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SPOTLIGHT ON JOE FRIDAY & PUNKATHON TOUR By Randy Chandler Hailing from Bay City, Joe Friday is one of the hardest-working and savviest bands in our area. Peddling their infectious brand of pop-punk throughout the region, the four members-who are all in their VERY early 20's-show a dedication to their music and their future that is rarely seen anymore. These guys pack up their gear and hit the road whenever the opportunity arises, going as far west as California and as far south as Florida to further their cause. They have all the essential ingredients: great songs, an energetic stage show, pop-star looks, and a growing legion of fans. Drummer Eric "Del" Delasevitch is one of the most promising young drummers working today. His playing, while reminiscent of No Doubt's Adrian Young and his hero, Blink 182's Travis Barker (he even got the words "Can I Say" tattooed across his chest in homage) is forceful and solid, with excellent meter. In fact, in a recent recording session, he tracked all his drum parts by himself without the rest of the band! Bassist Mike Nuechterlein, who simultaneously does time in the dance/cover band KINDRED when he's not touring or holding down the fort at RIT Drum and Guitar, comes from the Sex Pistols/ Bad Religion school of punk bass-playing, laying down solid lines that provide cohesion amidst the chaos provided by his bandmates, all while pogoing like a madman. He is always coming up with an interesting line - occasionally, on the bass guitar! Mikey is devoutly single "and looking to mingle". Guitarist Eric "Jonny Quest" Gwizdala, being the chief songwriting force in JF, consistently creates fresh music. While not a virtuoso player by any stretch of the imagination, Eric has much more important qualities in his playing - an easy gift for melody, a strong vision for his band, a quick sense of humor, and a seemingly bottomless reservoir of catchy riffs. He also has a strong passion for 80's hair-metal, and has threatened to grow a mullet in the past, with mixed results. Eric's brother Jeremy is the group's frontman, and we should all be so lucky. Here's a guy with pin-up looks, boundless energy, and the perfect voice for his band's material. He is extremely loyal to JF's fans, and easily approachable. JOE FRIDAY's music is all about fun -even in the darkest part of their lyrical spectrum; those words are buoyed by upbeat and undeniably catchy music. There is an unidentifiable familiarity in their sound - while they are reminiscent of bands like Blink, Green Day, and Good Charlotte, they sound nothing like any of them. One thing they do share with their peers is a lot of severely tongue-in-cheek lyrics. "She's driving her daddy's Mustang GT/Vehicular testicular attraction machine" sings Jeremy in "Jailbait", an ode to their nubile, if slightly underage fans. Elsewhere, Jeremy laments the loss of Gwen Stefani to Bush singer Gavin Rossdale in the aptly named "Gwen". In the background, you can hear Del piping up with "Gavin can kiss my ass!" "Do you remember/ Freshman September?/ Homecoming Queen, King of the Prom/ I was the kid with the Green Day T-shirt on". Nuechterlein's walking bassline is the highlight of the infectious "Punk Rock Chicks", while Eric's guitar melody in "Monday" will move into your head and raid your fridge if you let it. Even caustic tales of the everyday get the JF treatment - "then you found out just how I work/ Then you found out I'm a jerk," warns Jeremy in "People Change". They are a band that understands dynamics. They are also a band that understands the concept of making contacts, listing among them the members of Simple Plan, WIOG's Mason (whose theme song is supplied by JF), and even N'SYNC's Chris Kirkpatrick, who the band met while in Florida for the nationwide music convention held there recently. They have performed at WIOG's Annual Lizard Fair, and have opened for acts as diverse as the aforementioned Simple Plan and lumbering dinosaurs Blue Oyster Cult. Joe Friday will be one of the 10 bands participating in the Punkathon Tour, which kicks off September 5 at SVSU's Pi-stock event. The Punkathon Tour derived from an idea organizer Eric Wagler had earlier this year. Wagler manages and plays bass for Kalamazoo's Maryz Eyez, who of course will also be participating in the Tour. In doing all the bookings for Maryz Eyez, Wagler was constantly trying to contact bands of a similar status to swap shows with. He found this to be the quickest and easiest way to gain exposure to his band. Because of this he began working on a series of swaps between ten bands in a similar genre. Hundreds of emails were sent out to local bands around the Tri-state area introducing the idea. After reviewing the press kits that these emails yielded, 10 bands were chosen. Joe Friday isn't the only Michigan band to be included - in addition to K-zoo's Maryz EyeZ, the tour will also feature Ettison Clio (Lansing), Troubleman (Detroit), and Grounder (Muskegon). Each band will provide three shows at the venues of their choice. On each of these dates two other bands from the tour will travel to and play the show with the hometown band. In return all bands participating in the tour will receive five shows with other bands in other cities in cooperation with the Punkathon tour. The tour will take place every Friday and Saturday night, starting on Sept. 5 and ending January 17. "All these bands that are participating in the tour are doing extremely well in their hometowns," observes Wagler. " I feel very confident that this tour will bring an enormous amount of exposure through the sharing of fans. The lineup of bands is incredible and the shows will be unmatched by other local acts. In a sense it could be looked at as our own Warped Tour." Check out the Punkathon Tour when it rolls into town. It may be the last time you'll catch these bands on a local stage.
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