The Choons

By Brett Newski

As rock n’ roll falls further into the shadow of the electronic dance-beat in today’s popular music, The Choons manage to salvage guitar rock while staying modern.

With a self-coined classification of “Spy-Rock”, The Choons live up to their genre with songs like “Incognito” and espionage guitar riffs that would fit perfectly in any James Bond level on N64.

Their 4-song self-titled EP hits foot-to-pedal from track one, maintaining lickety-split tempos along the lines of an early Beach Boys record.

The vocals and rhythm section take a backseat to the guitar playing on the disc, as Tommy Shears AM-radio filtered voice lurks in the spaces of John Sprangers quick-fingered guitar work. The Choons wax the record with a handful of surf-riffs, putting their own spin on Dick Dale guitar-work.

The songs emerged unrefined from the studio and the vintage aesthetic plays to the bands advantage, as “II Semper Tyranus” is as good as any Strokes hit single. The Choons are tapping into a “new-old” at the perfect time, as the Strokes have called off hiatus and vinyl record sales are leaping. While The Choons EP won’t be making it onto vinyl anytime soon, its digital form will likely show up on your iPod’s “Top 25 Most-Played” for weeks to come. - Dane101

Say “tune.” Now add a British twist and say it with an accent.

If you weren’t too embarrassed to mutter tune under your breath with an English brogue, then you most likely ended up saying “choon.”

You’ve just been introduced to Madison’s very own spy rockers, The Choons.

Self described as the sonic equivalent of “James Bond in a robot suit in a stand off at High Noon versus John Wayne in a suit and tie,” the guys have been perfecting this delicate balance of indie rock cleverness with a healthy dose of quickness and wit since their debut onto Madison’s culture compass in 2008.

Modest in the same vein you would expect any group of burgeoning, talented musicians to be, The Choons have a nearly nerdy presence when you chat with them off stage. Before answering any question the four members collectively glance at one another, grinning slightly before divulging a response laden with hints of ironic humor.

Citing The Beatles, The Strokes and Vampire Weekend as their main influences, these agents of alternative rock embody the vintage cool soul of the British pantheons they frequently cover. Founding member and one of the band’s guitarists, John Sprangers, even dons a Paul McCartney-like head of locks — the Beatles personified indeed.

But unless you’re Lady Gaga, looks are a minor caveat to the bigger picture: the sound.

Sprangers and fellow guitarist and vocalist Tommy Shears found each other on Craigslist two years ago. Shears remembers The Strokes being written in bold on the listing. For Sprangers, the New York rockers’ influence was a jumping off point for The Choons.

“If you really listen to The Strokes you’ll hear the subtle complexity of their sound,” Sprangers said in a recent sit down with The Badger Herald. “They play in a way that sounds simple, yet is fairly intricate when you break it down.”

For The Choons, mastering this technique of subtle complexity helps listeners latch onto a beat and actively engage in the melodies being made.

“If you listen to our songs you can always tap out something on your keyboard,” Sprangers added. “The bass is always active with that low sound that you can hear in the James Bond theme — that’s what we mean by ‘spy rock.’”

But before they could make foot tapping rhythms, they had to enlist a drummer and a talented bassist.

With the addition of Shears, the other two members, Ryan Hanke and Melissa Brumm, fleshed out The Choons. Since its foundation the band dynamic has changed slightly — Peter Reschenberg, an old friend of Sprangers who played with him growing up and in previous band projects — has taken over for Brumm on lead bass.

The Choons produced their first self-titled EP earlier this year in Fond Du Lac and have been playing the regional music landscape since. Their Facebook and MySpace pages describe their first musical effort as “expertly crafted lyrics meld coming of age with wanderlust and geopolitical grandeur.”

It’s as if the Majesty’s secret service carried instruments instead of lethal weapons.

The “wanderlust” of their four song EP is reflected by the spectrum of musical stylings used, which range from classical to classic rock but all married with intelligent lyrics that reflect their Madison environment.

One of the four, “Senorita,” refashions Freakfest into a fantasy rebellion.

“It’s influenced by Halloween on State Street. We re-imagine it as if it were a revolution of sorts,” Sprangers said.

