Wednesday, April 15, 1998
In music’s cutthroat world, Seth tries novel approach
MUSIC: Finding influence in several genres, group pursues dreams
of fame
By Michelle Zubiate
Daily Bruin Contributor
So you wanna be a rock ‘n’ roll star? Taking a survey of Los
Angeles’ youth, it appears that you’re in the right place.
Literally hundreds of garage bands search for fame and stardom.
Many of them mess around behind drum sets and microphones for fun,
but to others, like the budding rock band Seth, it’s all business
and all dreams.
The San Gabriel Valley band met as a result of frontman Stephen
J. Geist’s determination to form a group around a unique classic
rock sound with a modern edge. After publishing an ad in the San
Gabriel Valley Recycler at the beginning of the year, drummer
Brandon Cary, bass-player Sal Rovero and guitarist Alex Guerrero
heeded the call. Thus Seth began.
Four months later they’ve grown, thriving off of their drive and
determination to become big. Their hopes and goals remain far from
small.
They’ve yet to record a album, but in a matter of months they’ve
graduated from coffee shop gigs to headlining their own shows.
(This Thursday night Seth plays the Whisky A Go Go on the Sunset
Strip). They want it all, including million-dollar recording
contracts, tours … stardom, basically.
"Selling out," Geist jokes as he sits in IBrowse, an Alhambra
coffee shop. "They can tell us what to say and what to do and we’ll
do it. No, seriously, it’s a business for us. We can either work at
Baskin-Robbins all our lives or do this. Some people go to school
and become doctors and lawyers. We’re going to be rock stars."
Every member of the band emits confidence, whether they’re just
talking about the band or even when they’re performing on stage,
but it’s Geist’s faith that forms the band’s core.
Geist is currently a UCLA transfer student, studying English and
philosophy. When he’s not playing with the band he’s hitting the
books like everyone else and battling on the intellectual
field.
"If I weren’t playing music I’d be writing long, long,
beautifully pretentious books based on imaginary pretenses," Geist
reveals.
The band also credits its strength to each member’s individually
different tastes and influences.
Unlike the outspoken Geist, Rovero spent the majority of the
interview outside of IBrowse, which is the first coffee shop Seth
ever played. Currently a Baskin-Robbins store manager, Sal enjoys
KROQ’s mainstream style. This opposes Geist’s classic rock tastes
and Brandon Cary’s heavy rock influences. He, too, agrees that
their contrasting personalities create a solid sound.
"It affects how people even see our music," Rovero says. "We
don’t always like each other’s types of music tastes but all of our
influences together cover a lot of different (styles). We don’t go
to ‘group’ three times a week for nothing."
Even the band’s name reflects their desire to remain free from
the attachments of any certain genre.
"We picked the name Seth because of its ambiguity," Geist says.
"It doesn’t place us with any kind of style, which is what we want.
We’re pure rock, that’s the only way to describe us. We appeal to a
wide spectrum."
"Our target audience is anyone from about 12 to 54 years old,"
Cary adds.
The band works hard to achieve its goals, practicing two to
three times a week in Cary’s living room, Rovero’s garage or in a
rented studio.
Despite a mediocre first performance, the band went on to play a
"battle of the bands" at The Loft in Pasadena, a couple more gigs
in Duarte and an opening spot at the Whisky last month. The band
has received great reactions from crowds and remain proud that it’s
moved so far in such a short amount of time, uncharacteristic of
fledgling groups.
Cary recently joined the group and already sees a long term
future with Seth.
"They’ve got more dedication and work harder than any other band
I’ve been with," Cary says. "I thought the other bands were serious
but apparently not."
Poetic grace fills the lyrics of Seth’s music. One song,
"Essence," talks about the ill effects of television while other
songs deal with heartbreak or confusion. "Stranger Than Fiction"
paints ethereal images for the listener as Geist sings, "Then I
found myself in open spaces/ seeing through camouflage/ while
swimming in a primitive sea/ of naked-wire-like emotions."
The band’s final hope for the future depends upon that core
ingredient of diversity that works well for it now and will
hopefully last in the long run. Just as its songs range from
political to philosophical to extremely simple, light subject
matter, the band grows as it writes, sings and rocks its way into
the public eye.
MUSIC: Seth plays the Whisky A Go Go at 8901 Sunset Blvd.
Thursday at 11:00 p.m. Tickets are $11 at the door, or call (626)
292-3574 for $5 tickets.
Photo courtesy of Seth
The band Seth, which refuses to define its sound beyond "rock,"
tries to appeal to all ages and tastes.