Monday, November 9, 1998
Students hokey-pokey with Disaster
MUSIC: After exploring punk music, band discovers ska identity,
plays small venues, releases first album
By Michelle Zubiate
Daily Bruin Staff
In order to achieve status as a true ska band, a group must
comprehend three vital points of knowledge. First, they must fool
around until they’ve found their sound. Second, they must know how
to have fun and adapt to any given situation. Third, they must
learn the hokey-pokey.
That’s exactly what Middle Class Disaster has learned. Now they
not only play impromptu hokey-pokey dances at Sweet 16 birthday
bashes, but headline shows at the Roxy such as tonight’s
ska-feature show.
A relatively young band, together for only about three years,
Disaster consists of 10 members. In one way or another, they found
each other and formed a group to play ska for fun, and hopefully,
one day, as a profession.
"Right now we do it because we like it," says Skot Gillies,
Disaster guitarist and UCLA student. "I don’t think any of us would
mind doing it professionally, though. We play at a lot of parties,
but we don’t play at venues like the Roxy too much because of the
hassle of ticket sales. Luckily, this Friday we have a lot of
people going so it hasn’t been a problem."
Aside from English classes and midterms, Gillies devotes his
free time to hours of practice, performance and recording for
Disaster. Recently, the band has completed its first major step of
putting out a CD.
"It was definitely an interesting process," Gillies says. "It
took us about a year to do it because of school and trying to get
all ten of us there at once. At times it was frustrating, but we
finally got through it. The title of it is ‘Not As Cool As
You.’"
Gillies admits that the band has its share of tense moments
during rehearsal, but when it comes to performances, they always
make the most of it. The band learns to laugh at themselves to keep
up their spirits and energy. So far, it has paid off. In fact, it
helped them to think of a name for themselves.
"The band used to just be a punk band before we added on a
member and became ska," Gillies says. "One day the band was
practicing in the garage with all this cheesy equipment. The new
singer walks in then and says ‘You know what? You guys are all a
middle class disaster.’ Since then, the name just stuck."
The band’s sound consists of a ska core, formed through the
various influences and tastes of each member of the band. The band
also ranges in musical instruments from the usual guitars, drum and
bass to a ska horn section and even a conga set.
Still fresh and enthusiastic, the band holds a lot to offer in
terms of genuine excitement and fun.
MUSIC: For more info on Middle Class Disaster, check out
http://members.tripod.com/~MIDDLECLASS
Scott K. Groller
Seven of the members of Middle Class Disaster are (top row from
left to right) Kirk Smith, Kerry Campbell, Skot Gillies and Aaron
Lopez; (bottom row) Sedric Arnold, Andy Lopez and Christopher
Cook.
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