Suckerpush

June 2003 - RECOIL Magazine - By Nicolas Stephenson
The Rock and roll "show" is one thing that is arguably missing from the West Michigan music scene. Plenty of bands know how to jump around and trash their equipment while they sing, but usually the song quality suffers. It seems the days of a true front man who can sing and work the crowd are gone.
Not that anyone reminisces a Tom Jones or Frank Sinatra show while they are catching a rock band at the Intersection or Club Soda. In fact, until you see someone like Brian Pitcole from Suckerpush working the crowd, you probably didn't know what you were missing.

9/30/01 - Lansing's New Rock 92.1 The Edge - By LEFTY
Let me start off by saying, I do a local music show every Sunday night on Lansing's New Rock, 92.1 The Edge. So I get a lot of terrible CDs from bands every week. When I first put in the Suckerpush CD, I said, "Finally something that doesn't suck, but is legitimately good." This is a CD you can listen to all the way through; there are definitely no "filler songs" on this disc. These guys have got a sound influenced by everything from grunge, blues, to even Frank Zappa, and they've turned it into a totally original sound. The lyrics in songs like "Woke Up", "Big Horses", and "Road Rage", are not only witty and funny, but they actually tell a story as well.
The guys in Suckerpush were generous enough to give me a couple of CDs to give out to listeners when I showcased them on my show. And I've got to say, the phone lines went insane after playing only two songs. I look forward to seeing big things in the future from Suckerpush.

More Suckerpush Comments Reviews Coming Soon!

- Recoil

July 2004

Grand Rapids Magazine

Making Tracks
– By Lisa M. Jenson

SUCKERPUSH MELDS
DIVERSE INFLUNCES
A West Michigan-based indie band that’s a cross between Ben Harper, Incubus and Beck, Suckerpush isn’t confined by boundaries

Promoted by Cheapjag Records out of Boston MA, the group enjoys airplay throughout the United States, as well as in Australia, and embarks this summer on an East Coast tour to promote its newest CD, “Reminiscing.”

Recently, Suckerpush learned that one of its latest tracks was selected for a prestigious international compilation – “The Greatest Music Never Heard Vol. I” – to benefit breast cancer research in London. This tribute to independent musicians will likely woo European fans, adding to the appreciative audiences the band already attracts at Michigan venues.

It’s also possible that these fans – once their first taste of the band leads to an interest in other tracks – won’t like Suckerpush for the same reasons. That’s because you can’t pigeonhole the group’s style. The song’s, from harder and heavier takes to more melodic ballads, reflect each of the five band members diverse musical influences and backgrounds. The result is a blend of pop, alternative rock, progressive and funk, ignited by witty lyrics.

“Some of us have been trained in jazz”, noted Scott Moerman, lead guitarist and back-up vocalist. “Our drummer was in a metal band. Our rhythm guitarist, born and raised in Texas, brings a whole blues feel. The bass player has been in a variety of rock and cover bands. Everyone brings a diverse range, and instead of us trying to stay within a specific style, we just let each song become its own entity.

Because members range in age from 22 to mid-30’s, Moerman said the band can easily transition from punk-infused rock to a slower balled. Quirky lyricist and lead vocalist Brian Pitcole’s ability to charm the crowd also earns Suckerpush a diverse fan base. “He’s kind of a cross between CCR (Creedence Clearwater Revival) and Frank Zappa,” said Moerman, “..He’s always in the crowd, singing at tables. People really respond to him.” Other members are percussionist Sean Campbell, bass guitarist Jeremy Diamond and rhythm guitarist Chris Villarreal.

The band’s charisma as a whole comes from its ability to appreciate process as well as performance, Moerman noted. “The songs we play have to be interesting to us first,” he said. “If a band gets bored with a song after playing it five times, people see that. You can tell when a band is really trying to stretch something out, make it better, get the crowd into it. We try to keep that ebb and flow in the band all the time.”

For more information, go to www.suckerpush.com.

