Bay City Music

By AJ Hoffman

Contributing Writer

As a few hundred trucks swarmed the parking lot of the Kelly Shorts Football Stadium at CMU, no one was happier to see these rabid football fans than the three bands I was there to talk to.

Untapt, Mindseed and Corporate Suicide,  respectively, was the order that each band was slated to hit the stage.

The 3 bands each had roughly 45 minutes to an hour to play before CMU started their home opener.

Mindseed, one of the most hospitable and friendly bands I’ve ever been around, welcomed me into their social circle as soon as I arrived and introduced myself.

Of the three, Mindseed’s lineup is currently the most stable. The other two bands have minor problems, but they’re minor and they’ve both noted that they’re addressing these issues… we’ll get back to them a little later, though.

As for Mindseed, they were stellar, and came off like they could have performed for a few more hours. The bottom-line for them is not only that they’re a talented band, but they’re the consummate nice guys… who don’t finish last.

Last year, they were voted the “nicest guys in metal,” for donating all of the money from the only two paying shows they had to charity. Each of them passes the buck when it comes to accepting admiration, when really, they all deserve a fair amount of credit for the hard work they’ve put in.

Craig (bass) and Roger (guitar) peg Ed (a.k.a. DJ W8Less) as the backbone or staple of the band, meanwhile, Ed merely looks down and shakes his head… “oh no, I just try to fit in something that works with what the rest of the band is doing…” Ed says.

Equally as soft-spoken as Ed is the other guitar player, Fred – noting, “we’d really like to thank CMU for having us, and the Village at Bluegrass for sponsoring this whole thing.”

The kindness of the gentlemen in Mindseed can easily be chalked up to experience and professionalism. They’re the rare breed that supports the local scene and sticks around for other bands’ sets, not just their own.

Roger can easily be mistaken for a young Phil Anselmo; he’s boisterous and outspoken, and onstage he’s the finest mix of energy and attitude.

 
Untapt is still trying to get their feet wet, though all three members look like well-versed veterans. All this band needs is time and they’ll earn the respect they deserve as well as a solid following.

To their credit, these three guys are aesthetically pleasing yet, you wouldn’t want to meet them in a dark alley in the middle of the night. They’re doing the most with what they’ve got and are hell-bent on making a name for themselves by doing whatever it takes.

Ed, from Mindseed, put it best by saying “I want to get out of my day job. Hopefully music, which is something I love, can do that for me.”

This seems to be the universal mantra for all three groups, but it shows with great strength in Untapt.

Miguel, Chris and Ben were doing everything in their power to get the crowd of maroon and gold to raise their fist in their air, and they did so successfully by occasionally shouting the exact chant they wanted to hear… “fire-up, Chips!”

 “In a perfect world, they’d be paying more attention to us, but it’s cool.” Miguel explained after the set.

Though the band doesn’t sound like it, they’re highly inspired by Tool and the simplicity of their songwriting.

This directly relates to Untapt because they’ve gotten numerous compliments that their sound is much thicker; and they sound bigger than a three-piece outfit.

There are no solidified plans for a CD release any time soon, but after all, they’re only six months into the band. “Once we get about ten songs written, then we’ll probably be splitting them up into five song EPs.” Chris said.

The headliner of the evening, Corporate Suicide, was eventually cut short by the police who were trying to get spectators out of the parking lot and into the stadium.

Their final song, which features the entire band spelling out the letters in their name, got the biggest crowd response… it was just unfortunate that they started out the set with some of the band’s lighter, more melodic numbers as oppose to going straight for the jugular, which appeared to be just what the revved-up Chips wanted from their heavy metal show.

Quinn Keon (who will only be with the band for one more gig) halted the performance to show off his solos and guitar tricks. This only shows that the next lead guitarist will have some big shoes to fill.

All five members of the band agreed that they’re primary objective is to hone in on their currently unfocused sound. They need to decide what direction they plan on heading; whether it’s heavy metal, melodic rock, modern or alternative.

They did, however, put on a great performance considering the circumstance, not only is their lead guitarist leaving, but their lead singer, Jordan, has only been in the band for roughly a month and needed lyric sheets taped to the floor of the stage to get through the songs. He did a remarkable job covering this up.

Even Mark, the drummer, didn’t skip a beat when one of his symbols was tipped over by a football that was mis-qued during a drunken game of catch.

Though the direction they plan on going in might seem uncertain for now, the mix-up of slow to heavier numbers could be a sign of range and ultimately what the band is capable of.

The most unique thing about this band is the fact that they understand their flaws and they’re ready to remedy them with time and practice.

 
This event is certainly something to look forward to next year – finally, someone is sanctioning the tailgate party before the big game, and they’re inviting local music acts to be a part of it.

AJ Hoffman is a journalism major at Central Michigan University and lead singer for the band Cartunes.