Baghdad SCUBA Review June 2010 by Jonathan Schinke
Quite some time has passed since Madison’s Baghdad SCUBA Review released their debut studio album, Testing The Waters. In that time, they’ve shed some labels, written and refined dozens of songs, and learned to grow as a band in the process.
Being in a six-piece band is not the easiest of roads to navigate on a long-term basis. With so many personalities at play and countless ideas on how to move forward, the art of staying a harmonious unit can be daunting, to say the least. This group, however, consisting of guitarist John Schneider, guitarist Chad Thompson, keyboardist Jason Krueger, bassist Erik Riedasch, drummer Justin Gerstner and percussionist Rob Bloch, seems to be very comfortable with who they are, where they’re at and where they’re going. Fresh off their successful CD Release Show at the High Noon Saloon, the band shares some secrets of their success and discusses their new album, Breathe.
“We’ve been in a band together for a long time and we have that sort of family mentality,” says Schneider. “You’re all brothers and you might get mad at one another, but the next day, you’re still brothers. We’ve done a pretty good job of balancing that brotherhood between the six of us.”
This kind of give and take seems to materialize within the band’s songwriting process as well. As Gerstner observes, “Typically, John, Chad, or Jason will come forth with a structure and have a good idea of what the song will be. What I’ve discovered, mostly, is that people want feedback. Even the songs on the album have evolved since we finished recording. We’ve revisited the songs, extended some jams, experimented with parts, and new ideas begin to emerge as a song kind of grows on us. The songs start as a skeleton and everyone kind of puts the meat on it.”
“And the diversity of our songwriting is very akin to the diversity of this particular album,” Schneider adds. “That [diversity] seems to be the phrase coined for bands in this overall genre is that they have the ability to play all sorts of styles, in their own style.”
Diversity and teamwork are nothing new to BSR. Though, just like any band, it seems they’ve lived and learned.
Gerstner explains, “We’re smarter about our songwriting approach. I think it’s something we’re constantly getting better at.”
“The more we play,” says Thompson, “the more we get to see what the audience reacts to, what each other reacts to and we can say, well, these types of things work.”
Though it is the first studio release from the band in a number of years, fans of BSR will recognize most, if not all of the tracks onBreathe. According to Schneider, “All of the songs from the album have been in the live rotation for months, even years. We looked at this album as a way to get all of this material out there in a studio format. Something that’s a little different than you hear live, and I think we really accomplished that on this album.”
A closer look at Breathe will reveal even more to the devoted fan. From the crystal clear ‘out of this world’ artwork, to the conceptual undertones found in certain songs, Breathe proves to be more than meets the eye. In the tradition of Pink Floyd or Phish’sRift, this album is an offering for both the eyes and the ears. Strangely enough, the developing storyline was achieved almost by accident. As Schneider points out, “The concept aspect was derived from songs that were already written.”
Thompson adds, “We realized there was this narrative and it just kind of flowed. It’s this crazy few days in the life of this person, going a little over the edge, coming to, and going forward from there.”
Along with the willingness to leave some things up to interpretation, the band seems to have made a slight departure from the social commentary that marked their early years.
“We’ve gotten past the ‘protest rock’ label we were given early on,” says Riedasch.
“We were so pissed off when we first got together, or at least I was,” Schneider recalls, “It was hard not to go home and write some song about how much I hated George W. Bush. Not to say that I’m real excited about our current situation but it was just a different thing at the time.”
While their political angst may have tempered some, the things that make BSR a consistent force in the Madison scene continue to boil over. The vocal prowess of Schneider, Thompson and Krueger, in particular, always impresses, and rightfully so. Their ability to interweave three part harmonies, with a rare combination of soulfulness and ease, make their performances a sonic treat for the ears. You might assume that something that sounds so masterfully crafted would have been planned from the start but as Krueger reveals, it really came along more organically. “The vocals just happened so naturally, it wasn’t even talked about. As we practiced, it just developed into this whole thing.” Lucky for us.
