People are always saying that rock stars are just like the rest of us. While this week's featured band, Rickshaw, can't honestly be described as rock stars, they sure are normal guys.
I mean that in a nice way -- during the interview there was smoking, farting and catcalls at friends walking by. About halfway through my time with them, one member of the band left without a word. The rest of the band made some excuses until he came back. With snacks.
Rickshaw is comprised of two University students -- vocalist Pierce Coughter and guitarist Mike Ferrell -- and two Piedmont Community College students -- drummer Jack Strickland and bassist Aaron Gatlin. They met as high school students and played their first show at the Charlottesville High School Battle of the Bands in 2003. In fact, Will Anderson, the lead singer of another U.Va. group, Sparky's Flaw, played the drums in that first show. Gatlin met Strickland and introduced him to the band, solidifying the current lineup.
"It came pretty easily -- but they kept calling me Jake," Strickland laughed.
Since learning all the members' real names, Rickshaw has played venues like Tuttle Lounge (which was a "tuttle disaster," according to Strickland), Mellow Mushroom, the Student Activities Building, Old Cabell Hall and plenty of frats and house parties.
"Outback Lodge is my favorite [venue] because it's so compact. Everyone is right at the stage -- you get a lot of energy back," Gatlin said.
When asked what he liked about the band, Ferrell said "I like the energy and being able to perform. It's better than sh*tting."
Upon seeing my shocked expression, he added, "But only by a little bit."
For those of you who don't know or don't care about the most recent trends in the music industry, I'd like to call your attention to one particularly obnoxious one. Everywhere I turn, I am band-barded (har) with new names for old genres -- grunge pop, indie pop, dream pop, noise pop. There's emo, screamo, pop punk, post-punk, metalcore, hardcore, grindcore. Strickland defined Rickshaw's category as "apple core."
The band cites influences like The Get-Up Kids, Nirvana, Minor Threat and Stevie Wonder. When asked what genre they are, they gave me mixed murmurings of emo, pop punk and "a dash of funk."
"Imagine Fall Out Boy, only I'm tone deaf. And our songs aren't that simple... [Someone] defined us as a mix between Weezer and Hot Water Music, which is way more accurate," Coughter said.
Rickshaw was liberal with its praise of other local and national acts.
"We're all big Creed fans," Strickland said with a smirk.
"Yeah, Rickshaw wants to know if the fans will take us higher," Ferrell said.
They might not take the band higher, but Rickshaw fans should have high hopes for a good show.
"I love practicing," Coughter said. "I'll play to a brick wall, but audiences are awesome, too."
Rickshaw didn't perform this year until last night's Students for a Free Tibet Benefit concert. While it hasn't been happening that often, "playing with the band is the only time, other than sleeping, when I'm actually at peace with myself," Strickland said.
Their song inspiration comes from "girls and the personal frustration of that I-don't-know-what-the-f*ck-I'm-going-to-do-with-my-life feeling," Coughter said.
Contrary to what happens in many other bands, for Rickshaw, the songwriting process begins with the music.
"We finish most of the music before we start the lyrics," said Gatlin.
"We don't write the songs. Really. They form themselves," agreed Ferrell.
To get a taste of Rickshaw's sound, either bum a demo from one of the band members or visit their purevolume Web site: www.purevolume.com/rickshaw. If you choose the personal route, brace yourself. The four members of Rickshaw are ... goofy. Crazy. Immature. Disrespectful. Hilarious. They are normal college guys with normal college thought processes.
"I haven't tried heroin yet because I'm waiting for school to be over," Ferrell said. "There's no rush -- I've got my whole life to get addicted!"
Clearly, the boys in Rickshaw are not rock stars. But if rock stars are just like the rest of us, then Rickshaw is about as famous as they come.
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