Day in the life of Southeast Engine
By Jaclyn Lipp, Staff Writer
April 19, 2007 | 10:35 p.m.
Catchy folk rock melodies and smooth vocals hit your ears when Athens-based band Southeast Engine takes the stage, but band members’ humor and quirky personalities make for just as much entertainment offstage as well.
I caught up with the members of this local favorite before their show last Thursday night at Baker Theater. The guys run on a crazy schedule, but they showed no sign of slowing down anytime soon. An Athens staple, the band just finished recording their new album, “A Wheel Within A Wheel,” which is tentatively scheduled to be released in the fall, followed by a regional tour. I glimpsed into the inner workings of the band, tagging along for a crazy ride before they took the stage with Shipwreck and Magnolia Electric Co.
Destination: 3 Ring St.
Nestled in a cozy, wooded area in the hills of Athens, Ohio, on 3 Ring St., lies a unique, '40s-style house where the music of Southeast Engine will soon be heard again from their practice sessions. The guys worked hard the last few months wrapping up their new CD at the 3 Elliott St. recording studio, but they say the house has always been in the Southeast Engine family. Then the jokes began as all the members showed up and began to load equipment for the show from the house into the van.
Riding In Vans With Bands
Strewn with clothes and equipment, “Wonder Bread,” as Southeast Engine’s old, tan utility van is lovingly called, has transported the band thousands of miles to shows all across the country. The trusted vehicle has held up through all kinds of trials. It was even tagged by gang members in New York City with graffiti down the side as a warning for being parked in gang territory, said Michael Lachman, who plays keyboard and organ.
Adam Torres, guitar player and harmony vocalist, added, “It may not be too easy on the eyes, but the car, she’s got it where it counts.”
One Happy Family
“[Lachman] has this t-stand that he sets his keyboard on, and it’s really cumbersome and it’s metal, and it bumps everything, and it’s kind of hard to pack and we were all against it, so he started using this tower stand...When he set it up and put his keyboard on, it made him look like a wank rock, like ‘80s-glam keyboardist,” joked Leo de Luca, the birthday boy and unique personality behind the drum set. Lachman added that he should poof his hair and dye it blond when he plays with that stand. When he’s not jamming with the tower stand, Lachman plays piano for the Ohio University School of Dance.
The guys were extremely down to earth and playfully joked around, often remembering mishaps they’d had together. They all seemed to have respect for one another, and each of their unique personalities combines to create the band as a whole.
“Basically we’re just like the Ninja Turtles: Josh is Splinter; Michael is Donatello; Matt is Raphael; Rem is Leonardo; Leo is like Michaelangelo, and Adam is Casey Jones,” said laid-back lead vocalist and guitarist Adam Remnant with a smile.
Backstage Pass
Armed with handfuls of instruments, the band and equipment barely fit in the service elevator. Two college students in the elevator asked if they were from Southeast Engine and wished them good luck at their show. The guys have been involved in the community and have been playing in bands for a long time, so many people say hi to them on the street, Matt Box said, the intellectual soul and bass guitarist.
The band navigated the long, crowded back hallways of Baker Center and soon emerged in Baker Theater. Leo was, of course, singing and dancing with Box as they all set up their instruments and breezed through a sound check.
As they were setting up the merchandise table near the stage, Leo pulled a Ken doll out of the suitcase containing their CDs and T-shirts. The Ken doll was missing one leg, and his clothing had burn marks. He rescued him from Campus Recycling, ripped his clothing, and named him “Homeless Ken,” Leo said. Luckily, no smoke alarms went off in the theater as Leo seared the end of the pant leg with a lighter. When he realized that it was causing smoke, Leo tried to make a swift escape, but to no avail, as people in the front of the theater asked what caused the burning smell.
“Leo’s a surreal person with the soul of a stand-up comic,” Lachman said of his bandmate.
After a quick stop for some burritos and gyros, the guys of Southeast Engine took the stage and put on a great show. It’s hard not to get up and dance when they’re playing; you can just tell they love what they do. Southeast Engine is much more than just their music though; if you stop and talk to them, they’re a great group of guys who will have you laughing in no time.