Another obvious parallel to the politically-minded scene they’re playing: their insertions of “geopolitical grandeur.”

“Political themes make their way into our music, but they’re not necessarily political messages, it just has that braininess that is so Madisonesque,” Sprangers said.

Another Madisonesque aspect of The Choons? They are without a record label.

But as an unsigned band, the Choons recognize that social media sites like Facebook, MySpace and Twitter play an invaluable role in pumping up their fan base and booking shows.

“How you ‘make it’ is still a mystery even with the help of the Internet,” Sprangers said. “We’re always waiting for that ‘big call,’” Sprangers said with a hint of laughter as he referenced the epic “break” unsigned musicians sometimes hold their breath for.

And with the omnipresence of local bands both established and underground diffused throughout the campus, a cacophony of competition undoubtedly emerges, but The Choons shrug at any whispers of heated animosity between this network of UW rock bands.

“We build off what each other has done. We blaze a trail for one another,” Sprangers said. “It’s always good to know what fellow bands are doing.”

Last spring the Isthmus reported on this explosion of UW rock bands profiling several campus bands like The Choons. The guys were chosen as the cover shot for that issue — an opportunity Shears dubs as one of the band’s finest achievements thus far.

“Being on the cover of the Isthmus as the face of the Madison music scene was a strange and beautiful moment,” Shears said, while also noting, “Searching our band on iTunes and having the search bar finish our name and come up with our EP — that’s pretty cool too.”

Their upcoming concert at High Noon Saloon Thursday night is in association with the local Tenant Resource Center’s 30th anniversary party. The charity event hopes to raise awareness and donations for the TRC — a local non-profit group that provides free housing counseling to both renters and landlords and also educates both on their rights and responsibilities under Wisconsin law.

“It’s a great partnership,” Sprangers said. “Taking part in social activism is a very Madison thing to do.”

“Come if you want the full Choon experience,” Shears said. Sprangers then clarified on what to really expect:

“You can dance, you can meet a significant other… maybe on stage.”

Yes ladies, an unclaimed Choon remains without a Penny Lane to serenade from his on-stage pulpit.

But to the dudes who may not care that one of the lead singers is single, you’ll still want to head to High Noon to witness the musical duel between James Bond and John Wayne unfold while sipping on a martini —shaken, not stirred of course.

The Choons will be playing with The People Brothers Band and Electric Spanking at High Noon Saloon, Thursdsy, Oct. 21 for the “TRC Rocks!” charity event. The 21 and over concert begins at 9 p.m. There is a $5 cover. Their first EP is also available on iTunes and Amazon. - The Badger Herald

Spring semester ends at UW-Madison this week. The Choons' new self-titled EP is the perfect tribute. After all, campus bands made a big impact on the local scene this year, and the Choons were among the most prominent. This four-song disc makes it easy to understand why.

"Barcahoma" is built on a blistering electric-guitar chord progression that's equally intense and melodic. And there's plenty of retro-rock appeal here. The raw, rollicking guitar and drums of "Incognito" feel like rebellion against all the production that weighs down modern pop. It's one part Elvis Costello, one part Arctic Monkeys.

The disc captures the unbridled rock 'n' roll energy that hit Bascom Hill this year. So if you're hosting a graduation party this weekend, plug in the Choons and play them loud.
- The Isthmus - Rich Albertoni

The Choons were featured on the cover and interviewed for this story on the upstart UW-Madison music scene. The Isthmus is Madison's alternative weekly newspaper.


March 5th - by Rich Albertoni
UW-Madison students Quincy Harrison and Cliff Grefe were profiled in USA Today last December for a song they wrote in the basement of their Langdon Street fraternity house.

Harrison, 20, and Grefe, 19, didn't get national press for breaking musical ground. They'd barely begun performing together as Zooniversity months earlier. The raps and beats were simple on their debut single, "Coastie Song (What's a Coastie?)."

But their lyrical depiction of a campus stereotype was starkly unfiltered, and for some, offensively so. In this telling, Coasties aren't just coeds from New York. Zooniversity portrays Coasties as young Jewish women who drink Starbucks, don North Face and Ugg fashions, and freely spend "Daddy's money."

