cover
tropical
THE UNIT
Northwest Indiana fansoftheunit.com
WAVERLAND
St. Joseph, Michigan | waverland.com Lots of people make mixes of music for road trips. But for Waverland’s Justin McIver and Ryan Kuhnlein, just programming a playlist into an iPod wasn’t enough. They decided to write and record a “spring break anthem” to listen to on a road trip through the Florida Keys. At the time, both had played in other bands and were attempting to write very different styles of solo music, but the chemistry of the song convinced Justin and Ryan to become an “official” band. “We really felt that this style of music portrayed our lifestyles better than the types of music we were previously involved in,” Justin says. “The first song we wrote went on to become the title track to our debut record.” Although the St. Joseph-based band is “officially” a pairing of Justin’s musical arrangements and Ryan’s lyrics, the duo sometimes play with a backing band of three to seven additional musicians. And even though they’ve been at it less than a year, local gigs haven’t been hard to find, as a local radio station started spinning Waverland before the band had put the finishing touches on their album. The pair describes finding the time and money to play, record and perform as the most difficult part of being in a local band. Justin is currently in grad school, and Ryan is applying to medical schools. However, Justin and Ryan try to play as often as they can, even in places where the “beach sound” isn’t what the crowd may be expecting. “Just for fun last summer, we played open mic nights almost every Monday at the Livery in Benton Harbor. It might not have been the most fitting crowd for our style of music, but the crowd got into it. We even had a couple of bikers come up and tell us we sounded great!” –SETH “TOWER” HURD
Wild Cherry’s “Play That Funky Music.” Sublime’s “Santeria.” Michael Jackson’s smash hit “Billie Jean.” Three different songs, from three different decades, in three very different genres, and often played back to back by Northwest Indiana’s favorite cover band the Unit, often alongside hits from the country and R&B charts. And occasionally sung, with the help of a wireless mic, on top of the bar or a table at a venue near you.
T
he Unit—made up of guitarist Angelo Cicco, Buddy Pearson on bass and keys, and Bill Romer on drums—is able to cover such a vast array of songs because all three members professionally teach music. “Much of the set list is comprised from the three of us knowing bits and pieces of many songs,” Cicco says. “We often fuse them together in medleys or make it comical by improvising the lyrics or changing them.” The band credits the highly involved live show, which they describe as “audience interactive” for their strong fan base. In addition to dancing on whatever’s available, Cicco will often invite members of the crowd to join him onstage, and will often change lyrics on the spot to fit the show’s surroundings. At one point during each show, the band takes the “interactive” aspect to a level that almost none of their peers can pull off. “What do you want to hear?” Cicco will ask the crowd. Then, for better or worse, the Unit will launch into any song that the crowd agrees upon. Their unforgettable live act has made the Unit a go-to e: where to se act for summer festivals in Michigan and Northwest Indiana, including rforms on The band pep.m. at Trio 9 Valparaiso’s Popcorn May 28 at Aberdeen Dr) 10 Festival and Jano Trattoria (2 so and on May Festival, alongside in Valparai the Lakeshore at 29 at noon l (51330 Rte 19) regular gigs in and Gril r Ba Hammond, Highland in Elkhart. and St. Joseph. For Cicco, it’s in entertaining the crowd that he finds the inspiration to continue the band. “The most satisfying thing about the Unit for me is that feeling of playing music with good friends that I respect as musicians. My bandmates are two of the most talented musicians that I have ever seen and their level of performance has inspired my own musical abilities. I get to entertain people, play music, hang out with my friends, meet new and interesting people, and get paid all at the same time.” –SETH “TOWER” HURD
the unit
JUNE 2010
The group pe rfo at the Latin Fe rms on August 14 st Michigan, an ival in St. Joseph, d the Berrien Co on August 20 at un Berrien Sprin ty Youth Fair in gs, Michigan .
69
waverland where to see: