CARLY KNASZAK
Staff Writer
Fredonia has a very wide range of music, especially when it comes to local bands. Students, or even residents, of Fredonia put together bands in hopes of standing out. But many forget about the underground-type bands that just want to rock out and have a good time. Most of these bands can be found at the house parties in town and are ready to rock at any given time.
Four bands recently played last weekend at a house party on Canadaway Street: Crazies, Jerry Grind, Diluted and Yonic.
Crazies is a horror punk band. The band has songs called “Chiller,” “Trick r’ Treat” and “Night of the Loving Dead,” which definitely bring out the horror genre. Lead singer Jimmy Skrzeczkowski grew up with horror films that inspired him to bring the genre to music.
“They always scared the shit out of me,” he said. “Sometime around my early years of high school I fell in love with them and couldn’t get enough.”
The band’s favorite horror movies range from the original “Evil Dead,” “Japanese Horror” and “Night of The Living Dead.” Jordan Kucharski, who does vocals and guitar, recalls their first time performing as a band.
“It was at Cattoos in Dunkirk, March 17, 2012, opening for Skylime, but our first live performance was in my garage at my 20th birthday party. We had a different drummer at the time, and our old bassist was on guitar (I was on bass), and we covered a couple Misfits songs. We sounded like crap back then.”
But being a band called Crazies, the members are destined to have something wild happen to them. Song-writing is sometimes a very difficult process, but Crazies like to play off each other’s ideas to make the writing a lot smoother.
“The way it normally goes is Jim, Jordan or I will come to practice with a new riff or song idea. We play whatever we come up with for the rest of the band, and if we like it, we keep it,” bassist Daniel Bonasera said. “From there we usually sit on the song for a while. Everyone gives their input on what they think might work, and we keep running through it together and tweaking it ‘til we feel it’s ready.”
Some of the band’s influences are Green Day, Black Flag, AFI and Black Sabbath. Anyone who is looking for some old-school punk influence, Crazies definitely have that with their CD, “Batcave,” which is a mock vinyl. It comes in a cardboard sleeve, and the disc is printed to resemble a vinyl disc.
Jerry Grind, a Buffalo band, likes to make some appearances in Fredonia. Jerry Grind is a very fast and heavy band with a clear sound and hard guitar riffs — perfect for the daily head banger. The band is also a two-member band that likes to use stage names, Jimmy McFarland (guitar and vocals) and Bearded Amish (drums, bass and vocals).
Upon entering Jerry Grind’s website, one will see a photo of a decomposing goat’s head for the cover of their second EP.
“It’s a temporary cover until the artwork is complete,” Bearded Amish said. “The head and hundreds of bones were outside this farm we stayed in Ohio last year.”
Jerry Grind describes their music as heavy, sexy and true. The band has many influences, including The Melvins, Black Sabbath and ‘80s punk. Their first EP, “Full Service,” and their recently untitled EP were recorded in Lockport at New York’s Watchmen Studios. In March, Jerry Grind is playing shows in Erie and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and Ohio.
Diluted is an alternative metal band that includes Fredonia seniors Pat Mulligan (vocals) and Zach Coffey (guitar), with members Jordan Jankow (bass) and Jeremy Little (drums).
Diluted has three EPs called “The Diluted,” “The 9B” and their most recent, “Don’t Ruin My Weekend Buzz.” All the band’s EPs were recorded in its members’ apartment.
“I actually produce all of Diluted’s music on GarageBand. Everyone just plugs into an interface and records their parts, and we add them to drum loops I sequence on my own,” Mulligan said.
Diluted has very colorful and unique cover art for their EPs, designed by Coffey and the band’s friend Rachel Walbesser.
“One of us will either bring a semi-finished song or a cool riff to the table, and we’ll collaborate on it from there. It’s primarily Pat and I who do the writing, at least at this point,” Coffey said, when talking about the songwriting process.
Diluted’s most memorable show was right in Fredonia. “Definitely the first Canadaway show with Crazies, Elemantra and Mangoose. I’ve never seen a circle pit in a basement before then,” Mulligan said.
To some, metal music is only meant for certain people. It has been known to be for the ones who are the outcasts.
“I get if you’re not into heavy music. It’s not for everyone, but we’re not trying to be some sort of exclusive club. Metal is a great release for built-up tension, and I feel like if you keep an open mind and come see us live, you’ll have a good time,” Coffey said.
Psychedelic blues, reggae and funk? Music junkies might raise an eyebrow when they hear a long elaborate genre like that. But when it comes to creative outlets in Fredonia, the bands make it work, and that is the exact way Yonic describes themselves.
“Our influences vary from old blues players like Muddy Waters to new groups like Umphrey’s Mcgee. It’s difficult to say if any one artist has influenced our sound, as the collection of musicians in the group all have different musical interests,” said Sean Patrick, the rhythm guitarist and vocalist of Yonic.
Like many bands, members come and go and cause differences in a band. “Yonic’s coming together is a long story. Just last year our lineup was entirely different, but with our bassist leaving the group, we chose to rearrange the members for a fresh sound,” Patrick said.
Yonic has their new single on their BandCamp page called “Listen to Some Reggae.” It is available to download and/or to listen.
“We’re in the works of finishing an album that we’ll be releasing April 18 at our album release show at EBC West,” Patrick said. Yonic’s other members are Ryan Schindler (lead guitar and vocals), Brian McMahon (drums and vocals), Paul Sottnik (keys and vocals) and Shea Glasheen (bass guitar).
Many bands at Fredonia can be found all over campus and at parties and bars downtown. Be sure to go out and support the local music scene and maybe find a new genre to listen to.