The Bombadil Project

The Bombadil Project has not been around for very long, but the Spanaway-based band is attracting some attention on the local scene with their style of alternative rock. The group consists of Mike George on guitar and lead vocals, Josh Khan on guitar and backing vocals, Matt Skipworth on bass and Justin Kahn on drums.

George and Khan both have parents who served in the U.S. Army. They first met in fifth grade when they lived in Fayetteville, N.C., although they did not know each other well.

George moved to Spanaway in 11th grade. While attending the Puyallup Fair with a church youth group, he noticed another member looked familiar. It turned out to be Khan. They began playing music together a year ago and formed The Bombadil Project.

Their first drummer graduated from high school and headed off to college. He was replaced by Kahn last fall. Skipworth joined three months ago. Khan attends Lakes High School in Lakewood, while the three other members attend Spanaway Lake High School.

George read "The Lord Of The Rings" in English class and selected the band name from a character in the book, Tom Bombadil.

The band has 12 original songs. George writes all the lyrics and much of the music, with Khan and Kahn making contributions.

George's mother and brother like to sing, and his father sang in choirs in college. George briefly sang in a church choir

"I sing in the shower," Khan quipped. He has some singers in his family as well. His mother sings at church and his grandfather was in a barbershop quartet. The vocal harmonies George and Khan achieve are a strong element of The Bombadil Project's sound. George said Khan had little experience singing at first, but practiced to get where he is now.

George likes playing all-ages gigs, since much of their fan base is 18 or under. Rock musicians under 21 sometimes must endure the inconveniences posed by state liquor laws. Different clubs have different policies depending on what type of liquor license they hold. At a recent show at Oh Gallagher's in Lakewood the band members stood outside when it was 30 degrees waiting for their turn to go onstage.

They played an open mic at Spanaway Lake, and will perform at the school's Sentinel Idol talent show.

The band recorded a demo CD, which they admit was a low-budget effort. Most of the tracks were recorded at home, although they did one in a church. In June they plan to enter a studio to do a five-song demo CD, which they plan to call "We Are Godzilla, You Are Tokyo."

The Bombadil Project is the second band Kahn has played in. He started drumming five years ago. This is the first band for the others.

George has played guitar for three years, and also plays saxophone. Khan has played violin for seven years, and picked up guitar 18 months ago. He said George got him started teaching him riffs from Van Halen and Queen songs. - Tacoma Weekly