Force Major

Austin Grill Rockville transformed into a downtown DC club last Friday night when Force Major, a local Rockville “jazz punk” band took the stage after another local band, Chute.

First and foremost when Force Major plays – it’s a PARTY. And believe me, they know how to throw one.

In LOL they sing “Let’s have some fun tonight and drink and dance until your eyes can blink. Let’s be as loud as we can” so the fans know they’re included. You realize the guys of Force Major would be disappointed if the audience didn’t join in with the music. One fan even jumped on stage, had them slow down the beat, and hip hopped his way through some lyrics.

Kirill Romanov (vocals, guitar, cello) is a true showman with the facial expressions to prove it. He voice bears witness to punk legends with an added smooth Russian accent. He fingers the guitar strings like he’s playing a classical instrument while ramming the punk riffs out of the speakers. Meanwhile Mike Rivin (bass, back vocals) joins him to turn the show into an athletic event by jumping and landing the songs together. Behind them Alex Polyakov (drums) never slows down for a second to keep heads nodding and bodies thumping. The physical force of their performance pounds every beat from their muscles through the audience leaving one to wonder how they can thrash so much and continue playing.

As Kirill said, “Who wants to dance? Let’s pretend this is a club!” With the right band and crowd at Austin Grill, you don’t have to pretend. - Cindy Cotte Griffiths