by Linda Spielman
For this edition of Unsigned Heroes
we take a bit of a departure from the regular format. This time around
Linda Spielman gives us the good word on a band that is burning up her
home base of Pittsburgh—School of Athens. - ed
Anywhere on the planet seems warmer than
Pittsburgh over the last few weeks. I was hoping that sitting down recently
with one of the area’s newest, up & coming bands School Of Athens would
help transport me to a warmer place because of their name; maybe a Grecian
Isle? Well, in a futile attempt to wish for a warmer climate, I did discover
band members Drew Fogle, Neal Rosenblat, & Chris Wasel eager to talk
about their music, aspirations & upcoming projects which in itself
can generate enough heat and noteworthy buzz within the current stagnant
local music scene.
The band started roughly about six years
ago when Fogle & Wasel met after high school graduation. Although Fogle
went away to college and Wasel opted to stay local, they remained close
friends over the years. After college, the two sat down and discussed the
prospects of pursuing music full-time with the intention of putting together
a band. Remembering a mutual friend from his high school days, Fogle tracked
down Rosenblat, who he knew would be a perfect fit for the band. With the
common thread of influence via the highly melodic and lyrically charged
Radiohead on the part of all three guys, School Of Athens was born.
Fogle elaborates on the decision for the
band’s namesake, "School of Athens is the name of a painting by Raphael.
Chris had an art class in college, studied the painting and was inspired
by the meaning and the name. The short version of what them meaning is:
Bringing more than one idea and converting it into one.... Which makes
sense, because every member in the band has an idea, and we form it into
one.....kind of like 3 of us creating the same song.... like, taking our
three minds and inspirations and working our melodies and chord progressions
and making one song out of it."
Call it Kismet, Fate or beginners luck
that the three band members found each other to form not only a solid sounding
rock band, but also more or a brotherhood. As Wasel notes, "We spend so
much time together rehearsing, writing and playing live not only do we
connect in every way musically, but we’re also best friends & almost
like brothers."
Fogle, Wasel & Rosenblat all come
from classically trained backgrounds. Fogle and Wasel both took up piano
as young as four & six years-old, while Rosenblat was already playing
guitar both via professional lessons & learning on his own at six years
of age. As each of the band members grew up, each continued with their
musical training. Fogle performed in various youth choirs, and went
onto Mercyhurst College as a voice major. Rosenblat continued teaching
himself guitar, while Wasel gave up piano but started teaching himself
guitar and drums. As similar as their backgrounds are, so are the
band’s musical influences citing Radiohead,
Red Hot Chili Peppers & even Counting Crows which add yet another element
to perfect fit of these band members.
The obvious enthusiasm & genuine commitment
they have for music in general as well as the music they create seems to
be paying off (they’ve only been playing out live for a little over 4 months).
"As a kid, I hated playing piano because I hated playing other people’s
music. I haven’t felt so strongly about any other music I’ve played up
to this point, "Wasel admits. Fogle rediscovered & mastered the piano
after college and developed his singer/instrumental front man skills. And
Rosenblat incorporates strong melodic chords along with backing vocals
to the group’s songs. Although
there are three distinctive personalities
and musical perspectives in the band, they come off as one musical entity.
Rosenblat elaborates, "Between all of us there is such a strong & rooted
musical core. We all know what we want and can see the big picture. The
fact that because of our background we are able to see all the different
aspects of being in a band."
Writing all the group’s material is a
collective effort by all three guys from the very beginning. In many ways
as Fogle describes it, the inception of most all of their songs starts
off as an impromptu jam session. "I will usually bring an element or melody
for a song out on the piano. Neal will then come in with a guitar part,
and Chris will add a percussion arrangement." Although the structure of
writing and arranging their music seems a bit "unstructured", it works
very well for the group. "Within five minutes we usually know if it’s going
to work or not," As Fogle is quick to point out. As powerful as Fogle’s
voice is as front man for the band, all the members are quick to defend
that their instrumental core and note that is where their primary focus
lies; lyrics are always last in the musical equation.
The energy and melodic driven music the
band plays live is proof to the commitment they have all made to the group
and to each other. They pull much of the inspiration from the people who
have touched their lives and the joys & sadness which all people go
through. However, the channeling of all those experiences into the music
School Of Athens creates is a melting pot of their influences like Radiohead,
yet enabling them to carve out a niche & musical identity all their
own.
Being as close-knit as the three members
are, they do freely rely on complete honesty in the writing process. Both
Rosenblat & Fogle agree, "It was hard at first. We had to learn that
it was OK to be so honest with each other. We are now brutally honest with
everything every step of the way; the writing, rehearsing & performing.
When we write, if there is something that just isn’t clicking we are pretty
clear up front, so we don’t hang on to it."
Preparing to start playing the local music
scene involved about eight months of rehearsing before their first gig
was played. Almost right out of the gate, School Of Athens cemented a spot
as a finalist in the 2003 Hard Rock Challenge in early December. Despite
only a two-vote margin between them and the first place winners, it was
obvious by the all at the event the band was making a good first impression
on the local music scene & immediately respected for their music
(having performed less than a dozen shows under their belt at that point).
January & February find School Of Athens heading to Erie, PA, to start
production on their first demo release. Between day jobs and recording,
the band plays out at least twice a week if not more around the Greater
Pittsburgh area and at many of the clubs on the famed Carson Street, Southside.
Looking ahead to the future for the band,
all three members are confident & content. To no one’s surprise their
pursuit of writing and playing good music is their foremost concern and
mission. Everything else is icing on the cake. In a refreshing outlook
to success, the group has no altruistic expectations of the industry and
success as a whole. Within the next year they want to broaden their fan
base into a more regional direction, start shopping their demo to the labels,
and play live as much as their schedules allow; while continually writing
new material. It appears that a overall consensus is to establish School
Of Athens as a respected and successful band, compared to flavor of the
week or superstar bands that come and go so quickly in today’s music industry.
In the same respect, the band isn’t willing to sell their souls to the
industry. However, they understand, acknowledge & accept the art of
compromise the industry as a whole. Knowing that realistic aspect of the
business and yet holding from their beliefs in the group give them an edge
over many of the up & coming bands noteworthy of attention. Fogle,
Rosenblat & Wasel all agree that this is the first "real" band they’ve
been in and will be their last. The musical & personal relationship
they’ve built through the band has made them feel and believe that it truly
doesn’t get any better than what
they have.
The work hard, play hard and play often
mentality of School Of Athens is something that will bring the band success
in whatever level, and whatever level that holds for their future is fine
by them. Whether making a living doing this full-time, being commissioned
artists for TV or movies, or a top-selling band is all approached with
the same dedication, commitment and intensity from Fogle, Rosen blat &
Wasel.
To see & hear more on School Of Athens
go to www.schoolofathens.com
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