Adema Rocks Eau Claire

By Rachel Wick

In recent months, Eau Claire music fans have exhibited a thirst for the tasty morsels that national acts have to deliver. Despite the talent of our area's own talented musicians, residents are clamoring for bigger names to play gigs locally and are bars such as The House of Rock and The Stones Throw are responding. Through the years, some skeptics have voiced that Eau Claire isn't a big enough town to support such shows. I think that recent shows such as the October 29 Adema show at the House of Rock help to prove these naysayers wrong.


Adema tore it up at the House of Rock following abbreviated sets by local metals acts Orestus, Mors Mortis Machinatio and No Loving Place. Their stop in Eau Claire is a part of the band's tour for its latest release "Kill the Headlights. Rock fans turned out at the House of Rock in masses with the attendance ranging right around 300 people, an impressive feat especially for a Monday night (a Packer game night at that).

The packed crowd waited eagerly shoulder to shoulder for Adema to take to the stage and the band more than delivered following the Packer's victory.
Front man Bobby Reeves took to the stage shirtless (much to the enjoyment of the ladies in attendance) bursting with energy that soon had the crowd pumping their fists, forming a formidable mosh pit and several people crowd surfing their way across the sizeable crowd of strangers.


Throughout the performance, Reeves passed around a video camera to fans, stating that he was "videotaping this stuff for his parents." The band rocked out 14 songs total including their 2001 hit "Giving In," a spirited version of Guns and Roses' "Sweet Child O'Mine" and new song "Cold and Jaded." Following the performance; the band took out time to chat with fans, throw back some Jose Cuervo and sign various merchandise and body parts. Overall, the band appeared to be very down to earth, and was more than willing to interact with their fans. Later in the night, Reeves got inked with 99.9 The Carp's Debbie Monroe.


Adema returns to Eau Claire on Wednesday December 5, to play a gig at The Stones Throw. This time the band is bringing Texan hard rockers Drowning Pool along for the ride.
Drowning Pool formed back in 1996 and rapidly became a household name following the band's stint on Ozzfest with Ozzy Osbourne himself. Drowning is probably the most remembered by their 2001 hit "Bodies" and are active supporters of the troops. Drowning Pool is stopping in Eau Claire on the "This Is For Our Soliders Tour" in support of the recently released album "Full Circle."


Doors will open at 7:30 p.m. with the show slated to start at 8 p.m. Eau Claire's rock music staples No Loving Place and Orestus are also slated to perform. Tickets for the show are $18 dollars in advance and $20 at the show.

Are you Ready to Rock With Garpike?

By Rachel Wick

Garpike has an important question to pose to the area music scene, "Are You Ready For The Rock?" This inquiry serves as a sort of a rally cry for the band and is also a song that the group has been playing throughout the Chippewa Valley since forming a year ago.

The band is comprised of Dan Comstock (vocals), Bill Cooney (drums), Todd Adams (Bass guitar), and Andy Sedahl( guitar). The crew celebrated its first show on New Years Eve of 2006, at the Bullpen and has since brought its high-energy performances to other area venues such as My Place Bar, The Stones Throw and The House of Rock. Outdoor shows they have played include "The Mid-Summer Meltdown" at Owen Park in July and a very loud show featuring DTS that was fined and shut down at Mt. Simon Park....But not B4 Garpike Rocked It Out! Although the band has received support from area venues, the band has a challenge in that they can find a stage in Eau Claire that really fits their style.

"We put a lot of folk, rock and punk into our music. The nice thing is that we all have expansive music taste," said Sedahl.

While each band member cites songs from their set that they enjoy playing, the group agrees that, more importantly, performing is all about having fun onstage and entertaining the audience. Most recently, on February 9, Garpike played My Place Bar and cites the show as one of their best shows yet. "It was a blast. We got to play out in the crowd," said Sedahl.

The band plays its next show, on March 9 at the House of Rock, as a part on the annual two-night affair, Decadent Cabernet. The event showcases a wide spectrum of local talent including the Jim Pullman Band, Orestus and Knowing Jobe. The Music begins at 7:30 p.m. and Garpike's high energy performance will provide an excellent contribution to the night's entertainment as the opening group.

