Ian Abrahamson
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Ian Abrahamson

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"Battle of the bands contest takes on a local edge."

The Freeman - Thursday, October 25th, 2007

By Matthew Werlien

Ian Abrahamson competes for a $1 million recording prize.

Music major Ian Abrahamson of Waukesha is one of the 250 bands from the nation, and one of the 12 from the Milwaukee area chosen to compete for the $1 million record deal prize in the Bodog Battle of the Bands.
"We found out about it online," Abrahamson said. "We decided to check out what the contest was all about. We were one of the bands chosen from Milwaukee to go onto the next stage."
The Bodog Battle is a nationwide competition with bands traveling to chosen cities to play for judges and the audience.
So how did Ian Abrahamson begin his music endeavors?
Abrahamson said he first met (bassist) Chivo in sixth grade and they later begin playing music together.
"We were jamming together at (age) 14 to the Red Hot Chili Peppers," Abrahamson said.
He acknowledged except for a brief break when he began college, he and Chivo have been playing music together since they met. But meeting future band member Pond was a chance encounter.
"I was going to post an ad saying our band needed a drummer," he said.
He saw Pond in the parking lot of the establishment where he intended to post the advertisement.
Several bands have influenced him (Ian), including The Beatles, Weezer, and the Red Hot Chili Peppers.
He describes his band as, "full of spirit and enjoying the vibe the music creates," and on of the main characteristics of the band is the ability to take themselves seriously as musicians.
Ian Abrahamson's CD, "Night At Sea", will be available at The Rave.
After graduation in May (2008) from Carroll College, Abrahamson said he wants to become a professional songwriter and music entertainer.
He said he will most likely will move to one of the coasts. "You go where the music takes you."


©2007 The Freeman
Waukesha County's Daily Newspaper - The Freeman


"‘We’re more confident with the music’ Local band closer to winning battle of the bands."

The Freeman - Jan 3, 2008
Section: Time Out
Page Number: 9B

With first prize being a $1 million record deal, Ian Abrahamson is pulling out all the stops to land on top

*An image of the front page of the newspaper can be viewed here:* http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g280/chivobass/freemanscan2.jpg

By MATTHEW WERLEIN
Special to TimeOut



With some songs already recorded, entering a battle of the bands contest seemed like a good idea to Ian Abrahamson and fellow Ian Abrahamson band member Chivo.

Now the group is preparing for its Jan. 19 appearance in Chicago in the regional semi finals of the Bodog Battle of the Bands contest. A $1 million recording deal is the national first prize.

Lead vocalist Abrahamson, bassist Chivo, guitarist and vocalist Danny Schmitz and drummer Jeff Pond comprise the Ian Abrahamson band.

Abrahamson and Chivo founded the band in 1999, and Pond and Schmitz joined it in 2007.

The band began the contest in October, playing at The Rave in Milwaukee.

Pond said the establishment provided the bands with drum kits and other instruments, so setting up would take less time. “We get 30 minutes to set up and play four songs,” Abrahamson said.

He said the band will play new material from their upcoming album, Play the Card, during the next round.

After their set, Chivo said the band sat in the audience to talk with other bands.

“We hung out with a few of the bands after the show,” he said.

Chivo said the bands that progress to the next level are announced that evening.

So how has playing in the contest affected the band members?

Schmitz said group members have become more focused on their music.

“We’re more confident with the music,” Pond said. “We’re playing better.”

Abrahamson said the feedback from other bands has been positive.

“During the first round, a family bought three CDs,” he said. “I was in the crowd and some stranger told me he was going to vote for us.”

Abrahamson said the band takes things as they come.

“We take it one step at a time, “ he said. “It felt good when we won (the latest round) but we hold it inside and don’t look too far ahead.”

Pond said the band practices once a week.

“We practice once a week in an old slaughterhouse,” he said of the building the band practices at in Milwaukee. Abrahamson said the amount of time the band practices varies. “It can be upwards of three hours and sometimes it’s an hour and a half to two hours,” he said. “It depends what’s coming up.” Schmitz described their music as California-style rock. “Only it’s happier and not as aggressive,” he said. Solid, complementary and diverse are some of the words Chivo, Schmitz, Pond and Abrahamson used to describe the band and its music.

It’s solid because of the tight sound, Chivo said.

“It’s diverse because we are all from diverse musical backgrounds,” Abrahamson said.

Schmitz said the band members, with their diverse backgrounds in music, complement each other.

Besides playing in the Ian Abrahamson band, Schmitz and Pond also play in other bands.

Schmitz plays guitar and sings in the band Lost in a Name, and Pond is the drummer for Plow.

Despite being a young band, the group has estabalished itself as a force to reckon with during the Bodog Battle of the Bands competition. With a mix of the new and older material ready for their Chicago set, Ian Abrahamsom is prepared to see where their music will take them.

Chivo said anyone who comes to the Chicago show will not be disappointed.

“Expect a good show,” he said. “Since you came that far, we’ll play as well as we can.”

Submitted photo The Ian Abrahamson band members, from left, bassist Chivo, guitarist/vocalist Danny Schmitz, drummer Jeff Pond and lead vocalist Ian Abrahamson, will be competing in the regional semi finals of the Bodog Battle of the Bands on Jan. 19 in Chicago.


- The Freeman


Discography

Night at Sea EP - 2007
Play the Card - 2008

Photos

Bio

Coming out of Les Paul's hometown in Waukesha, WI, Ian Abrahamson first jump started his career winning the Summerfest Pepsi Talent Search. Now a four-piece band, Ian Abrahamson has been making waves with the recent release of the EP “Night at Sea” in anticipation of the full length LP “Play the Card'. New music was posted on their Myspace site http://www.myspace.com/ianabrahamson, and the site continues to get thousands of plays a day. They became regional finalists in the worldwide Bodog Battle of the Bands competition. The band has several fresh alternative rock songs ranging from ballads to hard rock and everything in between.