The Buzzkills
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The Buzzkills

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"The Buzzkills: From side project to crowd favorite"

nspired by many types of music, Bloomington-based band The Buzzkills started as a side project that eventually grew into something more. The band consists of five members: Jonathan Barnett (bass), Kyle Gilpin (guitar), Matt Schory (drums), Patrick Ward (guitar) and John Weston (guitar). All members contribute vocally. The band has been playing together for about a year and a half, but Gilpin and Weston just joined the band in the fall.

While the band considers a wide range of music to be its inspiration, a lot of its music is influenced by classic rock and the band classified its earlier sound as “Led Zeppelin-esque.”

“We all grew up on classic rock. We’re all children of Zeppelin,” Schory said. Yet the band members were also influenced by the music they began listening to at a young age, such as ’90s alternative – Weezer, Pearl Jam, Rage Against the Machine and even Korn.

“A good chunk of us all started out as metal heads,” Schory added. The band explained they currently have a sound that is more The Beatles mixed with the Foo Fighters.

Tired of the bands that play the same exact set everywhere they go, The Buzzkills like to make every show a little

bit different.

“I feel like we’re finally finding a good way to meld, doing the crowd pleasers, but also doing our artistically-pleasing originals,” Schory said.

“Awww Honey” is one of the bands original songs that gets a great reaction from the crowd.

The band likes to focus on original songs but also likes to play covers, letting each member of the band pick a song to cover and then rotate. “Probably the biggest argument in the band is which Zeppelin tune to cover,” Weston said.

While the band explains that they have gotten a lot of grief for playing covers in the past, they say it has definitely paid off for them to be able to play in venues such as The Bluebird.

They consider The Bluebird to be a “home base” and their favorite place to play. “There’s a lot less to worry about when you play here. If something goes wrong you know it’s going to be taken care of,” Ward said. “If we get bigger and we start playing bigger venues, I’m sure we’ll still make tribute and come back here no matter what.”

Currently, the band is busy trying to get exposure locally and in nearby states with weekend tours, and it will also be entering the studio, starting Feb. 14, to record its first album. The band will be recording locally at Attic Recording, which was started by their good friend Eric Day.

“We talked about doing it in a place like Echo Park,” Schory said. “We have the money to do it if we wanted. I’d rather work with someone who actually genuinely cares about what we’re actually doing. I grew up with the kid and he’s a wonderful engineer, really knows what he’s doing.”

Song-wise the band is thinking of the album as a big EP with about seven to 10 songs that really focus on their best material.

“I feel like seven to eight songs is a really good number for a small band in a local community to do rather than a full length, 15-song album,” Schory said.

When they have finished recording, the band says they plan to do an album release show at none other than The Bluebird.

After working on recording, the band hopes it can widen its appeal by playing at clubs similar to The Bluebird across the Midwest.

“We’ve been playing somewhere on a really consistent basis,” Schory said. “The name is getting some exposure. So we’ve just got to start from scratch in other markets now.” - Indiana Daily Student


"The Buzzkills to Play Killer Show"

Loud licks and maybe a Cheap Trick cover will echo through the Union Sports Annex when the venue hosts the hard rocking Buzzkills on Saturday.

The Buzzkills has made a musical leap from a side project to a full-time band. It also made the jump from college basement parties at Indiana University to touring Midwest college town bars with high hopes and southern rock smoothness.

Drummer Matt Schory, a senior at IU, discussed the Buzzkills' formula for writing music.

"Everyone in the band is into something different, so just in one song you might hear something Wilco-esque, some Umphrey's McGee and some Led Zeppelin," Schory said. "But we really try to go for that dirty, classic rock sound. I love that sound, just the sheer power."

Classic rock was a theme Schory reiterated continuously. The Buzzkills has built up a solid foundation of classic covers and original material for its live shows.

"We're all children of Zeppelin," said Schory. "Them, the Beatles, and all the classic rock stuff are our influences just because that's what our parents listened to."

According to Schory, the Buzzkills got its name when it was still a side project and after the name clicked with friends, it just stuck around.

"Our old guitar player's sister was nicknamed 'The Buzzkill' as a joke so we stuck with it. It's kind of an ironic name, because we aren't here to kill your buzz, we do the opposite," Schory said.

The group added more members and became a more cohesive unit. One of the additions was former Marquette student Jon Barnett, who attended during the 2004-'05 school year.

"Jon is the reason we're playing the Annex in Milwaukee," Schory said. "He's our connection to Marquette. And since we're originally from the Chicago suburbs, it's nice to have a hopping point from the burbs in Chicago to Milwaukee before we drive seven hours back to school."

