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The members of the jam band Greenline made their return to their former school Friday night as their band joined Old Silver Band in opening up for Soulive in front of a packed crowd at afterHOURS. The show capped off Welcome Week at Northeastern, filling the club to its capacity of 275 people and creating a line down to the loading docks of the Curry Student Center.
The self-described "improv rock" band opened up with a few pieces from their new EP Send Word, which is currently available for download at www.greenline-band.com.
The audience succumbed easily to the smooth sounds of the jam band while the group summoned the ghost of Jerry Garcia for a seven-minute long rendition of the Grateful Dead's "Friend of the Devil."
Kevin Black, Greenline's singer and guitarist, said it was great to be back at Northeastern, where he, drummer Ryan Callahan and bassist Mike Zartarian attended school for engineering.
"We met when we were freshman," Callahan said. "I was drawn to his room by his loud stereo and noticed his guitar. I quickly got my drums and - boom - we began jamming."
Soon after, Zartarian joined the band. In a very "Northeastern" story, the two met when Black interviewed Zartarian as the replacement for his co-op job.
The group now also includes keyboardist Andrew Rubinger, a graduate from UMass-Amherst.
"[Rubinger] had just joined and we had [thrown] a lot of stuff at him," Black said. "But he took it in stride and carried us along. He brings a lot of songwriting ability to the table.
"Andrew's going to bring the funk," Black added jokingly.
For many students in attendance, this was their first time hearing Greenline.
"They have a good sound," said freshman communication studies major Etta Perdrizet. "I like the mix of [genres]."
High school senior Eli Forrester, who was a guest at the show, said he was impressed with the music of the Northeastern-alum band.
"It's cool," Forrester said. "It's like pop jazz with a reggae feel. I like that."
The show attracted students from colleges all over the area, including Boston University, Tufts, Berklee College of Music and many high school fans. The club drew about 400 people at start time, many of whom were turned away.
"They're going to hate me," manager of afterHOURS Jackie Indrisano said before the show. "I'm going to have to turn some of them away."
- Northeastern News-Wednesday, September 14, 2005
The bands were from all spectrums of the genre. The lineup included soloist Chris Amoral, The Glow, Slater and Northeastern bands, The Greenline and First Aid Kit.
Next came Northeastern's own, The Greenline, who had their posse in effect with the largest crowd of the day. Pulling a 180 from the bands before and after them. It appears the guys are well-known regulars on campus, letting the fans decide on many of the songs they played.
"I think they are awesome, and they play everywhere," said Zack Hastings, a middler engineer major.
The music was very reminiscent of O.A.R, Guster and other jam-band college kid-favorites.
The Greenline finished their set with a rather stale cover of Steppenwolf's "Magic Carpet Ride" but redeemed themselves with an excellent version of "Badfish" by Sublime. The group's Web site is http://greenlineband.com - Northeastern News-Wednesday, September 24, 2003
In addition to State Radio, last Friday's concert presented two other bands, each possessing a Northeastern connection.
Following Simplest Form, fellow Northeastern band, Greenline, took the stage.
"Greenline has been here about five or six times this year and they always bring a big crowd," Guilfoil said. "They're so high energy and they get where they're going so well. They're a good band and they're going to go places."
Beginning the set with a cover of the Grateful Dead's "Eyes of the World," the group's jam-oriented sound was well-received by an audience nostalgic for the days of Dispatch.
At the same time, it was evident by the audience's enthusiasm during Greenline's performance that the band has developed a following of their own.
"State Radio is still cool, but [Greenline] is just an added reason to go," said Brian Piles, a middler civil engineering major. Piles said he and his friends attended the show because he is friends with members of Greenline.
While there were fans of Greenline, other students were drawn by Urmston for his connection with Dispatch.
- Northeastern News-Wednesday, April 6, 2005
Discography
Cycle
Black Squirrel Strut
Twist Up
James
Sometimes I Lie
Ganglion
Boardwalk
Number 3
Photos
Bio
Greenline began in the early months of 2003 at the Beta Gamma Epsilon Fraternity in Boston's Back Bay. It is there that a humble collection of musicians including, Kevin Black (Vocals/Acoustic Guitar), Ryan Callahan (Percussion) and Mike Zartarian (Electric Bass) played as the house band for the weekly fraternity parties. The group, encouraged by friends and crowd members, formed Greenline.
Over the next few years they played major rooms in Boston, and supported such acts as Soulive, State Radio, Raisinhill and Contruda.
Musically, they primarily took songs by the likes of Phish, The Grateful Dead, Dispatch and Sublime and made them thier own. More than just a cover band, they re-interpreted the songs in their own style and added open ended improvisation. Throwing in a handful of originals, Kev, Ryan and Mike progressed musically together, never fearing any musical risk.
By the summer of 2005 the band reached a plateau. Although they loved playing the 'standards', creativity was now bursting at the seams. The cover songs no longer fit - and they were retired in favor of originals.
Enter Andrew Rubinger (Keys / Vocals). Andrew met the band through a mutual friend by storing his Hammond Organ and Leslie speaker cabinet in the bands' Allston basement. Once the band changed direction, Andrew began sitting in. It was very soon after that it seemed like it had never been any other way.
The new band began writing original material feverishly. The new lineup debuted its new sound in September 2005 by opening for the acclaimed Soulive at a packed Boston club to the cheers of fans both new and old. In early 2006, Adam Partridge began to sit on electric guitar, adding an extra dimension and a good helping of jazz influence to their sound.
Encouraged by their initial shows, the band is currently writing new material for an upcoming EP and shows around the New England area.
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