"Once we got our full-throttle going and we start playing all our songs there's a lot of high energy and adrenaline just kind of takes over from there," said Comstock.

Garpike has recently been recording at Sound Works Studio with Mike Vlahakis, and hopes to have a five-song demo completed by late spring. So far, the group has recorded the songs "Sunny Side Up" and "Dark Glass" both of which are available for downloading and previewing at the band's website: www.myspace.com/garpiketheband

They are also developing a new tune entitled "Space Robots from the Future". The band describes the tune as a little bit grungy and says that it brings to mind "old school punk" reminiscent of bands like the Ramones.

Upcoming shows include: March 15 at Dibbos in Hudson and March 30 at House of Rock. The band also hopes to play Phoenix Park this summer and is exploring the possibilities of performing at Rock Fest and the Taste of Eau Claire.

Jaggernauts Battle Sharks and Zombies?

The Jaggernauts

By Rachel Wick

Individuals who have never considered, "who would win the battle between the shark and the zombie" obviously aren’t familiar with The Jaggernauts, and haven’t been privy to the band’s infectious brand of self described "geek power pop."

J’Naut drummer "Joey G" describes power pop as "a song craft that has pop sensibilities that’s probably a little bit too hard for the radio to play because people might think it’s a little too hard or heavy." He adds, "We’re not a metal band, but we do a lot of shows with metal bands because we think its fun and we appreciate what they do. Our music seems to carry over to that audience too."

Following the departure of members Chris Jackson and John Kleven, The Jaggernauts are showcasing a different lineup of late, but this isn’t deterring fans or sending the J’Nauts off track.

"I was really happy because our fans embraced our change and additions. They didn’t look at it as the new guy (referring to the addition of guitarist Matt Florence). I heard so many positive things," said singer Noel Hanson.

Florence joined the band in November of 2006, and has helped the Jaggernauts preserve its quirky blend of rock, while adding his theatrical performance style and a dash of edge. Florence proved to be a great addition to a lineup that already included several of the area’s most respected and seasoned musicians.

"I’ve heard a lot of people say that we’ve gotten a lot heavier and it’s kind of neat because we also have a lot more keyboards now. The nucleus is still the same and that’s the important part, the vision part. Matt’s style blends right in with what we’re doing and we’re having such a good time," said Hanson.

According to Hanson, the band is named for a cross between Mick Jagger and an astronaut. The Jaggernauts formed about three years ago, but according to Hanson says the name was born long before the band ever played out and he feels that the band embodies all that is Jaggernauts.

"Going along with the name, or the traditional usage of juggernaut, the unstopping machine that keeps going forward I’d say that it fits pretty good. It’s fun. To me, The Jaggernauts sounded like a band that you would go see and have a great time….it’s a strong name and we’re a strong fun band, we enjoy playing," said Hanson.

While the Jaggernauts maintain a high level of musicianship and likeability, don’t be mistaken, these gentlemen don’t take themselves too seriously. On March 9, the band played the House of Rock’s Decadent Cabaret and rocked their own version of the Genesis classic abacab featuring keyboardist Chris Ramey on vocals that was rounded out with an unforgettable front man/guitarist dance routine courtesy of Florence and Hanson.

"Performance-wise, whenever I look out into an audience this feeling that I get is really exciting but at the same time you can’t really see anyone because of the lights, you can see like the first row but whether there’s five people or 500 people, it doesn’t make any difference you try and throw your a game in and have a good time," said Florence.

The Jaggernauts most popular song is called "Lucio Fluci" and is about a scene from a horror film depicting a shark and a zombie battling it out. The song quickly became a favorite amongst fans and with a new lineup the band now plays a metal version that they have coined Motley Fluci. Crowbar is another popular tune and has fans shouting gleefully "Jaggernauts across your head with a crowbar." "Lucio Fluci" is off of the 2004 LP of the same name, while Crowbar comes from the 2006 EP The Jaggernauts.

