other there.

HGMN - So what is it about music, and about rock n' roll specifically, that drove you to want to form a band, that drove you to create? In other words, what is it about the specific capabilities of the musical medium that spoke to you more than, say, wanting to make films with these guys or write books? Why music?

YK - I think that for all of the guys, ever since we were kids, we didn't see ourselves as doing anything other than being in band. That was it. It was like, something hit us. I could tell you a million influences that I've had throughout the years, just like the other members could. But mainly it's just that when we were kids, that's all we wanted to do. Since middle school, late elementary school... ever since we could have talent shows, we were in the talent shows. It was like, "When's the next gig?" When we were in sixth grade, we were thinking, "When can we get more gigs?" We were tired of just doing talent shows. [We thought to ourselves] can we play the coffeehouse, or can we play a bar down the street? We were barely 14 and trying to get gigs already. I guess that the combination of MTV and Motown in general - the oldies - greatly influenced us. We had good radio stations in Detroit. We knew about all the oldies before [other kids]. A lot of people would ask, "Are you kidding me? You're talking about somebody that was big thirty years ago." Well, yeah! That's what we know. We integrate all types and eras of music. We've always been influenced by it and we always thought we'd be a band.

HGMN - Given that philosophy about the joy of music, the joy of playing and how that was with you from the beginning, do you see a difference between the types of gigs that you get as an ever-touring band? For instance, the clubs versus these massive summer festivals that you're starting to be more involved in: Do you see a difference between those two touring experiences?

YK - At the clubs, the drawback is that no matter if you're the biggest band [on the bill] or the smallest, it's always hard to get people out. But you get a lot of good set-up time, you get your set right, you get a longer time to play. Yet we'll take the festivals anytime. It's just a gathering of people; so many people can utilize that time to come see you, even to come see three or four songs. If they love it, that's great. You can take the whole weekend to promote yourself. You bring CDs, you go around; for 10,000 Lakes and Dogstock we'll probably bring about 1,000 CDs to each. We'll distribute them and tell people about the gig. Even after the gig's over -- after we get done playing -- we'll be giving them out. It's a great way to make fans, it's a great way to meet people, and you get educated, too, because you can go around and see all the other bands that are playing with you and see what they're up to. It's all one. You can work and play, as well as go to school, at the same time. We love the festivals. The more festivals the better.

HGMN - So you love the festival atmosphere, even in terms of promotion, where there are dozens and dozens and sometimes more than a hundred other bands, more so than the club shows where it might be just you and another band or two? That's interesting.

YK - We love both. But, you can't beat the publicity [of festivals]. And you can't beat the overall atmosphere. I hate to take sides; there are no sides taken. But if there's a festival happening, chances are people are going to go to that festival. You go where the people are. And it's summer... (laughs) The festivals are where it's at.

HGMN - So you also think of it as more of a seasonal thing -- that's where the people are flocking during the summer?

YK - Yeah, and you know what's funny? About three years ago we all started realizing this when bar owners told us that bars hate summer. I'd say, "Hate summer?
What on earth? People are going out." (They'd respond) "They're not coming here! They're going to the outdoor festivals, they're walking around. Or they're getting shitcanned somewhere else, you know, out on their porch." Overall, bars do better in the winter. When the people are outside, you have to migrate to that sort of atmosphere.

HGMN - You mentioned Dogstock as one of Bump's preeminent festival opportunities this summer. How did you get hooked up with Dogstock?

YK - We were kind of whoring ourselves. We wanted to play every festival we could. Dogstock saw our package, loved what we were doing, saw that we were promoting hard for all our shows, saw that that we were doing a huge tour before the summer -- and therefore would be promoting for (Dogstock) during it. 10,000 Lakes has been really happy with us, too. They sent us 2,000 flyers, and when we distribute them all, we not only promote for us but we promote for the festival in general.

HGMN - Dogstock appears unique within the entire festival roster because of the fact that it's a benefit. And not only is it a benefit for a good cause but for a good cause aiding animals, which seems unheard of, to me, in terms of large-scale music festivals. This event will have 100+ bands on four different stages. That's massive -- and to have a significant amount of the proceeds go directly to The Akita Adoption and Rescue Foundation? That's so exquisite.

YK - It is exquisite, and that's what it's all about. All this hard work, that's what it's for. What should you want to do when you become a big rock band? You've got to help out. You've got to help out the world around you, because everything's going to shit right now. You've got help out as much as possible. So we're always happy to be a part of those [types of] things.

