The Wake

All children have their own farfetched illusion of the glamorous, successful and fame-induced journey that they will embark on later in life, signaled by the common expression “When I Grow Up…” Some dream of becoming astronauts, actors or actresses, dancers, or firemen, while others dream of riding orca whales at Sea World. One of the most common childhood dream careers is the rock star. Fantasies come and go, but for some particularly musically inclined individuals, the dream becomes an actuality. The progression of musicians to the level of “rock-stardom” is a challenging and sufferable path. Few will reap the glorification and wealth of fame. The few who make it to the top must combine impeccable musical talent with a great deal of luck and scores of highly regarded connections. All aspiring artists need some sort of launching pad by which they can make a name for themselves.

The Minneapolis local arts community now prospers with innumerable local artists, some more well known than others. What seems to be the crucial difference between those who will be successful and those who will not is their method of attracting attention and gaining a reputation. With the diversity of the Twin Cities’ music scene, becoming noticed can be an extremely difficult process. Fortunately for aspiring artists, with the ease of internet publishing and relatively affordable recording technologies demos and CDs can be produced without the hassles of a record company. A Minneapolis based philanthropic organization called the McKnight Foundation conducted a survey that apparently “revealed the survival struggles of individual artists.”

The results of this survey inspired the website www.mnartists.org. The mission of this website is to “improve the lives of Minnesota artists and provide access to and engagement with Minnesota’s arts culture.” The website serves as a database of essential information for artists of all mediums. Visiting artists can see what other artists in their area are doing and become informed of upcoming events that could make an impact on their careers.

Mnartists.org and Summit Brewery sponsor a “call for music,” which they have dubbed “mnSpin.” MnSpin is a “quarterly music contest featuring Minnesota musicians with winning tracks selected by panelists from the music industry.” Every week on both the mnartists.org and Summit Brewery websites, a three-song playlist is posted, featuring the winning submissions. Parties are coordinated for the winners every month at different venues located in the Twin Cities. Annually, a CD compilation of all the winning songs from the past year will be released. The only requirement for entering the contest is a free membership to mnartists.org. The Wake was curious about the influence that the contest had on its winners. Would the mnSpin competition grow to catch the eye of major record labels and be the “launching pad” that many artists desperately need? Or, is it just another shiny trophy that gives “props” to the winning bands. To determine mnSpin’s affect on their winning participants, The Wake caught up with a band called “The Sexy Bang” to discuss whether the contest has given them an edge on the rest of the ruthless competition.

The Sexy Bang is comprised of Joe Krasselt (guitar/lyrics/vocals), Evan Taylor (trombone), Joe Sederberg (drums), An Hong (bass), and Steve Pease (guitar). The band was started in Minneapolis and, according to their Myspace, are classified as a “progressive American indie rock band.”

Their influences span different continuums of inspiration. “The intangibles” are the philosophical, scientific, and intellectual yearnings of the band (geography, social science, algorithms). “Immortal influences,” include Chuck Cecil, Herschel Walker, and Barry Sanders. Their musical influences include Beck, The White Stripes, The Strokes, Modest Mouse, The Who and Tapes ‘n Tapes.

The Sexy Bang recently released their debut EP, Signals from Sputnik, which contains the acclaimed song, “Our Bodies Don’t Know Better”, which was chosen by the mnSpin panelists. The Sexy Bang’s distinctive sound is defined by the harmonious trombone, invigorating rhythmic guitars, lyrical bass, encompassing drums, and unconventional vocals. Currently unsigned, The Sexy Bang are releasing a new album sometime in 2008.

The Wake sat down with the original three members of The Sexy Bang (Joe Krasselt, Evan Taylor, and Joe Sederberg) to discuss mnSpin’s influence on their musical identities.

Wake: How did you learn about mnSpin?

JK: We play a lot of shows at the Nomad [World Pub], and the guy who does the booking there is Matt Perkins. We have kind of worked our way up at the Nomad, and we ended up having our CD release show there. Matt had gotten an e-mail about mnSpin, and he sent us the e-mail and said that he thought we had a shot at doing well at this.

JS: The first time I had heard about it was when An had sent the band an e-mail saying that we had won.

JK: And you know there are a lot of websites like that, but mnSpin really stands out.

Wake: What specifically caught your interest about the contest?

JK: Well we had just released our first EP, and so we were just kind of looking for ways to get it out there…and we thought the worst we could do was lose…because you know we’re just trying it out.

JS: Cool people will hear our name.

Wake: Have you heard any of the other competition, or any of the other winning artists whose songs will be on the compilation CD with your song?

JS: Well there were three winners for the first month, and Alison Rae was one of them… and there was another one [Stacy K]…they were both ladies who play acoustic…

JK: Yeah, beautiful music. The one girl Alison Rae was very talented, so it was just kind of nice to be in the same category.

Wake: What do you think are strong points of your music; or at least what do you think made your song stand out in the competition?

JK: Well there’s like two phases to the song, you know if you listen to that song, the first 12 bars are totally raw and un-mastered which transforms into the main riff and then comes together as this duality of the rawness and the melody. [He adds that the trombone provides a unique sound as well.]

AH: I just think our band has a certain sound that caught the attention of the panelists. The song they chose definitely has a different sound and is unique in that aspect. I haven’t given much thought to what the judges were looking for in the competition… I’m just happy we were selected.

Wake: Have you made any important connections so far through mnSpin?

JK: Well you know we’ve contacted Chris Roberts [the current]…we sent him our CD and an e-mail.

ET: Then we sent him another e-mail to see if he received the album, and he said “yes.”

Wake: How do you think that this accomplishment will help your musical careers in the future?

JK: I think it will help with booking shows and stuff like that; just to say that we had the song of the week. We were able just yesterday to book a show at the Dinkytowner…we were going to get a show no matter what, but when I said that we had won the mnSpin contest he said “well how would you like a Saturday night show?”

MnSpin’s quarterly music competition has the potential to pave the way for upcoming local artists in the Twin Cities. Mnartists.org’s goals of representing the Minneapolis arts community appear to be successful as the mnSpin “call for music” is creating a launching pad for The Sexy Bang, as well as the other participating artists. Catching a break is hard, especially in a city with so many great artists. Give mnSpin a shot and see if you have a chance at “rock-stardom.” After all, as The Sexy Bang says, “the worst you can do is lose when you’re just trying it out.”

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The next mnSpin listening party will be held at the Nomad World Pub on Saturday March 22, 2008 where The Sexy Bang and other mnSpin winners will be playing. To find out more about The Sexy Bang visit their website at www.myspace.com/thesexybang.