"The writing process for the Jaggernauts begins with Noel Hanson, he brings in the majority of the material and him and Chris work very well together. Chris helps to arrange the songs and he also comes up with melodies," said Gunderson.

Of the writing process, Florence says, "It’s very democratic; you just throw things in when you want. A lot of times Noel or Chris will come up with something and then Joe and I help round it out, essentially."

The Jaggernauts take to the stage on May 3 at the House of Rock, May 4 at Mr. Heavy’s in Menomonie and May 5 at Triple Rock in Minneapolis.

"If there’s more shows booked and more demand for the band to be seen, the people within the band structure tend to go a little more out and want to focus on creativity and writing," said Gunderson. The bands that I’m involved with we just like to play music for the love of music. We don’t do it to get famous or to sign a record deal with anybody, we do it because we like to do it and it’s a way of expressing ourselves creatively and it’s a nice release from the everyday lives that we lead. You work your day job or whatever you do in life and then at night you can go hang out with your friends and create and write music that you can play on weekends in front of people that’s all your own and nobody is telling you how to do it, and that’s the most fulfilling thing for me.

The Jaggernauts have a follow up to their 2006 EP in the works, and are shooting for a fall or an early winter release. The full length disc with feature all new tunes.

"Everybody that you play with brings something different out of you as a musician and as a performer," said Gunderson.

Here's a clip of the Jaggernauts at the House of Rock.

Flags May Be In Your Basement

Flags Will Cover The Coffins
By Rachel Wick

No venue is too foul and no topic too taboo for Flags Will Cover The Coffins as the band carves its niche as Eau Claire’s most prominent punk-thrash metal band. The songs rattle ear drums indiscriminately whether the music is screeching out of a beer soaked basement or at a more traditional venue like the House of Rock.
Nate "Bones" Knoeck serves as the band’s key lyricist; Joe Larkin contributes bass and some vocals, while Brad Pecka brings the thunder on drums to round out this raucous trio.

The controversial name of the band stems from a song by crust/hardcore punk band Aus-Rotten and refers to soldiers coming home from the war in coffins.

Bones states, "I write about political stuff, some bands maintain such a "PC" mentality on and off stage and I write about social political stuff because that’s like real punk music, that’s what it’s about."
"I’m not going to just write about partying, I like to put a little more into it than that, but some bands just over kill it. The lyrics are simple at to the point; it’s a form of expression.

Since playing their first show in May of 2006, the band has played several underage shows and have found a different degree of energy and often a greater attention span with it younger fans; whether at Nate’s Dungeon in Altoona, or the Eau Claire Indoor Sports Center.

"There is a higher energy than at the House of Rock, I’d say, because you get a bunch of high school kids there…I love playing all-ages shows, because those kids can have a better time than a lot of people. Playing the House of Rock is fun, but a lot of people are just sitting and drinking, kind of half watching the band; when kids come to the shows, they are there to see the band," said front man Nate "Bones" Knoeck.


Although Flags has played on notable bills since its inception, the band marks a show they played with Swedish band Wolfbrigade as the biggest moment for them so far as a band.

"I saw them play in Minneapolis on Monday, and we got to play with them here (at the House of Rock) on Sunday. It blew my mind to be honest, to be able to share the stage with those guys, they are one of my favorite bands," he said.


A Midwest tour is on the horizon this winter and in the coming months; the band plans a follow-up to their first disc Wisconsyndrome. Wisconsyndrome was recorded DIY in the fall of 2006 and sold out quickly. The band hopes that the coming tour and disc will broaden their ever increasing fan base. Bones attributes a portion of the band’s success to local music connections and networking done on MySpace.

"If it wasn’t for MySpace, I don’t think that we would be half as far as we are now by meeting connections and setting up shows," Bones said.

For more information click on http://www.myspace.com/flagswillcoverthecoffins and to personally discuss punk metal or NBA basketball jerseys with the band, they can typically be found stumbling down Water Street on any given weekend reeking of booze.

