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Divides
This young band from Anchorage is working on their debut EP. Members Robert Herbert Ferguson, Bryan James Calhoon, CJ Brunke, Corey Rainey and Joe Jackson call their music “melodic post-hardcore.” - Alaska Tour Jobs
Divides
This young band from Anchorage is working on their debut EP. Members Robert Herbert Ferguson, Bryan James Calhoon, CJ Brunke, Corey Rainey and Joe Jackson call their music “melodic post-hardcore.” - Alaska Tour Jobs
I have a hard time taking genre descriptions like “melodic post hard core” seriously. Post what? Hardcore is still a thing I think. I don’t know how something can be post something that is still a thing. That said, the band Divides plays sort of fast and loose with genres to begin with. “We try to stay away from classifying ourselves as metal only,” says front woman CJ Brunke, who then goes on to explain that Divides’ sound is something closer to “if Paramore had sex with the Deaftones. And a little bit of Led Zepplin.”
That’s a pretty intense description for a band that has only been around since April. But by all accounts they’ve got some meat on their musical bones already, and although they’ve only played a few shows since their inception, they went for the throat right away.
They played their first show in early August with 36 Crazy Fists, those gentlemen of metal notoriety that Alaskans love, hate and love to hate. They followed that up by snagging billing alongside The Hoons during their recent return to Alaska in mid-August. Now they’re gearing up for their fourth show ever, slated to play the first night of a two-day Fall showcase of local music at the newly minted Fiesta Room downtown, in the same location where The Downstairs venue was. Shortly after, they’ll be headed into the studio to record their first single, followed by a five-song EP. They’ve covered a lot of ground in a short period, something Brunke attributes to the group coming together out of a mutual desire to make music the main focus of their lives.
There is something about a young woman screaming her lyrics and tossing herself around the stage like a total badass that gets the blood pumping, and 19-year-old Brunke has her stage swagger on lock. The rest of the band has pretty solid rock n’ roll credentials too, they’re a little older than their lead singer but provide some wisdom and chops to the dynamic that makes for an undeniably ambitious ascent in the local scene.
Backing Burke up musically is Brian Calhoon (formally of local pop punk favorite Kill Tango) on rhythm guitar, Robert ‘Bobby’ Ferguson on lead guitar, Joe Jackson on bass and, rounding it all out with the beat that keeps it together, Corey Rainey on drums. Despite their short time together as a band, the group has forged a strong bond. “It’s cool to see how we all clicked musically and personality wise. Before April I didn’t know any of these guys and now they’re some of my best friends,” Brunke said.
Despite the age difference of Brunke and the rest of the band, it’s clear from their interactions with one another that they have good chemistry, something that can definitely make or break a new band. They work together as a team to pump up their fledgling fan club online, posting on the band’s Facebook page several times a week about shows, merchandise, and new songs in the works. They have even been known to break out the webcam and make quick videos to update the Internet on their progress. They have an easy camaraderie, with goofy smiles and inside jokes as they banter back and forth about songwriting and getting all the band members together to work on new material.
It’s nice to see that there are bands still participating in the all-ages scene and that solid musicians are creating music with their audience in mind. Brunke says connecting with their audience is a big deal to Divides. They try to write music that resonates with their fans in some way, be a bit of their lyrics or a guitar riff; they want people to walk away from their show feeling something. Brunke says, “We want to connect with the audience, we spend time talking to them.”
Although the bar crowd holds its own special appeal to a band the underage set is a force to be reckoned with as well. All unbridled hormones and energy, kids at a metal show—excuse me, a melodic post hardcore show, will dance and fist pump their faces off for hours. This kind of atmosphere gives a band an energy that’s hard-won at a typical bar show. With only a handful of places putting on all-ages shows, showcases like the one coming up at the Fiesta Room are an excellent way to expose the cross section of young music appreciators and other local underage bands to the raw talent that will be Anchorage’s next wave of established music makers.
Divides is poised to be at the forefront of that crashing wave that splits the underage and over-21 crowds. Brunke says that the music they are making strives to be both original and acceptable—they don’t want to alienate their crowd but they still want to make something new and different. Don’t pigeonhole them, man. They won’t be tied to convention, or evidently genre descriptions that make sense.
- Anchorage Press
I have a hard time taking genre descriptions like “melodic post hard core” seriously. Post what? Hardcore is still a thing I think. I don’t know how something can be post something that is still a thing. That said, the band Divides plays sort of fast and loose with genres to begin with. “We try to stay away from classifying ourselves as metal only,” says front woman CJ Brunke, who then goes on to explain that Divides’ sound is something closer to “if Paramore had sex with the Deaftones. And a little bit of Led Zepplin.”
That’s a pretty intense description for a band that has only been around since April. But by all accounts they’ve got some meat on their musical bones already, and although they’ve only played a few shows since their inception, they went for the throat right away.
