BROVERDOSE
The rock music scene has definitely changed over the years, becoming more and more commercialized with only few bands breaking the mold. A “pure rock” sound is something unheard of, something that a lot of teenagers and young adults today know nothing about. Thankfully, for those who miss the nostalgic days of the beginnings of rock, the days of Led Zeppelin and yes, Elvis, there’s a band out there for them. They’re called Broverdose and this quartet of seniors from Binghamton University is ready to go back to the roots of rock.
The four members of Broverdose — Nick Bodnar, the vocalist and rhythm guitarist, Brendan Plesha on bass, Chuck Yovino as lead guitar and Brendan Dunn on drums — were busy going through a few songs, perfecting their sound at the start of the interview.
Broverdose’s origins are like the beginnings of most college bands — they all knew each other some way or another, either by living in the same house or meeting each other at freshman orientation. Plesha was the newest addition to the band, joining when old bassist, Kirt Robinson, accepted an internship at NASA in Pasadena, Calif.
Their name has similar humble origins, it was something they chose at random when they were going tossing out ideas.
“We threw names at a wall and Broverdose stuck,” Dunn said.
It’s not until you get to their sound that the difference between Broverdose and those “other” bands comes into play. They said they really don’t have one specific influence. They all come from different areas of musical interest, which can clearly be heard in their music.
Bodnar, the songwriter of the group, said that he was more into folk music.
“We try not to label ourselves,” Dunn said.
However, Yovino called their sound “retro-psychedelic-folk-indie-pop,” to which Dunn added “post” at the beginning.
Songs like “She Built an Ocean” and “Slow Down” have an almost ’50s- or ’60s-era sound, complete with crooning, but slightly scratchy vocals that have a Joy Division-like charm to them.
“When we first started writing, it was me playing my acoustic [guitar],” Bodnar said. “Later on I figured out how to incorporate the other instruments.”
Plesha smiled and said, “It’s story-like and narrative.”
Over spring break, the band said they’ll be working with an engineer to record some tracks.
“We’ll be working with Frans [Mernick] from Bellevue’s Finest in New York City,” Bodnar said.
Graduation is right around the corner for some of the members.
“We don’t really know right now. Two of us are graduating, but we plan to keep playing,” Yovino said.
To hear Broverdose or find out about upcoming shows, check out myspace.com/broverdosemusic.
— Tonianne Bellomo
RAINCOAT COMPANY
Binghamton’s Raincoat Company has potential to be a force to be reckoned with, if they get their shit together.
“My mom has been saying that for years,” said guitarist Mike “Face” Sposato, a junior anthropology major. “Except about my life, not about my music.”
The group formed a little over a year ago when guitarist Robert Ryan, a junior English major, and vocalist/egg-shaker master Ariel Plotkin, another junior, began playing in their dorm rooms. The group has since expanded to include drummer Greg Cutler, a sophomore from Atlanta, bassist Max Slonim, a junior, and third guitarist, Ian “Bert” Silverman, a junior biochemistry major.
The band name’s origin is a bit confusing but has something to do with a lyric from Talking Heads’ classic “Burning Down the House” and a Beatles poster with the band holding umbrellas.
“We were really tired, but the idea is that the raincoat protects you from the rain and the snow,” Ryan said. “We get a lot of condom jokes though.”
Citing The Replacements and Spinal Tap as some of their primary influences (as well as Prince and Bruce Springsteen), this motley crew of musicians said they’re just looking to have a good time.
With a Facebook group of a little under 150 members and a MySpace page with a handful of friends, Raincoat Company is far from playing sold-out concerts.
“We have five friends on MySpace, one of them is that Tom guy and I don’t think he’s ever heard our music,” joked Slonim.
But all jokes aside, this band has a lot of heart and hopes to expand its fan base in the future.
“We’re focused on the short term right now,” Slonim said. “But we’d like to get paid as opposed to getting free beer at house parties.”
Show set lists include a combination of covers like Prince’s “When Doves Cry,” as well as original songs with lyrics by Sposato and Ryan.
“We like to sing about what our lives in Binghamton are like,” Plotkin said. “A lot of our songs are about our life in this city that kind of sucks but we have good friends; we’re keeping it real. We’re getting by.”
The band has played campus events such as last spring’s College-in-the-Woods’ Woodsjam and Rock the Vote, sponsored by Binghamton’s political clubs College Libertarians, College Democrats and College Republicans.
Upcoming events include Earth Day on April 22, to be held in the Dickinson Amphitheater, an event hosted by the International Flag Dancers and lots of house parties.
— Elena Cox
MR. UNCLE’S MUSTACHE
The self-proclaimed “super-band,” Mr. Uncle’s Mustache formed last summer and has been playing their unique combination of jamming and classical mixed with covered music at house parties ever since.
Many may wonder where the name of the band came from, but Josh Merlis, a senior mechanical engineering major who plays guitar, accordion and sings for the band, said, “It just happened to be the end of the evolution of a long, perverted list of other names.” In the end, they said it was the funniest option.
The band formed as the result of two previously existing bands that had lost some old members fighting for one drummer. They ended up joining together to form a super-band consisting of seven members. Along with Merlis, other members include: Griffin Sargent, a senior physics and math double major, on violin and guitar; Alex Button, a senior anthropology major, acting as a wild card in the band on guitar, drums, or vocal; Mike Demeritt, a senior psychology and environmental science double major, on bass; Dan Antonelli, a senior mechanical engineering major, on guitar; Al Moore, a senior biochemistry and psychology double major, on drums; and Andrew O’Reilly, a BCC student, on cello.
Mr. Uncle’s Mustache essentially is a jam band. They said they try to incorporate improvisational techniques during their gigs.
“We all work together trying to organize something that sounds good,” Sargent said about their style.
Aside from Merlis, who — much to the chagrin of the other members — credited Korn as one of his favorite bands growing up, the band has been greatly influenced by progressive rock and jam bands such as Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, Yes, King Crimson, Dave Matthews Band and Phish.
“We are constantly trying to stretch our sound beyond the conventional rock format and instrumentation, but without losing the grooviness,” Sargent said. “We aim to make progressive rock music that is complex, yet still funky and fun to listen to.”
The band’s unique sound stems from the vast experience that many of the members have with their respective instruments. O’Reilly is a classically trained cellist with 14 years of experience, Demeritt has been playing the bass for 10 years, Sargent has been playing violin since the third grade and Moore has been on the drums for nine years. Their unique instrumentation, Sargent said, allows them to cover a wide array of genres.
“Funkytown Concierto” is the title of one of their songs. It begins as Bach’s “Brandenburg Concerto” piece and is then remixed into Kool and the Gang’s “Jungle Boogie.” Sargent, who is involved with the orchestra and music department on campus, said that their knowledge of classical music “creates a whole different type of sound that you don’t hear with other rock bands.”
“We focus more on the secondary instruments,” Demeritt said.
Their use of accordion and string instruments in addition to the usual guitar, bass and drums helps to add depth and a much richer sound to their music.
Mr. Uncle’s Mustache will be playing on campus on March 28 at the Benefit Show for Women of the Congo hosted by the Women’s Student Union at 9 p.m. They will also be playing on April 22 for Earth Day, at College-in-the-Woods’ Woodstock, and they will be competing in the Spring Fling Battle of the Bands.
— Erica Hill