Music
The best kept secret in music
Press
By Caser Toney, June 2006
The Underdogs are about to become one of the front runners.
Playing one of the nation's largest Christian music festivals, the Morris-born Underdogs will realize something of a goal when they play at the Cornerstone Festival -- better known as the Woodstock of Christian Rock.
Set in Bushnell, Ill., the annual, week long festival features more than a hundred bands and assorted art shows and theatrics throughout the first week of July (July 4-8).
"In terms of playing in a Christian band, it's a huge Christian event," singer/guitarist Jason Sheedy said. "It's a dream come true basically."
The dream was born a little more than a year ago when Sheedy decided he wanted to form a band. In friends Andrew Gibeaut (drummer/backup vocals) and Frank Mata (bass guitar), they came together to form the Underdogs, a Christian [punk] rock group.
Musically, they dabble in pop with metal stylings. While many of their songs explore the more perilous trappings of youth and/or the saving graces of Christianity, they keep it light and absurd. Sometimes they'll kick out their skanking shoes ("skanking" is the preferred way of dancing to "ska" music) and welcome some brass for a ska throwdown.
"We're a serious wacky band," Sheedy said.
On the more serious side of song writing, Sheedy writes about the way he felt before devoting his life to God as opposed to how he feels now.
"It's like having a hole in your heart," Sheedy said.
(Youth) will try to fill it with drugs or girlfriends or materialism... Basically, we write about morality."
....The Underdogs will play Cornerstone July 5 and will play a 45-minute set and the FatCalf Stage. Sheedy said his band entered a contest for the gig and won the spot.
"It'll be a big crowd and we can get our names out there," Gibeaut said.
And big crowds will bring big mosh pits and big energy to what they hope to be a manic set.
"All the people will be moving around and moshing, and we'll get to look at that instead of being in the inside of a big pit," Mata said. - Morris Daily Herald
Discography
The Underdogs (Released independently Dec. 22, 2006)
Recorded and Mixed by: Alby Odum
Mastered by ARS Studios
All songs written by The Underdogs
Photos
Feeling a bit camera shy
Bio
The Underdogs began around the beginning of May 2005. Since then we have been unleashing much of what we consider to be music we like. I guess you'd really have to decide for yourself, but I think that every band pretty much says that same line... We are a Christian band, as quoted from an article written about us, we "explore the more perilous trappings of youth/and or saving graces of Christianity", yet we "keep it light and absurd." Very true, we sing about God, and we also sing about dads with dreadlocks, and so forth. We like crowds who get into music as if it were a large pool of free good feelings, but then again...what band doesn't? The utmost show goal is to make sure everyone in the audience is having as much fun as we are. Our influences would include MxPx, Goldfinger, The Offspring, The Vandals, and The Suicide Machines.
For video footage of The Underdogs playing at Cornerstone 2006, and for additional songs, please visit the link to the myspace site posted below:
Links