They played their first show in early August with 36 Crazy Fists, those gentlemen of metal notoriety that Alaskans love, hate and love to hate. They followed that up by snagging billing alongside The Hoons during their recent return to Alaska in mid-August. Now they’re gearing up for their fourth show ever, slated to play the first night of a two-day Fall showcase of local music at the newly minted Fiesta Room downtown, in the same location where The Downstairs venue was. Shortly after, they’ll be headed into the studio to record their first single, followed by a five-song EP. They’ve covered a lot of ground in a short period, something Brunke attributes to the group coming together out of a mutual desire to make music the main focus of their lives.
There is something about a young woman screaming her lyrics and tossing herself around the stage like a total badass that gets the blood pumping, and 19-year-old Brunke has her stage swagger on lock. The rest of the band has pretty solid rock n’ roll credentials too, they’re a little older than their lead singer but provide some wisdom and chops to the dynamic that makes for an undeniably ambitious ascent in the local scene.
Backing Burke up musically is Brian Calhoon (formally of local pop punk favorite Kill Tango) on rhythm guitar, Robert ‘Bobby’ Ferguson on lead guitar, Joe Jackson on bass and, rounding it all out with the beat that keeps it together, Corey Rainey on drums. Despite their short time together as a band, the group has forged a strong bond. “It’s cool to see how we all clicked musically and personality wise. Before April I didn’t know any of these guys and now they’re some of my best friends,” Brunke said.
Despite the age difference of Brunke and the rest of the band, it’s clear from their interactions with one another that they have good chemistry, something that can definitely make or break a new band. They work together as a team to pump up their fledgling fan club online, posting on the band’s Facebook page several times a week about shows, merchandise, and new songs in the works. They have even been known to break out the webcam and make quick videos to update the Internet on their progress. They have an easy camaraderie, with goofy smiles and inside jokes as they banter back and forth about songwriting and getting all the band members together to work on new material.
It’s nice to see that there are bands still participating in the all-ages scene and that solid musicians are creating music with their audience in mind. Brunke says connecting with their audience is a big deal to Divides. They try to write music that resonates with their fans in some way, be a bit of their lyrics or a guitar riff; they want people to walk away from their show feeling something. Brunke says, “We want to connect with the audience, we spend time talking to them.”
Although the bar crowd holds its own special appeal to a band the underage set is a force to be reckoned with as well. All unbridled hormones and energy, kids at a metal show—excuse me, a melodic post hardcore show, will dance and fist pump their faces off for hours. This kind of atmosphere gives a band an energy that’s hard-won at a typical bar show. With only a handful of places putting on all-ages shows, showcases like the one coming up at the Fiesta Room are an excellent way to expose the cross section of young music appreciators and other local underage bands to the raw talent that will be Anchorage’s next wave of established music makers.
Divides is poised to be at the forefront of that crashing wave that splits the underage and over-21 crowds. Brunke says that the music they are making strives to be both original and acceptable—they don’t want to alienate their crowd but they still want to make something new and different. Don’t pigeonhole them, man. They won’t be tied to convention, or evidently genre descriptions that make sense.
- Anchorage Press
Discography
Departures - EP - 2013
Radio play on 94.7 KZND in Anchorage, streaming on Spotify, Rdio, iTunes Radio, & more.
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Bio
"There is something about a young woman screaming her lyrics and tossing herself around the stage like a total badass that gets the blood pumping, and 19-year-old Brunke has her stage swagger on lock. The rest of the band has pretty solid rock n’ roll credentials too, they’re a little older than their lead singer but provide some wisdom and chops to the dynamic that makes for an undeniably ambitious ascent in the local scene.”
— Daniella Cortez, Anchorage Press
DIVIDES is an Alaskan Alternative Metal band formed by members Bryan James Calhoon, CJ Marie Brunke, Corey Rainey and Joe Jackson with hopes of expanding a musical project beyond Alaska’s borders.
As far as their sound – it’s kind of hard to pin down. Lots of bands claim they transcend genres – but this usually turns out to be more of an identity crisis. “DIVIDES plays sort of fast and loose with genres to begin with,” says Daniella Cortez of the Anchorage Press.
DIVIDES, however, is pretty confident in their identity. Think Paramore meets Deftones. The most intriguing aspect of DIVIDES is their musical dichotomy between metal and pop rock. Vocalist CJ Marie flits between a powerful belting voice and a passionate scream effortlessly; while guitarist Bryan’s influences range across the board. Regardless of what influence they’re tapping into at the moment, the band simply sounds like themselves.
DIVIDES formed and began writing in a short span of time - and then went for the throat of the Anchorage music scene. In less than a year, the band had amassed a loyal local following and earned slots on several massive shows around the state. In August 2013, the group moved from their home in Alaska and relocated to Portland, Oregon, following in the footsteps of fellow Alaskans, 36 Crazyfists & Portugal. The Man.
Long term goals? It’s become a faux-pas for a musician to expound on their dreams of playing for thousands of screaming fans. The difference between DIVIDES and every other local dreamer is that the quintet is doing it. On every level, whether it’s 50 kids in a warehouse, or 5,000 in an arena, DIVIDES is determined to share their music and connect with their fans at a higher level.
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