When the 2007-'08 school year comes to a close, four of the five members of the Buzzkills will be out of school and the band will take on more full time gigs. So as the band tests material at the Annex, its current tour seems to be a glimpse of what's in store for the future.

"The Buzzkills are going to cut a CD here soon," Schory said. "After we graduate, we're all going to put everything into this. Our biggest goal is to support ourselves on tour. We have a trailer right now and hopefully we can get a van soon."

It's been a long time coming for the Buzzkills and the current incarnation of the band is only three months old, but the band has been hard at work for over two years. Things have changed, but most of all, Schory said the band's attitude has matured.

"We started out playing house parties every weekend, playing balls to the walls rock music and now that's all changed with the Buzzkills," said Schory. "It's much more serious."

Schory promised any fan of the golden oldies like Pink Floyd and The Allman Brothers Band should enjoy the Buzzkills show, as it plans on an even mesh of covers and originals for its Annex show. - The Marquette Tribune


"Small Venues Make Big Comeback"

Local bands find audience interaction important when performing

By Alyssa Templeton

Published Dec. 3, 2006

Bloomington’s fast-growing music culture brings in not only some of the most famous names in the business, but a majority of young, local talent as well. With the number of local bands on the rise, an expansion and movement from the bar scene to smaller venues seemed like a natural movement.

The owners of these small venues opened their vintage clothing stores, record stores and former small residences to let in the rising new talent and cater to local bands. These performance venues may be hard to spot from the outside, but if one listens closely, one can hear what Bloomington has to offer its local music scene.
Patrick Ward plays his guitar and sings to an audience at a small local Bloomington venue.
Photo by Alyssa Templeton
Patrick Ward, lead singer of The Buzzkills, performs for an audience at Rhino's, a local Bloomington venue. Smaller venues give local bands more independence and audience interaction during performances.

These multi-art venues provide spaces for artists to paint the walls with their works, or a rock band to fill the space with a lively audience any night of the week. Local bands in Bloomington and across the nation are using these smaller venues to bring a more personal feel to their all-ages audiences.

IU student, band member, lead vocalist and guitarist of The Buzzkills Patrick Ward, 21, says bands choose venues based on relationships with the venues, past experiences and prefer places they feel most comfortable.

“You’ll find that if your music is truly good, you can bring all ages to different venues,” says Ward. “That is what is great about Bloomington. There is a place for everyone to play.”

The idea of the smaller performance venue is an uncomplicated way for local bands to create a fan base and promote their music. Word-of-mouth, flyers and MySpace are all useful tools for the promotion of these bands.

“It’s a simpler, easier way for smaller bands on the more independent circuit,” says Mark Rice, 26, staff member of the Art Hospital, 1021 S. Walnut St. “It’s definitely a community where it’s below the papers, where the people are varied, un-clique and open to new ideas.”

Breaking into the music scene begins by selling an image and genre of music to hometown crowds and keeping that crowd coming back for more. Some of these intimate venues help local artists emerge on the scene when the owners open their space to friends who perform in local bands.

“ I like music, so it was sort of a normal thing for me to open up my store for my friends’ bands to play,” says Cassie Slone, 25, owner of the Cherry Canary. “I also thought it would be a good way to advertise.”

While shopping downtown, the Cherry Canary, 214 W. Fourth St., is open to browse through the abundance of clothes during the day and at night is transformed for a more lively audience. The small space turns from a snug, vintage clothing store into a venue for hard rock or small duos performing for audiences of 20 to 70 people.

"It's definitely a community where it's below the papers, where the people are varied, un-clique and open to new ideas."

- Mark Rice

The Art Hospital

The Cherry Canary added performance venue as a trait to the cozy vintage clothing store about two years ago. Slone has attracted friends of friends to play and even national touring bands. The Internet proves a useful tool for her to contact different bands via MySpace.

“The store is completely my personality,” says Slone. “It is a hip, eclectic space where everything is handpicked, and I can be selective, even when choosing what bands I want to play here.”

Bands that have close relationships with Slone are the ones that perform most often at her store. A husband and wife duo, e.p. hall, began performing live one year ago and enjoyed the unusual performance venue when invited to play there by a friend.

“You almost feel like you are in someone’s closet,” says Jerel Hall, keyboardist, who is joined by wife Elise Percy Hall, lead singer and guitarist. “It’s kind of like a community closet where you can perform ‘naked’ and openly with an intimate audience setting.”
For more information on Bloomington performance venues that cater to the local art and music culture.