So as time continues to pass and Baghdad SCUBA Review forges ahead, writing songs, playing shows and being brothers, their talent and desire will lead the way. As one of the best original bands in the state, and the region, we can only hope that they let us come along for the ride.
Being in a six-piece band is not the easiest of roads to navigate on a long-term basis. With so many personalities at play and countless ideas on how to move forward, the art of staying a harmonious unit can be daunting, to say the least. This group, however, consisting of guitarist John Schneider, guitarist Chad Thompson, keyboardist Jason Krueger, bassist Erik Riedasch, drummer Justin Gerstner and percussionist Rob Bloch, seems to be very comfortable with who they are, where they’re at and where they’re going. Fresh off their successful CD Release Show at the High Noon Saloon, the band shares some secrets of their success and discusses their new album, Breathe.
“We’ve been in a band together for a long time and we have that sort of family mentality,” says Schneider. “You’re all brothers and you might get mad at one another, but the next day, you’re still brothers. We’ve done a pretty good job of balancing that brotherhood between the six of us.”
This kind of give and take seems to materialize within the band’s songwriting process as well. As Gerstner observes, “Typically, John, Chad, or Jason will come forth with a structure and have a good idea of what the song will be. What I’ve discovered, mostly, is that people want feedback. Even the songs on the album have evolved since we finished recording. We’ve revisited the songs, extended some jams, experimented with parts, and new ideas begin to emerge as a song kind of grows on us. The songs start as a skeleton and everyone kind of puts the meat on it.”
“And the diversity of our songwriting is very akin to the diversity of this particular album,” Schneider adds. “That [diversity] seems to be the phrase coined for bands in this overall genre is that they have the ability to play all sorts of styles, in their own style.”
Diversity and teamwork are nothing new to BSR. Though, just like any band, it seems they’ve lived and learned.
Gerstner explains, “We’re smarter about our songwriting approach. I think it’s something we’re constantly getting better at.”
“The more we play,” says Thompson, “the more we get to see what the audience reacts to, what each other reacts to and we can say, well, these types of things work.”
Though it is the first studio release from the band in a number of years, fans of BSR will recognize most, if not all of the tracks onBreathe. According to Schneider, “All of the songs from the album have been in the live rotation for months, even years. We looked at this album as a way to get all of this material out there in a studio format. Something that’s a little different than you hear live, and I think we really accomplished that on this album.”
A closer look at Breathe will reveal even more to the devoted fan. From the crystal clear ‘out of this world’ artwork, to the conceptual undertones found in certain songs, Breathe proves to be more than meets the eye. In the tradition of Pink Floyd or Phish’sRift, this album is an offering for both the eyes and the ears. Strangely enough, the developing storyline was achieved almost by accident. As Schneider points out, “The concept aspect was derived from songs that were already written.”
Thompson adds, “We realized there was this narrative and it just kind of flowed. It’s this crazy few days in the life of this person, going a little over the edge, coming to, and going forward from there.”
Along with the willingness to leave some things up to interpretation, the band seems to have made a slight departure from the social commentary that marked their early years.
“We’ve gotten past the ‘protest rock’ label we were given early on,” says Riedasch.
“We were so pissed off when we first got together, or at least I was,” Schneider recalls, “It was hard not to go home and write some song about how much I hated George W. Bush. Not to say that I’m real excited about our current situation but it was just a different thing at the time.”
While their political angst may have tempered some, the things that make BSR a consistent force in the Madison scene continue to boil over. The vocal prowess of Schneider, Thompson and Krueger, in particular, always impresses, and rightfully so. Their ability to interweave three part harmonies, with a rare combination of soulfulness and ease, make their performances a sonic treat for the ears. You might assume that something that sounds so masterfully crafted would have been planned from the start but as Krueger reveals, it really came along more organically. “The vocals just happened so naturally, it wasn’t even talked about. As we practiced, it just developed into this whole thing.” Lucky for us.
So as time continues to pass and Baghdad SCUBA Review forges ahead, writing songs, playing shows and being brothers, their talent and desire will lead the way. As one of the best original bands in the state, and the region, we can only hope that they let us come along for the ride.