To be honest with you though, on top of that, I'm just so excited about the music in general. Bernie Worrell, Ivan Neville's Dumpsta Funk... I'm really excited about Dogstock because it seems like there are a lot of groovin' bands, a lot of beat-oriented funk bands. I can't wait to see Bernie Worrell; he's one of my idols.

HGMN - What can fans expect from a Bump set, specifically at a festival like Dogstock, where you have a limited amount of time to truly allow an audience to receive the band's essence? Describe your sound in that sort of live setting.

YK - Everyone that I've talked to who've heard us play - for example, at this radio show we just did -- they've said, "You're really good. What kind of music are you?" Then they'll tell us five genres they think we sound like. This one guy said, "You guys are like a cross between Pink Floyd and Maroon 5...but, no...not really!" So the only thing I can say is, if people come see us, they're not going to see a genre, per se. For instance, with a lot of the bands at festivals, people say, "Oh, we like to see [so and so], they're kind of folky," or "We like to see [this other band], they're electronica," or "Let's see that band, they're really rockin'." But if you're going to see Bump, you say, "Let's go see Bump. They're...out of this world!" You can't even explain it or box us in. It's a different experience. Every song is different. [The sound] has all of our influences there, and they run really deep. We take the parts of our influences that we think are the best parts about them, not necessarily the hits.

HGMN - It's funny you say that because in literally every article that I've read about Bump, the writer's saying, "Hmm, is it electronica? Or are they a jam band? Is it neo-Motown? Is it funk? We don't know. But we like it."

YK - And when you think about all those types you just rattled off -- we sort of sound like all of it, don't we? All of that stuff sounds good, but still, we're not going to be a funk band, we're not going to be an electronica band, we're not going to be a rock band. We're going to be all of those things. The thing we care about most, though, is that no matter what, there's a groove. There's a beat. You can move. No matter if it's a pop song or a jammy song -- you can move.

HGMN - In your press information, in the band members' bios, on the Web site, in various interviews -- there's always the sentiment that you are trying to, in a way, recreate but yet reinvent the classic Detroit sound. Detroit is known for a soulful, Motown-inspired, funky aesthetic that got lost, and now people don't immediately think of it when referencing Detroit. And somehow you guys are trying to bring that back, yet with a futuristic element to it: Electro-Motown. Can you comment on that?

YK - We're inspired to write the songs we want to write because of that connection, but when we actually get them down and play them for people, it can be heard that we're inspired by and commenting on it, but we don't copy it. We do our own thing with it.

HGMN - Was that a conscious element of your passion when you were younger? To incorporate your hometown sound?

YK - Not really, it was a natural thing. All the guys in the band, we really dig to find old records that most people wouldn't know about unless they're really into eclectic, "retired" sounds. We try to find that stuff that people haven't heard, and let that inspire us, rather than something that's blatantly happenin' at the moment in musical culture. I think that was always the case; I just want to do something brand new. We're trying to be the future.

Lookout for Bump's upcoming double album in the fall, Astronomica, what Kerasiotis calls a "space-rock opera, a musical adventure that tells an insane, complete story." Their debut studio CD, Incredible Consequence, is available now.     

The Avett Brothers - The Gleam CD

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“The Gleam” Is Gleaming: A Review of Scott and Seth Avett’s New CD It is a grey, chilly morning as I sit here and listen to my recently purchased copy of Scott and Seth Avett’s duet album. Relatively short, “The Gleam” contains six tracks; all originals. All of them are written, produced and performed by brothers Scott and Seth. The third member of their group, “The Avett Brothers,” Bob Crawford, is notably missing, causing this collection of songs to have a decidedly different sound from albums past.

Sly & The Family Stone - Collection

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Consider this rambling semi-review the confession of a Sly & The Family Stone newbie, because I'm guilty of neglecting the full scope of this band's work. Any "Slyologists" reading this, you've been warned! Throughout the course of checking out this box set, I realized that I had been missing out on a lot of incredible sounds that I somehow never got around to appreciating. In researching these albums and the band's history, I discovered a musical entity as influential and progressive as any other, even The Beatles.

Scarecrow Collection - radio frequency disaster CD

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Scarecrow Collection hail from New Jersey, a state practically made of rock and roll. Who doesn't think "Springsteen" when you hear the words "New Jersey?" Even if you think "Bon Jovi," or another more stereotypical response, that's OK. The Garden State has produced another unique rock band in Scarecrow Collection, adding to the northeast's astronomical tally of quality guitar-rock ensembles.

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