Buzz Blog

As mentioned in the previous entry, this past Friday seemed like it was going to be an awesome night in the city, and then ... snow! --- The precursor to the winter season dropped the first flakes into the valley over the weekend, causing many to celebrate the resorts being open while the rest suffered traffic issues because it only takes six months for people to forget how to drive in this weather.

But that didn't stop a number of parties and shows from happening, including the TGR Ski Video series, which held its big after party at Bar Deluxe on Friday night. Two bands played extra-long sets for the packed house: SLC rock trio The Weekenders and the hip hop afrobeat ensemble Fat Apollo & The Cellulites. We chat with both bands and highlight pictures from the show, which you can check out here.

The Weekenders (Rob Reinfurt, Nick Steffens and John Murphy)

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Gavin: Hey, guys. First off, tell us a little about yourselves.

Rob: We play rock and roll music. Our songs are best experienced with a beer in your hand. Nowadays, there are a bunch of ways to define rock. We let our influences bleed through, and we try to be as tasteful as possible. It's heavy drums, melodic bass and riff-oriented guitar. We love playing out, whether it's to a packed house or one drunk guy ... like last Wednesday. It's a privilege to be onstage, and we respect that.

Gavin: What got each of you interested in music, and who were some of your favorite acts and musical influences growing up?

Nick: Growing up, we were all into classic rock; The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, The Band, The Grateful Dead were staples for each of us. I started playing in bands when I was 15. I used to strap my bass to my back and rollerblade six miles to practice. True story.

Rob: When I was a kid, I always wanted to play drums. My mom wouldn't let me. The first thing I bought when I moved out was a drum set. I had $100 to spend, but the guy wouldn't take it, so I offered him $100 and a 12 pack, and I got my first drum set. I started playing guitar with The Weekenders because I couldn't find a guitarist I liked playing with, but I knew the perfect drummer.

John: When I was 10, I wanted to play the drums because I realized drums are part of almost all music. That's the kind of musician I wanted to be: the kind who can play a bunch of different styles. I have been studying the instrument ever since.

Gavin: How did you all get together to form The Weekenders?

John: We all grew up in other parts of the country, but each of us decided to put roots down in Utah. A big part of that process for each of us was finding people to make music with, so John and Rob ran print ads in City Weekly. It's fitting that our paths crossed when they did.

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Gavin: What was it like coming together and playing a kind of indie/alt rock?

Nick: So many times you jam with people you meet and it feels forced or contrived. Our first sessions felt really natural. There was a sense of synergy with the band.

Gavin: There's word online that you've got an album coming sometime this fall. What's the current word on the album's progress and when can we expect to see it?

John: It should be coming out sometime in December. The songs are there, it's just a matter of editing, mixing and mastering.

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Gavin: You're currently listed under Spare Bedroom Records for a label. What's the story behind the label, and are there any plans to release works other than your own under it?

Rob: I guess it should be called Spare Bedroom Studios. When my roommates moved out, I converted the spare bedroom into a recording studio. Almost everything we've done has been recorded there, so the name fit.

Gavin: Have you given any thought to touring out-of-state, or are you sticking to home for now?

Nick: We have just started to think about it. We hope to do some type of tour this spring.

Rob: That would be incredible. For the immediate future, we plan to play a bunch of shows around the valley, work on new material and branch out from there.

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Gavin: Moving on to statewide stuff, what are your thoughts on the local music scene, both good and bad?

John: The scene has gained a fair amount of momentum over the past few years. There are a handful of original rock bands making it work. The acts are diverse and there are plenty of venues to support them. It just keeps getting better.

Gavin: Is there anything you believe could be done to make it more prominent?

Nick: It seems people are getting tired of the Utah bar scene. Musicians need to seek out non-traditional venues and start thinking outside the box to build a fan base. Josh Payne Orchestra is an excellent example, playing free, outdoor midnight shows in random parts of the city.

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Gavin: Not including yourselves, who are your favorite acts in the scene right now?

Rob: Holy Water Buffalo and Josh Payne Orchestra. They are completely different and equally awesome.

Gavin: What's your opinion on the current airplay on community radio and how it affects local musicians?

John: It's awesome that there are still local bands being played on the radio. We're fortunate to have KRCL.

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Gavin: With so many sources out there to get music off the Web, both for publicity and sharing, what are your thoughts on putting out free tracks for anyone to listen to?

Nick: All of our tracks are free to download, and we'll continue to make our music available. We just want people to listen. Our ultimate goal is to get people to come see us live.

Gavin: What can we expect from you guys over the rest of this year and going into next?

John: The next month, we have a bunch of gigs. Burt's Tiki on Nov. 10 and Urban Lounge on Nov. 30. We want to keep that momentum going through the winter so we can do a short tour in the spring.

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Gavin: Is there anything you'd like to plug or promote?

Rob: All our music is free to download at Facebook or ReverbNation

Fat Apollo & The Cellulites (Elijah Caldiero, Emerson Andrews, Patrick Mceachern, Dallas Sinquefield and John Murphy)

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FA&TC on Facebook

Gavin: Hey, guys. First off, tell us a little about yourselves.

Emerson: We are a hip-hop group that takes a live-band approach.

Dallas: We're a group who are constantly trying to incorporate, gather, bring, infuse and mesh different styles of music into hip-hop.

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Gavin: What got each of you interested in music, and who were some of your favorite acts and musical influences growing up?

Emerson: The first form of music that hooked me was hip-hop; these guys were skilled with words and I loved it. It was from there that I fell in love with all other forms of music. I have always liked Mos Def, The Roots, Jurassic 5, Parliament Funkadelic and jazz -- all sorts of jazz.