Warning: Green Mountain Rebels May Cause Dancing!

The Green Mountain Rebels Shine
By Rachel Wick

Reluctant dancers out there be warned, because The Green Mountain Rebels If It Don’t Shine will leave even the most tentative music lover, dancing around their apartment like a maniac. Note: I would like to take this opportunity to apologize to any neighbors who had to witness my "dancing" while I was listening to this CD.

All joking aside, The GMR’s disc has a plethora of soulful tunes that can’t be boxed into any specific genre. The Green Mountain Rebels sound is a stellar fusion of influences from blues, country, rock and blue grass. If Bob Dylan and Lucinda Williams were to integrate their sounds and added a splash of bluesy harmonica, they might sound like the GMR’s.

The band formed in the summer of 2004, and have had toes tapping at their live shows ever since. They received local acclaim in 2005 by winning the 2005 Miller Genuine Draft Battle of the Bands; this earned them a set on the Harley Davidson stage at Summerfest in Milwaukee.

Among the band’s distinctive qualities are the impassioned vocal harmonies of Elizabeth Christianson and Jered Shaw against the strong back drop provided by David Koenig (lead/rhythm guitar), Chuck Caldwell (drums) and Matthew Staudenmaier (bass).
"The Sweetheart Dance" showcases Shaw and Christianson belting out the age old tale of when good love goes bad, and reveals scorned lovers waging war over who has been more wronged. Christianson sings "A good man well you know, he’d take me out, and he’s show me what being a woman is all about" with such force, that its as though you can hear a woman in the background shouting "girl, that’s what I’m talking about!"
"Sunrise (East Winds Gonna Blow) begins with blue grass influenced harmonica and guitar rifts that build to a climax as Shaw sings with such fervor that you think his soul might actually explode from his body.

If It Don’t Shine wraps with "Heading Home" a song that will resonate strongly in the heart of anyone who has traveled the long and sometimes treacherous road home. It is a lovely acoustic tune showcasing Christianson’s crooning and Shaw’s gravelly twang as they meld into the tones that transport listeners to the journey’s end.
The Green Mountain Rebels achieve a rare thing in this album; channeling the limitless energy and soul of their live shows onto a recorded medium.

On May 25 the GMRs will perform in WAXX radio’s Big Star contest. The winner will open for .38 Special and will play an hour set at this year’s Country Jam. To get additional information regarding the contest checkout the WAXX website or the band’s website http://www.myspace.com/gmrebels.

Jason Craft Q-tet Jazzes Up The Stones Throw Monday Nights

Dave Whitman banging the skins

By Rachel Wick

Anyone who thinks that jazz clubs are solely for bigger cities like Minneapolis or Chicago is mistaken.
The Eau Claire bar, The Stones Throw, transforms into a jazz club every Monday night with the music of The Jason Craft Q-tet and the intimate ambience of the building adorned with stain glass windows.

"It's the best live music on a regular basis in Eau Claire," said Cliff Montzak, a frequenter of Jazz Night.
The Q-tet consists of Jason Craft on piano, Graydon Peterson on bass, Dave Whitman on drums and Tom Krochock on the trumpet.
"I think that the simple fact that a town like Eau Claire has something like Monday night jazz is really representative of a very healthy music scene. Towns this size don't always have something as beautiful as Monday night jazz," said Whitman.

Music enthusiasts may choose to kick back with a few martinis and take in the music or at times will take it to the dance floor and sway for a song or two.
"I'd like to think that jazz at the Stones Throw is the kind of place where a person, who has never listened to jazz before in his life, can come down and be absolutely amazed at what he's hearing onstage and not even realize that it's jazz," said Whitman.

Craft has a music degree from UW-Eau Claire and currently does freelance piano work in Minneapolis, Minn.
Peterson also has a music degree from UW-Eau Claire and is a freelance bass player in Minneapolis in his spair time.

"To be able to play with musicians like Jason, Graydon and Tom is actually really inspiring in and of itself," said Whitman.

