Local musicians share how they got their start

By Tony Bennett For the News Tribune

To a person with an interest in music, the idea of starting a band may seem like a lofty goal. But it happens, sometimes in radically unique ways. Some people form bands when they aren’t motivated to make music so much as they are to make sonic art.

We talked to a few local notables in the field to see what tips, tricks, and advice they had for people who might be looking to get into a group.

“My first band was in the fifth grade. I’m certain it probably had the word ‘rock’ in its name,” says Allen Cragin, who currently plays in the emo-prog act Reflectivore and has made music locally for years. “It was simple blues progressions and sounded terrible. It began how I feel most bands creating original music get started: a small group just hanging out with similar interests and wanting to create something together for fun.”

That’s really the key, for many — just find other people who think like you do, who have similar goals in mind. This can start happening in grade school, like it did for Cragin. Beyond that, he looks for certain traits.

“Creativity, determination, and a realistic focus will usually hold things together,” Cragin says. “Those qualities must be present. I’ve seen and played with many musicians without those attributes, and it doesn’t seem like a fun or fulfilling path. Personality is a huge element. The members of Reflectivore all have the ability to show empathy and see where a song is coming from while we are creating it. I consider that a personality trait that is needed above all.”

“The only advice I could give to a young person thinking they might like to be in a band is to be yourself, challenge yourself, surround yourself with kind people, and, if you can’t find any of those people, go it alone,” Cragin says. “A single person can be a ‘band,’ right?”

He’s got a point: people like Trent Reznor are basically solo artists who hire support musicians. And then, there are people who can summon the sound of a band through overdubbing and looping — like local artist Ingeborg von Agassiz, for example.

Heck, you don’t even have to be a traditional musician to be in a band. Just ask Tyler Scouton of local industrial performance-art act Bratwurst. Rather for being known for any particular musical composition, the group is known for playing arty noise while Scouton flings raw meat around the stage and into the audience.

“Bratwurst was born out of some bored kids that needed something to do,” Scouton says. “We have been playing around the Twin Ports for nearly 18 years now. We didn’t set out to be artsy — or at least we didn’t think we were doing anything out of the normal. Looking back on old video, we did play some odd shows.”

One that comes to mind: a gig in “a coffee shop at 1 p.m. with a shopping cart, contact microphones, a tiny Pignose amp (and) a cassette player. There wasn’t a person there to see us — just customers that foolishly decided to get coffee at that moment.”

“Over the years, our concerts evolved into a spectacle of meat, sparks, horror, blood and noise,” Scouton says. “The first show we used meat at, I filled a big fluffy white stuffed bear with bags of beef livers and ham spread. Partway through our set, I laid out a white sheet spray-painted with ‘Bratwurst’ across it. I purchased a small novelty Duluth Dukes baseball bat and beat the bear with it until the meat came out all over the sheet. I never once heard someone talk about my band until after that show. Each show since then, we added more things, and it eventually evolved into what it is today.”

“I did want to sing in a band, for sure, but when I moved back from Florida, I didn’t have many friends up here,” says Bottle Jockeys frontman Chad Lyons, talking about the days before his previous group The

Acceleratii came together. A friendship with the Black Labels led to Lyons being surrounded by musicians that he felt a kinship with. When it came time to form a band, “I just chose ringers,” Lyons says, with a laugh.

It’s good advice, though: get around people who can turn on a dime, who can make the right call on the spot, who can make musical decisions without a lot of hand-wringing. But liking your bandmates was key for Lyons, too. “The benefit is, you’re already comfortable with each other,” he says. “It’s just so much easier.”

For Lyons, the “musicians wanted” flyer wasn’t the route to take. “Just go to shows,” he advises. This way, you find yourself meeting like-minded individuals first, and the musical chemistry can come later. “Eventually, you’ll bump into people,” Lyons says.

Lyons also suggests that people be ready to be a team member, in a sense, when they get into a group. “You have an idea, and then there’s gonna be the reality of everyone else’s opinion and what they want to contribute, too,” he says. “But that’s part of being in a band.”

Maybe that’s the best piece of advice: play nice with others. After all, that’s what it’s about, in the end: getting together with like-minded people and trying to create something great together. u