Dallas: Attending a high school talent show and watching my friends cover "Plush" by STP, my best friend Phil Zinn and I vowed to start our own band and play the show next year. As a teen, I listened to N.W.A., CSNY, 3 Dog Night, Primus and NOFX. I went through a ska phase and then found the Dead and Phish.

Patrick: Everyone is interested in music. I started playing music because I can't help playing with things. Growing up, I mostly liked my dad's records from the sixties. Then I got into jazz in high school. I didn't hear any good hip-hop until I was in college.

Gavin: How did you all get together to form FA&TC?

Emerson: I approached Dallas at a party and asked if he wanted to start a hip-hop band, we met up and have been putting together the right crew since then.

Dallas: The Grimpths were coming to an end when Emerson, who lived with a Grimpth member, approached me and said we should start a hip-hop band in the vein of The Roots. His knowledge and confidence in the genre helped eased my doubts. Members came and went due to artistic differences and goals. Emerson is waist deep in the capoeira/Brazilian community here in SLC. Patrick, our percussionist/multi-instrumentalist, plays with Samba Fogo, a group who performs for capoeira events. Eli, our bass player, is also friends with Emerson and Patrick from this incredibly high-energy martial-art form. Our drummer -- John, you guessed it -- also plays with Samba Fogo.

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Gavin: What was it like for each of you to come together with various influences and create the kind of funk/hip-hop mesh of styles?

Emerson: I loved it. I can always be wrong and it means that our music will always grow. Hip-hop is an endless well of influence so we can incorporate pretty much anything we would like.

Dallas: A lot easier than you'd think. Hip-hop, like every other genre, is constantly changing and evolving. We try our best to listen and experiment with each other's ideas while hopefully maintaining the roots of hip-hop. Whatever genre somebody doesn't listen to, somebody else does. We have a lot to draw from.

Patrick:We have a open attitude about incorporating various influences. Our current sounds have a lot to do with Dallas and his great ideas and writing. A lot of my percussion parts are shamelessly stolen from Brazilian music. Right now, our sound is kind of a fun, tasty mishmash, but we definitely aren't at an end point, stylistically. Now we are pushing ourselves to study styles from really old-school hip-hop and translate that into our live band. That won't be an end point, either. Next we'll push our versatility into another direction.

Gavin: Having a sound that really isn't defined, how is it for you finding an audience in Utah and getting gigs with various acts and venues?

Emerson: I think of two things: booty shaking and head nodding. If you got that, you can do whatever you like.

Patrick: It's been going well because our sound appeals to a lot of folks who might not otherwise listen to much hip-hop. So far we haven't actually been doing a lot of shows with other hip-hop artists, but we should start doing that.

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Gavin: You currently have some tracks on your Facebook page. Are there any plans in the works for recording an album or an EP yet?

Emerson: We are putting everything together for a 6-track EP late this year or early next year.

Gavin: Have you given any thought to touring out of state, or are you sticking close to home for now?

Emerson: I want to tour out of state, and I think that once we have an EP we can start the touring.

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Gavin: Moving on to statewide stuff, what are your thoughts on the local music scene, both good and bad?

Emerson: I love the local music scene, I think it is a breeding ground for new music. I am always pushing towards more community between musicians and fans. There are some acts that really join us in the community effort, and I think that whenever that happens it is great.

Gavin: Is there anything you believe could be done to make it more prominent?

Emerson: Collaboration between artists and changing the liquor laws. The first one is easy and fun; the second gives me a headache.

Dallas: More clubs need to be all-ages with an over-21 bar area. I've found that with bars, the band is an afterthought and the background to their night. I'd also go back to only two bands per night.

Patrick: I think the best thing for the health of music is to always build up more community around it. Artists can collaborate in making music and booking shows. Audiences can connect with bands on Facebook and Twitter to know about all of their shows. I don't think people understand that you have a big impact by just following your favorite bands with some dedication, rather than waiting until you happen to end up at another one of their shows. The difference is huge between treating music like a commodity and treating it like a community. The best musical experiences for both bands and audiences come when there is a critical mass of people treating it like a community. By the way, if you have ever been to one of our shows, or even if you are just reading this right now, you are in the Fat Apollo community. That's how we think of you.

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Gavin: Not including yourselves, who are your favorite acts in the scene right now?

Emerson: Samba Fogo, King Niko, Bullets & Bells, The Bloop, Form of Rocket -- if they still play, Birthquake, The Red Bennies and Big Blue Ox.

Dallas: Birthquake, The Red Bennies, King Niko, Top Dead Celebrity, The Future Of The Ghost, Royal Bliss, The Bloop, Boxy Auto and The Joshua Payne Orchestra.

Gavin: What's your opinion on the current airplay on community radio and how it affects local musicians?

Emerson: I believe that community radio is essential! I listen to it daily and have supported it since we have been playing. KRCL, KUER, and UtahFM provide diversity in a "Clear Channel world."

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Gavin: With so many sources out there to get music off the Web, both for publicity and sharing, what are your thoughts on putting out free tracks for anyone to listen to?

Emerson: Love it! We have some on our Facebook right now.

Gavin: What can we expect from you guys over the rest of this year and going into next?

Emerson: More shows and a kick-ass EP.

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Gavin: Is there anything you'd like to plug or promote?

Emerson: We have a show on Nov. 18 at 5 Monkeys bar and another on Dec. 21 at The Urban Lounge. We are playing with some great acts and it will be a great time.

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