Whitman currently takes lessons in New York with a drummer named Joe Morello of the Dave Brubeck Quartet.
He also studied two and one half years with David King of the groups The Bad Plus and Happy Apple.
Krochock is also attending UW-Eau Claire working his way towards a music degree.
Members of the group have also played with the Jimmy Dorsey Orchestra and musical theater in the Twin Cities.

"Individually or as a group we have played with some of the best jazz musicians in the world.
"Often times this is the most fun gig that we have because it's a place where we can get together and really play the kind of jazz that we want to play.
"It's funny every time I play on a Monday night I leave more excited to play than when I got down here. I have such a good time onstage," said Whitman.

The group started around four years ago as the Andrew Neesley Quartet with Peterson and Craft as part of the group since it's beginnings, while Whitman has been a part of the group for almost three years.
Guests such as singer Jamie Howard and Neesley will sometimes pop in and play a few sets with the band. Area saxophone player John Timmers has also frequently played with the group.

"I think jazz is enjoyable to play because it's easier to make a connection with the audience," Whitman said. It's feeding off of the people in the audience who provide us with our direct inspiration when we're onstage, which gives a chance to express ourselves more fully than any other type of music can."

The Q-tet makes a point of not playing the same songs every week and enjoys mixing up arrangements of songs to produce a more unique sound.
"We have our own arrangement of "God Bless the Child" (a Billie Holliday song) that we like to do, we have our own arrangement of Miles Davis' "Footprints," but we really don't have a favorite song and we really don't have anything that we play too often," Whitman said. "Half the time we don't know what we're going to play until we play it, and then when we do play it, it just comes out amazing. We surprise ourselves really every time that we come down.
"There is something to be said for The Stones Throw, this building and this bar. Especially at night when the light comes through the windows, it makes you feel like you are in a big city, a truly cosmopolitan, urban area," said Whitman and Montzak agrees.

Orestus Makes Imprint on EC

Orestus Striking a Pose

By Rachel Wick


The Eau Claire based band, Orestus, has four key elements that are needed make a lasting impression on the local and mainstream music scene.
High-energy live shows, talented musicians, the love of music and dedicated fans.
Orestus consists of Mike "Kordo" Kording on vocals and keyboards, Mike "Spicy" Donaldson on rhythm guitar, Michael "Riff" Johnson on lead guitar, Jason "Skwerlz" Ulwelling on bass guitar, Enrico "Chim Chim" Poehls on drums and Rob Zimmerman who has played with ICP and Run DMC on spinning and backup vocals.

Since forming in 2001, they have made a name for themselves on the local music scene in addition to playing several large-scale music festivals. "There's nothing like the feeling of something that you created and no one else told you to do. I put my heart in every song I play," said Rico.

Orestus played its first major show at Milwaukee's Summer Fest in 2002. They earned the slot at the festival, after winning a Battle of the Bands in Eau Claire.


"It makes you never want to look back, you always want to shoot for that goal, playing on that big stage," said Rico.
Riff agrees. "It was probably our best experience."
Orestus also played at IGA Summer Jam last August in Eau Claire, opening for the likes of 3 Doors Down, Shinedown, Trapt and Seether.

"It's awesome playing with bigger bands because we stand on the side and watch what they do and how they get the crowd involved. It's a learning experience. Every show is a learning experience," said Kordo.

Orestus' sound can be described as a morphing of hard rock with hip-hop. Some fans have compared Odrok's intense vocals to Jonathan Davis from Korn.
Although, being lumped into a specific music category is a trap that Orestus is being careful not to fall into.


"The way to describe our music is whatever we want to write at the time is what we're going to write," said Kordo. "We don't really want to fall into a category."
So far Orestus has held strong to one major ideology, they will stay true to their sound.

"We want to do, what we want to do without being a meat puppet of somebody else. That cost is too high," said Spicy.
"We're not going to sellout, we're not going to change. We're just going to keep writing the way we want to write," Kordo agrees.

So far this attitude hasn't seemed to have been a problem. Orestus has a large fan base ranging from teenagers to middle aged adults that pack bars to jump around, enjoy the music and witness the band's commanding stage presence.


