The birth of the bands
By Rachel Godward, Former Staff Writer
October 16, 2006 | 8:01 p.m.
From the Baker Front Room to Donkey Coffee, students all across campus gather to enjoy musical shows, performed not only by established traveling groups, but by their own talented classmates, as well. There is a constant musical craze in Athens as students continue to collaborate and form their own bands.
Even OU freshmen, with classes and organizations to dedicate time to, are gaining success in the field of musical performance. Freshman Michael Schenk, a music production major, envelops his life in writing and performing music in his spare time. He has been playing guitar for five years, mandolin for one year and hopes to pick up the piano in the future.
“I practice every day,” Schenk said. “It ranges, though. Some days, I play for half an hour and other days I forget about all schoolwork and play for hours. I love those days because I get to go on a huge musical adventure.”
Although Schenk has been involved in music for quite some time, the formation of his band has not yet commenced. “I haven’t had an actual show yet,” he explained, “but I’m trying very hard to get to that point. In the future, I want to be traveling around the nation, playing shows for thousands of people. I want music to be my entire life.”
Schenk’s style of recruiting members for his band is very direct and simple. “It’s hard to find people who have the exact same musical vision as me,” he said. “I always write my own stuff, then go out and find musicians to play the specific parts I need; pretty much making a record entitled ‘Schenk and Friends.’”
Once a musician does find his members, however, musical production and recording can actually take place. Russenorsk, a newly formed band with vocalist and guitarist Tim Race and cellist Jack Martin, has now established a name for itself and performs regularly at various locations around campus.
“The members of Russenorsk met randomly,” Martin explained.
“Yeah, I heard Jack’s slap bass from a floor up,” Race said.
“It only took two weeks to start our band,” Martin said. “We were jamming in the lobby and it worked out really well.”
The band has had a lot of outside influence, which has formed their unique playing style.
“This may sound cliché,” Martin said, “but Yo-Yo Ma has had a lot of influence on me. I got to meet him after a performance and play his Stradivarius. It was amazing.”
In case anyone was unaware, a Stradivarius is type of cello. That particular instrument was valued around $3 million.
As for Race, he identified his brother as being an influential inspiration to his music.
“I’ve looked up to him ever since I saw his band play when I was 10 years old,” he said.
An essential component for any successful group is the ability to be comfortable in front of an audience and involve listeners in the music.
“I love performing,” Race commented. “Giving someone a CD of your music isn’t half as gratifying as it is to perform for them.”
Once a band is established for such a period of time, it becomes significantly easier to land gigs due to experience and a fan base. Sophomore Mike Petruccelli, musically known as Arthur Killroad, has been playing guitar and singing vocals for two years in his one-man band.
“I insisted on Arthur Killroad to be a band,” Petruccelli said. “The members never came, and I decided to make it a moniker for a solo act. My last name is really hard to spell.”
His background in musical practice and performance is extensive.
“I have been playing guitar for 10 years, and I have a background in percussion for about the same amount of time,” Petruccelli said. “I took private music lessons for seven years. If I didn’t have that experience, I would have never had the discipline to teach myself.”
Petruccelli describes his musical tastes as a mixture of punk and some acoustic emphasis. “I enjoy anything that makes me think,” he said. “Especially from a lyrical standpoint.”
Although Petruccelli has been performing for years, he still has uncomfortable moments on stage. “I am usually nervous from set up to set down,” he said. “It's a roll of the roulette with me; sometimes I end up playing an awesome set, and other nights I feel like it's my first show. It just depends. I do enjoy the spontaneous aspect of it though; it keeps things interesting and helps me practice more.”
As far as musical performance is concerned, there are a variety of outlets at OU for beginning bands, as well as established ones.
“I learned how to be a better performer from watching some of the local bands here,” Petruccelli said. “They really have unique styles and shows. The bands back in my hometown consisted of a bunch of high school metal heads who think that Satan is totally slamming. I am not really down with that.”
So where should we expect to see Arthur Killroad in the future? As time moves forward, Petruccelli plans to remain hopeful, yet realistic.
“I see myself playing shows until I am out of Athens,” he said. “After that, I really have no clue, to be honest. My goals are to be well-known in the Athens scene as a decent solo artist and to finish up my record.”
From Michael Schenk to Russenorsk to Arthur Killroad, one can understand the different steps of musical success that they have reached, each of which can only be achieved over time. It is clear that OU is a sufficient breeding ground for the birth of bands.