Buckman Page

While Buckman Page enjoys its epicurean antics through songs like “Beer Valley,” the group maintains a serious, yet hopeful worldview. An early song, “I Gotta Say” sums their simple motto up in the words, “dance, drink wine, listen to the music, and love.” The group weaves guitar solos, intricate melody lines, solid Rock & Roll rhythms, and grounded words into their music, producing a fruitfully enticing listen. Without answers or reasons, they find themselves addicted to the richness that live music invites.

BAND HISTORY:

The band traces its beginnings to the early imaginative craftiness of Matt Cefalu, song-writer, singer, and guitar player for the group. Cefalu spent his early childhood days writing stories about a fictional detective superhero dedicated to stopping evil villains with the handy assistance of his trusted sidekick, Steve Six. Abandoning the project in his later years, Cefalu began writing songs and learning to play the guitar. In his first year of college Cefalu met Marcus Lohrmann through mutual friends. The pair began playing at coffee houses, non-profit fundraisers, and college parties, calling themselves boringly, “Matt and Marcus.” Upon entering a local Battle-of-the-Bands competition together, the duo arrived at the gig with a new name, “The Search for Steve Six.” New songs were written, more shows were played, and before Lohrmann headed to Germany for a stint, TSFSS recorded its first album, “In Someone Else’s Sky.”

While Lohrmann was away that year, Cefalu began playing with a group called “Risky Triangle.” Cefalu called on Dan Trubey to play drums for the new band, learning later that Trubey was also a talented bassist. After Lohrmann’s return the pair reconnected, deciding it was time to take their music to a new level. Cefalu invited Trubey to play bass for the group, who in turn brought drummer John Williamson, a then unknown but dedicated fan of The Search for Steve Six. In the Fall of 2007 the group came together, making their first appearance in the basement of 607 Union St. Valparaiso, Indiana. That first dingy basement proved to be their most loyal and favorite of all venues. Most importantly, the group made a conscious decision to change their name from The Search for Steve Six to another of Cefalu’s early obscure characters, Buckman Page.

The band spent the fall of 2007 working with producer Trevor Casterline on a new album. That first full-length album, Truth in Millions, holds fan favorites such as “River and Rain,” “Skies,” “Let Me Dream,” and the popular drinking song, “Beer Valley.” It was released in early January 2008.

As Buckman Page furthered its presence in the Valparaiso community, they became familiar with local singer-songwriter and guitarist, Al Neve. In the Spring of 2009 a producer and friend of Lohrmann’s invited the group to San Franciso to record their second album, later entitled “I’ll Paint Myself Again.” Though the name comes out of one of the tracks on the album, “Turpentine Dreams,” Buckman Page found itself distances away from the old Steve Six sound by the time of their recording. BP reinvented itself, with the help of producer Nick Bell, pianist Berkeley Everett, and their newest addition, Al Neve.

Since its conception, Buckman Page has performed around the country, written and recorded two full-length studio-quality albums, and declared itself part of the addictive substance, most commonly referred to as Rock & Roll. “What else are we?” asked one of the members, “we encourage dancing, drinking, staying up all night, and we play Chuck Berry here and there.” Recently the band relocated to Chicago and has spent the summer of ‘09 establishing a presence among other musicians and groups in the city.

"Whatever you’re looking for, we probably don’t have it. On the other hand, music, dancing, and an occasional drinking song are always helpful reminders of what’s good."

-BP.