|
||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Clearly pronounceable talent
By Larry Koestler February 6, 2002 Every now and then, a band comes along and goes against musical conventions. Every now and then, a band raises the bar and shows that you don’t have to be a carbon copy of everyone else in order to be good. What kind of band deserves such high praise? The Unpronounceable, that’s who. Their press kit calls them “an unwitting cocktail of orange juice and toothpaste.” That’s not too far off-base. It would be difficult to classify the band as one genre because they mix and match so many musical styles. I’d say they’re best described as eclectic rock. The Unpronounceable actually got their start at Lehigh, since three of the four band members – Phil Guidi, Dan Kinsley and Pete Gustavson – attended our esteemed university. Guidi plays drums, Kinsley plays piano and guitar, Adam Gustavson is on the guitar and Pete is on vocals and guitar. The three guitarists also switch up duties on upright bass. Pete began playing at open mikes in the Bethlehem area and even made a few appearances at Pete’s Arena. Eventually the group fleshed out and started playing full sets, allowing their unique sound to be heard by greater numbers of people. At the moment, the band is content to play music to make a living, but contrary to their seemingly anti-pop music stance, they wouldn’t mind making it big some day. “It wouldn’t suck to trick people into liking good music,” Guidi said. Their oeuvre includes many originals as well as rearranged pieces by various artists such as Michael Jackson and Duke Ellington. I was fortunate enough to see them play live last weekend at Lamberton Hall. The set-up was cozy, with couches positioned in a semi-circle around the band. The dim lighting created a sultry ambiance that was enhanced by Pete’s grandfather’s old suit, an outfit he performs in during the colder months, and purple hair, which was a nice complement to his lead singer image. Though I had only heard a handful of songs from their demo, the band delivered in spades. When I was expecting a slower tune, they sped up the tempo; when I was expecting a jazzy song, they rocked the house. The Unpronounceable has a handful of EPs as well as a full-length record entitled “simultaneous organisms,” all released on their own label, Mogens (mo-jins) Music. One of the albums was recorded at Lamberton in September. Make sure you drop everything you’re doing next time the band is in town to see them play. Also, check out their web site at www.theunpronounceable.com. © 2002 & 2004 The Brown and White, Lehigh University, Bethlehem, PA click here for original article: http://www.bw.lehigh.edu/story.asp?ID=14842 |
||||||||||||||||||||||||