The need for these smaller venues came as the music culture of Bloomington grew, Rice says. With high school bands and college-age performers exceeding the number of places to play, Rice saw it as an opportunity.

Walking into the Art Hospital viewers witness the blinding white walls artists use to adorn their work on, and in the middle of the room the large stage for independent rock bands to entertain eager audiences of all ages.

“We kind of learned from being in a band and from playing in bars and smaller venues that there was a need for more venues in Bloomington,” says Rice. “We modeled it after an art gallery/music venue. It’s a space where shows can make it what they want it to be."
The Art Hospital, downtown Bloomington, is a venue for many different artistic performances and showings.
Photo from Art Hospital website
The Art Hospital, on Walnut Street, offers an open space for artists and performers to showcase their work. The 12 founders created it to give more independence to artists and to expand the Bloomington music culture.

Even famous musicians, who have been out of the live performance scene for awhile, find smaller venues help them establish roots again with their audiences. The St. Louis Dispatch followed Pete Yorn, a solo singer and guitarist, as he transitioned back into the music scene on a tour through some smaller venues and in-store performances in independent record stores.

"Growing up, independent stores are where I learned a lot about the music that I ended up loving," says Yorn. "I always enjoyed the culture of those stores, and it seems to be disappearing. In some cities, the stores that I loved are closed up now, so this is a good way to help make sure they're around for a good while longer."

Local bands like The Buzzkills and e.p. hall, as well as famous musicians returning to the music scene, all have one thing in common, a need for audience interaction. The interactivity between the performer and the audience can be felt in any venue, but it is especially noticed when comfortably placed between the walls of these independent venues.

This close connection helps ensure these cultural staples of Bloomington will be around for awhile.

“It’s all about the love of the music,” said Ward. “If you start small and work your way up, then you will just have to let your music and ability to keep a crowd bring you to the top.” - The Bloomington Source


Discography

Which Way Is Down (2008)
1. Room Key
2. Aww Honey
3. Get It Out Of Your Head
4. Once I Get Started
5. Stick To Tonight
6. Dreamer
7. Shacker Song
8. My Soul
9. Destined To Lose
10. Southern Stars

The Bluebird E.P.
1. What It Is
2. Where We Goin'
3. I Can't Stay
4. Headache
5. And You're Crying
6. I'm Not There
7. Elevation

Photos

Bio

Formed in early 2007 in Bloomington, Indiana, the Buzzkills barely resemble their first incarnation as an unheard of hard rock side project. Today The Buzzkills are fast becoming a staple of the mid-west music scene. With a wide array of influences from jazz to metalcore, the group manages to blend the sound of the great classics with modern rock and progressive music.

"There's definitely an interesting mix of influences within the group", according to drummer Matt Schory, " the common factor is that we all sort of started in the same place; with bands like the Beatles, Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd. Our music comes from that base and then we inject of our own personal musical tastes.”

The core of the Buzzkills’ sound comes from the writing of John Weston and Kyle Gilpin. When asked about the bands writing process Weston explains, “Every song is a bit different. Sometimes Kyle or I will have a nearly finished song and everyone will add their own personal touch. More and more a song will start out as a basic idea like a melody or an idea for a cool chorus and everyone will just throw around stuff from there.”

The material on the bands upcoming release, a self titled E.P., is a mix of material from Weston, Gilpin and the group as a whole. According to Gilpin, “We all really tried to put our own personal stamp on this album but still retain a level of continuity from song to song. Each song has its own unique personality but still maintains a consistent sound throughout the album.

”Most of the material from the new album was written during the late spring and summer of 2009 after a brief period of heavy gigging.

The band certainly has come a long way since 2007. In only nine months (Weston officially joined up in October of 2007) the group became one of the premier groups in Bloomington and moved up to headlining spots at the legendary Bluebird Nightclub. Not only have they managed to create a buzz in Bloomington; they have been able to take it all over Indiana with regular rotations in Indianapolis, Terre Haute, and Ft. Wayne as well as Chicago and several surrounding suburbs and college towns.

The Buzzkills have built their reputation around their high-energy and engaging live shows. Aside from the original music, the group also has a huge repertoire of classic rock covers. “We love playing them”, says Weston, “It’s fun music to listen to and it’s even more fun to play.” It certainly looks like fun. One thing is for sure about this band; they definitely look like they enjoy what they do.

Schory explains “We all love what we do and I think it shows. This is what we would all be doing on a Saturday night anyways—drinking beer and playing great music. It’s even better when other people can enjoy it too. I can’t really think of anything I’d rather be doing. Well at least with my pants on.”