Lisa M. Jensen is a Grand Rapids Magazine contributory writer.



- Grand Rapics Magazine

Music Revue Magazine

July 2004

Suckerpush is on the Move

By- Jason Jach

If you haven’t heard the name Suckerpush, chances are you soon will. In the coming months, the Kalamazoo-based rock band is hoping to expand its fan-base with a series of high-profile projects, including contributions to movie soundtracks and a national tour.The band, led by vocalist Brian Pitcole and rounded out by guitarists Scott Moerman and Chris Villarreal, bassist Jeremy Diamond and drummer Sean Campbell, was recently selected from dozens of entrants to participate in the soundtrack for the movie Kalamazoo?, currently in preproduction. Suckerpush’s song “High School Reunion” will appear on the album along with submissions from other Kalamazoo music scene heavyweights, such as Blue Dahlia, Willamena, and Immigrant Blue.

“What’s really cool is that its with other bands we know”, Campbell said of the Kalamazoo? Soundtrack. “Its cool to be involved with our friends on that project”. In addition, Suckerpush is also being considered for a place on the soundtrack for the film Window Theory.

“I don’t know what song their looking at. If they play even five notes of one of our songs, I’ll be happy. I think it’s neat to even be involved in something like that,” Campbell said.

The band has also been working on establishing fans in Europe by participating in the compilation project The Greatest Music You’ve Never Heard, Vol. I. The album, proceeds from which will benefit breast cancer research, is currently available in England, and is slated to be released in the US later this year

“There are some great performances on that CD and we’re really happy to be a part of it,” Campbell said. Hoping to ride the momentum of its current success, Suckerpush is set to embark on an East Coast tour. Plans for a later tour of the West Coast are also in the works.

“Were going to make the trek to Rhode Island First and we’ll be playing the CBGB lounge in New York and the Continental in New York. Its kind of exciting,” Campbell explained. “We’re really looking forward to touring the East Coast. Hopefully, by winter we’ll be in California.”

Preparations fro the tour have included purchasing an RV to transport the band in true rock-star style.

“Hopefully the old RV hold up,” Campbell said with a laugh. “If you see us broken down on the side of the road, just stop and help us.”
- Music Revue Magazine

Suckerpush – Reminiscin
By Gary Schwind “ www.Rocknworld.com ”



Suckerpush, a Michigan quintet, has released an understated gem with their latest entitled Reminiscing. It’s hard to peg these guys because, while their sound is familiar, it’s hard to say exactly who they sound like. They incorporate a lot of influences into their music but successfully avoid sounding too much like any other band.

Stylistically, I think the best comparison is with Matthew Sweet. Reminiscing is a good blend of rock (“Reminiscing,” “A Waitress Inside a Bar in my Heart”), power pop (“Tackling Daisies”), and acoustic ballads (“Dollar Sign Eyes,” “Days of Change”) like you would find on a Matthew Sweet album.

Frankly, there isn’t a bad song on this disc and it offers a little something for everyone. “High School Reunion” is a song reminiscent of Weezer, complete with tongue-in-cheek lyrics. It’s basically what any of us goes through if we attend our high school reunion. The singer describes it as “Pointless conversation while my brain’s on vacation / If you find a way out then tell me how.” He concludes the song by saying that everyone else has remained the same and he is the only one that has changed. “Reminiscing” is about a henpecked husband whose reminiscences are always interrupted when his wife asks him to do some chores. At the end of the song, he decides that he can’t take the commands to do chores anymore, so he leaves his wife for Hawaii. The slide guitar in “Reminiscing” reminds me a lot of “Love Spreads” by Stone Roses.

Suckerpush brings a lot of energy to this album and show a vast array of influences without displaying any of them too overtly. It’s clear that Suckerpush wants to avoid being pigeonholed and I think they do it pretty successfully. To put it simply, though, Reminiscing is a good rock album that just might find its way into your heavy rotation.

- RocknWorld.com