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Birdmen of Alcatraz soar into JDI's
Travis Robinson
Staff Writer
Hi-fi, energetic and highly combustible music that re-defines and re-arranges any previous conceptions about hip-hop and hard rock styles will shake Jefferson Davis' bones tonight when Indianapolis band, Birdmen of Alcatraz, visits the namesake tavern, Jefferson Davis Inn.
Birdmen, Dino Codalata (guitar), Steve Wolf (bass), Russ Johnson (vocals), and Matt Van Kersen (drums), have been gracing regional stages for about five years now and are on the brink of stardom with their second release, Focus.
Birdmen of Alcatraz has played at some well-received and well--attended shows like Indianapolis' X-Fest, with some well known acts such as Toadies, Bush, Teenage Fan Club and Ned's Atomic Dustbin. Over 21,000 were in attendance.
"That was a great experience for us," explains Van Kersen, "but it was 103 degrees and, of course, they covered the stage with black so it was even hotter for us".
The Birdmen have also played a couple of shows at the Deercreek Amphitheater near Indy, once opening for Spinal Tap and again for Cheap Trick and Smithereens.
"Right now we're are sort of horseshoeing out (from Indianapolis) and trying to build up a following by focusing on particular venues", says Van Kersen. "We'll play at three or four cities in one swoop," he continues, "and then return home for a couple of days and then hit the road again".
Writing songs and practicing comes fairly easy for the band because they live in the same neighborhood.
On the writing, Van Kersen explains that,"most of the writing is a collaborative effort but sometimes the other guys (Codalata and Wolf) will bring in a song practically completed". He continues, "They are really the analytical ones when writing and I take the more abusive approach but we create the chemistry through our abilities".
As for the lyrics, "Russ writes them all. He is really incredible because he can sit down and write 600 words that contain the craziest metaphors. He could stand up to any M.C."
Van Kersen also says that the personal connection between the members is a tight one. In fact, the band missed him for a while, about three years ago, because of an incident after a show in Bloomington, Indiana.
The bands bio explains that he was busy taking down his drums when an unwieldy part went into his eye, causing some reversible brain damage. He had to have therapy just to get his motorskills working again and the story sounds like a scene from "One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest".
"I was in the mental hospital with the actual mental patients and schizophrenics for therapy," explains Van Kersen, "but I'm fully recovered now."
The Birdmen are working on another, probably shorter, follow up release with about seven songs. They are also looking into the CD-Rom capabilities, possibly putting out some type of multi-media package this summer. Their debut album has sold out and they are currently trying to get it re-issued.
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