"We've been lucky enough so far to have people that dig our sound the way it is, Skwerlz said.

Some of the band's upcoming performances include a show at the Red Sea in Minneapolis on October 15 and at the 324 in La Crosse on October 29.
Orestus will play its annual Halloween show October 30 at Sharky's in Altoona.

"Halloween doesn't get celebrated the way that it should and we like to get a little raucous when that comes around," said Kordo.


Past Halloween shows featured the band streaked with fake blood, pumpkins being smashed by the crowd and the band alike, along with the crowd being sprayed with a mixture of pumpkin guts and fake blood.

In addition to Sharky's, Orestus has performed at other area venues such as the Stones Throw, the House of Rock and Mr. Heavy's.
The band concurs that Mr. Heavy's is one of their favorites.


"The cool thing about our crowds is that even though they will kick the crap out of each other, they will reach their hand down and lift them back up off the floor," said Kordo.

The band expects to release a full-length compact disc in the next few months to follow up the LP In Memory Of, but the actual release date is under wraps.
In Memory Of was released in August of 2003. The LP includes the songs S.O.P., Never, Equilibrium, Otherside, Afraid Of Tomorrow and Time and Again.
"When it comes to our songs, what we write about is basically everything that we've learned along the way," said Kordo.

Freshwater Collins' Groovin' Tunes

Chris Vos kicking out some soulful tunes

By Rachel Wick

Thursday night, Eau Claire's House of Rock grooved with the fresh and soulful sounds of Milwaukee band Freshwater Collins.

The evening marked a high-energy show and music from of the band's latest album "These Days Lately" which was officially released on Oct. 4.

Freshwater Collins’ Chris Vos belts out tunes from the band’s latest album, “These Days Lately,” during their performance at Eau Claire’s House of Rock.
Freshwater Collins is composed of Chris Vos on vocals/guitar, his brother Brian Vos on the bass, Josh Tovar on guitar and Justin Kroll on percussion.

The show spotlighted performances of noteworthy songs off of the album, such as "Housedown," "Fair," "Lost Along The Way," "All My Time," among several other impassioned songs.

One of the highlights of the evening was when C. Vos broke out a lap steel slide guitar to drive home a rare night of inimitable music on the Eau Claire music scene. Kroll notes that "Fair" is his favorite cut off of the new album.

"I can't believe that we cut it," said Kroll. "It's a very country sound and its sound is definitely from all of us. It's the song that I'm the most proud about and is a big accomplishment in songwriting."

C. Vos is much less selective regarding his favorite song to play.

"This sounds cheesy, but anytime I am playing I am enjoying myself so I guess it would be whatever song I am playing at the time," said Vos.

The band initially formed in the late 90s, released its first record in 1997 with an almost entirely different group of musicians and has evolved over the years into the unique sounding group that it is today.

"Stylistically things have changed over the years, the only original members are Chris and Brian," said Kroll.

Two years ago, following the departure of the band's second drummer, Kroll came on as the new face on percussion; right around the same time Tovar joined the crew.

Although the band has been playing with the current lineup for the past two years, each of its members brings a wealth of talent and experience to the stage.

The Vos brothers have been playing music together since they were kids, while Kroll began playing the drums by the age eight or nine. Tovar was also born into a musical family and has been playing the guitar since he was nine.

"My whole family is musical, we have always had music around us our whole lives as a family, so it was a natural desire to want to play it for me," said C. Vos.

Freshwater Collins cites a vast array of musical influences that have impacted the kind of music that they produce; they range from The Flaming Lips to bluesy riffs of Muddy Waters.

The result is a unique sound that can't be pigeon holed into any specific genre.

While it is refreshing for the fans of Freshwater to listen to music that is one of a kind and not a carbon copy of what is being played on the radio and in many clubs in this day and age, the lack of a genre has proven to be an obstacle for the band.

Although C. Vos writes most of the band's lyrics, the band collaborates on the arrangements and each of the members brings their unique style of play to the table.