elvis mcman

Elvis McMan, which formed in 2000, knew it had found a new drummer when Brian Finn listened to their CD 15 minutes before a gig at Marty's in Port Chester, N.Y., and filled in without difficulty. The group has lost little momentum since their last drummer, Mike Centonze, left on amicable terms. From going out to hardcore and punk shows themselves as teenagers, to their regular gigs at places like Green's Saloon in Stamford and Jimmy's Seaside in Stamford, Elvis McMan has been an integral part of the local music scene. The band can transform any show into a house party vibe, with beer flowing and audience members shouting back the sing-a-long lyrics from their CD Punch in a Kiss . Erin Miller is the visual point, with her blonde hair, red lips and attitude-filled singing. Matt Mularkey holds down the bass, James Rockwood mans the guitar and Finn pounds out the steady beats. While the group was thrilled to win their category, it was tough running against their friends. "I wanted us all to win," says Miller at the Green Room in Black Rock, one of the band's favorite spots. "We play shows with them and drink with them on a regular basis," Mularkey adds. Elvis McMan has played the Columbus Park stage before and admit it's a bit of a culture shock for a band accustomed to underground dives. "We're used to playing these dark ambient places where people can get as drunk as they want," says Rockwood. "We had to watch our Ps and Qs." - fairfield weekly

Their debut CD "Punch in a kiss", on Asbestos Records, was released Saturday March 1st 2003. Where they had a sold out show at their home away from home, The Villa cafe. The stripped down adrenalin-fueled album is filled with songs on topics from love gone wrong to being labeled as "slow" to oldies radio. If you close your eyes and pretend it was released in 1977, the 10-song assault is easily mistaken for one of the classics, derived directly from the early punk bands from the 70's but with aesthetically pleasing female vocals. - fairfield weekly;mike sembos

The members of Elvis McMan have been entrenched in the punk scene since they first entered puberty. While in their teens, they traveled to shows in a 45-mile radius around Connecticut, drinking beers and trading drags off cigarettes in back parking lots. They saw White Zombie and Iggy Pop at The Globe in Norwalk, The Strokes at Green's Saloon in Stamford and Nirvana and Helmet at The Beat in Port Chester. They practically lived at The Anthrax where bands like New York-based hardcore-punk-party crew Murphy's Law could be thrashed to with regularity.

On April 2, Elvis McMan will play as one of the openers for Murphy's Law at The Roxy (former Globe) in Norwalk, bringing their past around full circle, and signaling that, maybe, the time for a local Connecticut-based punk resurrection is possible.

Of course, certain elements need to be in place: willing venues, friendly bands, and open-minded fans. Of the three, the first is hardest to come by. Talking of the punk scene past, guitarist James Rockwood says, "We still see people, but we're not all hanging out at the same club. A lot of places are closing down."

Most recently, Elvis McMan lost The Villa, a dark, cheap hole-in-the-wall near Bobby V's in Stamford, where they could plug in and play, get noisy, put on music for free for their friends and still make some money from the bar. "They supported bands better than other places," says Rockwood, "It's tough when you lose a club like that."

While the band has only been a "band" for four years, they've been friends since their moms dropped them off at shows, and it's obvious the way they tease each other that they're still having fun. Lead singer Erin Miller, with her bleached-blonde locks and wicked grin, has that combination of attitude and sweet vocal fierceness that gives the songs distinctiveness. She's traveled quite a distance from her days singing cross-country with the Episcopalian Christ Church choir; her presence onstage is one way Elvis McMan stays accessible to a broad spectrum of fans, young, old, punk and not-so-punk.

Songs like "Stuck on You," or "Kool Radio" off their album Punch In a Kiss on Asbestos Records are immediately catchy sing-a-longs that practically demand audiences jump or nod their heads in synch. The band's not trying to be political and they don't sound overly angry, they just play with hyped-up passionate energy that gets to the basics of pure early rock-driven punk.

"The lyrics aren't out there," says Miller, "but people know them. Sometimes the audience actually knows the words better than me."

Matt Mullarkey, the group's bassist, with his sly humor and tattooed arms that are a testament to punk bands like Social Distortion and Black Flag, adds, "It's cool that people know the lyrics when you wrote them at 3 in the morning, drunk."

Drummer Mike Centonze is the soft-spoken member offstage, but on it he's the pulse, supplying the super-steady-fast-change-up backbone, occasionally dropping down to a simple beat, a breath of air in the middle of a driving song. Elvis McMan has that raw connection that comes from growing up together, fighting together and living in closer proximity than most lovers. "I'm the girlfriend they never wanted," Miller jokes. Fans are the energy boosters, welcome onstage to grab the mics when the urge overtakes them.

"We played at [teen center] Toquet Hall in Westport and I invited kids onstage for a Misfits cover," says Rockwood. "The first band I saw do that was Murphy's Law. It was huge. The crowd walked off with the biggest smiles. It helps them to connect to the band."

With the ongoing sorry state of music, especially anything approximating rock music on mainstream radio, and the rash of cover bands in the local clubs, Elvis McMan takes their performing jobs as a near-obligation. In their own punk rock way, they live the Mahatma Gandhi motto, "Become the change you wish to see in the world." They're thankful even if three people come out to support them, they play hard and throw their bodies into it, they lift listeners out of the recycled boredom of Third Eye Blind cover songs, and they take pride in controlling every creative aspect of their merchandise, from $5 CDs with original artwork, to hand-designed posters and T-shirts. Unlike songs on the radio dial, they're unpredictable.

"When I play, I might fall down, anything could happen," says Miller. "I like the not-knowing aspect. You don't need $9 drinks to have a good time. You've got to take off the tie sometimes."

What they hear from today's "rock" music, with the exception of classic-rock-flavored Jet who gets approving nods, is groups that are indistinguishable, often moody and always over-produced from Evanescence to Kid Rock.

"Today's music is not fun to listen to," Centonze says. "We want to bring back fun and energy to rock and roll."

"Across the nation, kids are being force-fed music," Miller chimes in. "All they have is K-Rock. They don't have a choice."

Mullarkey caps off the discussion with typical sarcasm. "It's all gone bad the past four or five years. I'm gonna learn to read just 'cuz I hate music."

Punch In a Kiss returns music to its simple splendor. The songs are short and relentless with choruses like "G-O-O-D damaged goods!" that are too much fun to resist. From the musical influences to the clothing to the relative ages, it's not so much what Elvis McMan and their followers have in common as what they collectively resist.

"I think we all hate the same things," Mullarkey says proudly. - interview;brita brundage, fairfield weekly