Part of the experience of college is seeing really good bands for free, or at least for less than $5.
East Lansing doesn’t disappoint when it comes to attracting good Michigan bands, so here are a few that have roots at MSU:
The Flow
This is a six-member funkabilly band that has more talent than it knows what to do with. Always experimenting with new sounds, The Flow includes a myriad of instruments in its sets, including a flute and a mandolin.
Saxophonist and flutist Diego Rivera grew up studying and playing jazz in East Lansing. He is currently enrolled in the prestigious College of Music and recently studied under saxophonist Branford Marsalis.
Lead singer Theo Moss is a telecommunication senior and the driving voice behind the band’s music.
Some of the band’s members have known each other for years, and had played together in different bands before forming The Flow. Moss and drummer John Cassidy have been playing together since they were in high school.
“Every band in the area churns out musicians. You keep mixing them up, and eventually you get a combination with chemistry,” said Mike Gallavin, the band’s manager and sound man. “The Flow has that.”
In the past two years, they’ve toured heavily, but you can be sure they will be playing locally this fall.
“We’ve been playing locally every week since the beginning,” Cassidy said. “It’s important for us because this is where our fan base is.”
Under Construction
It took Under Construction almost two years to get its feet in the door of the East Lansing bar scene, but now, after more than a year of playing bar shows, the band has become a much-welcomed guest.
The acoustic-driven group began in 1998 when lead vocalist and guitarist Jesse Young, an advertising senior, and drummer and packaging senior Eric Schuetzler started playing together as seniors at Plymouth Salem High School. Since then, the band has steadily perfected its sound and reputation as a serious East Lansing band.
“We’ve been touring steadily the last few years, but it has slowed down a little this summer,” Schuetzler said. “We still play at fraternities and private parties though.
“Those are a nice change of pace, because they are so much more personal than bars.”
Young said it wasn’t until they met their manager, Eric Denby, that they began playing in the East Lansing bars.
“Clubs want to know that you can bring people to the show,” Young said. “We’re taking over the spots left by 19 Wheels, Knee Deep Shag and Domestic Problems.”
Young said the band started out as strictly acoustic, but has added some electric guitars for an extra push.
“We’re writing more pop, rock and radio-type songs,” Young said. “But we still keep that acoustic sound because that’s where we started. You have to keep your roots.”
Adam’s Castle
Psychology senior Zach Eichenhorn, English senior Eric Adams, and MSU alumnus Sami Jano formed this three-piece piano band about two years ago.
The trio went to Brother Rice High School in Bloomfield Hills, but didn’t form Adam’s Castle until they were in college. The band was originally a duo, performing music written by Eichenhorn, until it discovered that Adams played bass.
“The writing process now is pretty collaborative. But it’s always kind of different,” Adams said. “A lot of our songs are just happy accidents.”
The band, which has no vocalist, has played steadily in East Lansing, Ann Arbor and Detroit in the past year. It recently played at Detroit venues The Magic Stick and the Detroit Contemporary Gallery.
“We’ve created a pretty good following in the area,” Adams said. “We usually have good crowds when we play.”
But you’re not likely to find the band playing at typical East Lansing bars any time soon.
The band members said they try to avoid playing the bar scene, opting to play an atmosphere more accepting of their original type of music instead.