"Coastie Song" has solicited about 200,000 views and listens across YouTube, MySpace and other websites. That number is similar to the online exposure a national indie rock hit typically gets.

Here in Madison, "Coastie Song" is heralding what could be the most important local music story developing this year. After a relatively quiet period, the UW-Madison music scene is on the rise. Undergraduate bands are playing more local stages, and to a degree unseen in decades, live-music venues are operating on or near State Street.

A single event highlights this trend on Friday, March 12. Three increasingly influential student bands will share a bill at the Pub, 552 State St.: the Nod, the Choons and Meteorade.

It's an event that defies entrenched local music norms. For years, Madison's most active live music venues have resided in the near east (High Noon Saloon) or near west (Annex). But along with longstanding campus venues like the Memorial Union Rathskeller, a growing number of commercial spaces for local and touring bands are now a short walk from Library Mall, including the Pub, Opa, Samba Brazilian Grill, the Orpheum and Majestic theaters, the Frequency, Brocach and the Argus.

In a series of interviews, student musicians and academic student services staff suggested the cause of this campus music revival: Changes in technology have emboldened a new generation of undergraduates to more broadly participate in creating music. And as more students create music, they seek venues near campus to play.

"We're on an upswing now," says WSUM general manager Dave Black. "The DIY nature of media makes it more natural for this generation to think, 'I can make my own music.'"

"How we record music is pretty cool," says Zooniversity's Grefe. "We have a studio in our [fraternity] house that we made from scratch right as summer was ending. We have the software, keyboard, microphone and everything all in the room. We also soundproofed the room with egg cartons and mattresses we found on the street that other people didn't want."

Brett Newski fronts the Nod, one of the most successful campus bands of the past few years. Newski says the new wave of UW bands seeks closer venues for the most practical of reasons: "When you're a young band you usually don't have a car to transport your gear." Having venues near campus, he says, "makes it that much easier for us."

'Everything happens online'

Last year, Majestic Theatre co-owner Matt Gerding began hosting Wisconsin Union Directorate shows in his venue to try to bridge the musical divide between campus and community. He hires student interns and makes it his business to keep current on new musical trends. He says it's clear that more college students are making music nationwide. "They're creating a huge following completely on their own."

Last month, the Majestic presented Mike Posner, a Duke University student who Gerding says created a buzz for himself on YouTube, Facebook and MySpace without any radio support or a major label.

"The show sold out in advance," says Gerding. "It's amazing. Artists like Owl City and Pretty Lights have had a similar story. They create music with new technology and develop hype with a very limited amount of classic promotional models."

John Sprangers, 22, plays guitar and keys in the Choons, one of the UW-Madison rock bands scheduled to play the Pub on March 12. "I use a home recording program to flesh out the parts," he says. "With a midi keyboard and a guitar, I can record all of the tracks — drum parts and keys — in pretty short order, and I can use the program to make sheet music and tabs. With this material, the band can be playing new original songs very quickly."

Sprangers says it isn't just changes in the availability of recording equipment that has helped fuel the Choons' initial success. "We benefit tremendously from social media," he says. "Even though we're just getting our bearings locally, our front man has communicated through Twitter with people as far away as Australia who like our music.

Sprangers says the Choons use social media to find venues and advertise their shows and merchandise. "Everything happens online except for the shows themselves," he says.

The Choons are among a wave of current campus rock bands and artists that includes the pop-rock of Meteorade, the bluesy rock of Dirty Jive, the funky sounds of the Bombshelters, the rootsy pop of Anna Wang and the acoustic folk-rock of P.C. Allen. These acts build on the success of student electro-jammers Steez and the quirky high-energy sound of the Nod.

A growing number of music-related student organizations are among the hundreds of campus clubs, according to Eric Knueve, interim director of the Center for Leadership and Involvement. That includes a cappella groups like MadHatters, the redcoated, necktied young men who do dramatic interpretations of pop hits like Snow Patrol's "Chasing Cars." The group increasingly uses YouTube as an outlet for reaching audiences.

Gerding believes national success stories of home recording artists like Adam Young, who performs as Owl City, have motivated students to try to compose their own songs. Owl City's "Fireflies" became a number-one Billboard single in 2009 and has generated album sales exceeding two million copies so far.

"I think students and young people see these artists come out of nowhere and develop these huge followings by making music with all kinds of new recording technology, and they think, 'Hey, I can do this, too,'" says Gerding.

"I think the Ramones probably inspired more kids to form bands than any other artist in history because they made great music that was really simple to play," he says. "Kids are being similarly inspired by artists like Owl City who make music that is just as simple and easy and can be made in a dorm room with nothing more than a laptop."

Change you can trust?

The rapid changes in recording technology and social media may be sparking an explosion in UW campus bands, but it's also leaving some student musicians unsure of what platforms they can rely on to endure.

Nathan Schaefer, 22, is a guitarist and vocalist in Meteorade. "I'm not sure that everything has settled down and found its niche yet," he says. "When MySpace first launched, it was very convenient to use. You could browse all local bands in an area by giving it a zip code. That was how we learned more about the Madison scene when we moved here, and how we found bands to contact when booking shows."

But Schaefer says MySpace has started feeling more corporate. "The ability to find local bands is gone," he says. "Instead they shove 'top music' charts in your face."

Concerns about the new platforms lead some student musicians back to more traditional methods of recording and distribution.

For the Choons, home technology is used to develop songs, but not to burn them into their final form. "We've been doing the recordings we sell and put our names behind at Full Spectrum Studios in Fond du Lac, with a producer," says Sprangers. "It's part DIY and part paying a pro."

Truth be told, Schaefer's trust in technology doesn't run deep. "I think, overall, our generation came of age right when everything was changing," he says. "I heard good stuff on the radio when I was in grade school, and the idea of using the Internet to find music seemed strange until I was in high school. Our drummer Krista was big into her local punk scene. She read print zines and ordered albums from her favorite labels using snail mail."

But it's harder to find reliable outlets for learning about music, he says. "Most of us still have a friend we trust to find new bands and show them to us."

For most students, the advantages of the new media outweigh the uncertainties. "It's a lot easier to find great music today," says Sprangers of the Choons. "When I go to [the review aggregating site] Metacritic, I know any band scoring above an 80 is bound to have a very interesting album."

In high school, Sprangers didn't know much about indie music because no radio station played it. "But now I can log onto Pitchfork from wherever I am and find out about great music a little outside the mainstream."

Do-it-yourself memories

College is about having unforgettable experiences, and that's what's happening in the UW music scene revival.

Brandon Beebe, guitarist and vocalist for Meteorade, vividly recalls a show at the Ram Head Ratskeller, a recently closed venue that operated on North Henry Street. There was, he says, "just the feeling of being underground in that hedonistic place with a huge pit of people dancing in a euphoric, sweaty mess in front of you, and both familiar and unfamiliar faces surrounding you on either side of the stage with huge grins and fists pumping. You'd look back into the hazy blackness and see endless bodies that you know are packed to the back walls with a line out the door. Knowing that you are supplying this entire place with one of the best nights they've had all year. And feeling, if only for the night, like a real rock star — I'll never forget it."

The Nod's Brett Newski says that rock's new independent work ethic suits college students like him just fine.

"We do everything ourselves," he says. "We really pound the pavement to reach the ears. It's a do-it-yourself era with recording, promoting and booking. No one can afford a roadie to change their strings. We should probably just call the new record DIY."

He says the Nod rents an old, dirty rock 'n' roll basement under a liquor store. "It's cheap rent, and we get a discount for mopping the floor and taking out the trash each month. Love it."

Given the higher profile of undergraduate bands and music groups, more high-impact student recordings are bound to help steer the direction of Madison's music scene, on and off campus.

Zooniversity has already released a follow-up to "Coastie Song." It's a rap serenade to Chancellor Biddy Martin and features the singing of MadHatter Sam Petricca. The three-minute single finds fraternity brothers "Beef" and "Quincy" professing romantic adulation for Martin, who is a lesbian. Like "Coastie Song," "My Biddy" is sure to be taken as funny by some, offensive by others.

Like it or not, it's thoroughly collegiate. I have a hunch a lot of Madison music will be in the decade ahead.
- Rich Albertoni - The Isthmus