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The Magical Brotherhood of SPROUT & THE ORANGE By Robert E. Martin Sprout and the Orange Sprout & the Orange are one of those rare musical amalgamations that are atypical in every respect. Since their emergence on the tri-city music scene five years ago they have grown into one of the more solid groups that promoters can rely upon to fill the house. Yet, unlike many groups, rarely do they perform a 'routine' set of cover songs sprinkled with a few originals. And even though they possess the versatility to take a three-minute song and transform it into an intricately layered 15-minute musical exploration, it is also unfair to label Sprout a mere 'jam band' in the vein of Phish or The Grateful Dead, simply by virtue of the fact that rarely will they take a song and stretch it out with laboriously extended solos. No, this outfit is much more gifted and magical than forms that fit the mold of predictability. With three new members added to the line-up since their inception, Sprout & the Orange are poised for greatness and their energy is infectious. Consisting of founding members Brian (rhythm guitar/lead vocals) and Aaron Johnson (lead guitar), the group recently added another team of brothers, Matt and Steve Nyquist (on bass & drums respectively) into the fold and rounded out their newly reformatted outfit with the intricate keyboard work of Jason Weisenbach. Not since the Allman Brothers Band have a pair of siblings assembled to form such a prolific alliance of musical creativity, and they only had one set of brothers in the group. But as intimated at the beginning, Sprout & the Orange is an atypical band in every respect. "Believe it or not," states Brian, "but the fact we now have two sets of brothers in the band has resulted in the fact that we have a better chemistry in place. You can tell that we all get along real well like 'family' in the literal sense. People always talk about how bands are prone to break up, but with us the problem is that everybody being brothers, it's impossible to do! What are you going to do if you get mad - walk away and never talk to your brother again?" For those not yet familiar with the work of Sprout & the Orange, the group has close to 50 original songs written over the years that they interlace with 'cover' songs that can be played to a 'tee' by the book, but more often than not, are rendered in a way to make the song uniquely the band's. As an example, it is not uncommon for the group to take an original and then break into an old Alice Cooper song and close it out with a bridge from Led Zeppelin. "We're a jam band," states Brian, "but we have a lot ore to offer in terms of songs. Aaron can write a song that is 10 minutes long that is completely composed and choreographed that isn't that easy to perform. On other songs we may loosen up and go into a 'feel' thing, whereas other songs are tightly written 3-minute numbers." "Between the radio and the jam band, we form the bridge between the two," he continues. "We have the ability to go longer with a song and take it anywhere we want, no matter the genre." "We could have hits on the country charts because we're open to every area of music that there is. Many people come to see us and love everything we do, whereas other nights people might not like every song we do, but we try to appeal to everyone to give them a taste of what we have to offer." "Other than that, I need to say that drummers get the most women. This is not a myth. Even though they might spontaneously combust." Since the last time The Review profiled Sprout & the Orange a lot has happened. Last summer the group had all their equipment stolen and were virtually left high & dry; given the fact the group didn't have insurance. This alone may have stopped less determined bands, but as the Phoenix rising from the ashes, the group enlisted the aid of fans & supporters and rebuilt their organization. "We weren't even officially back from Nashville yet when the equipment got stolen," reflects Brian. "And then on top of that I actually went back to Nashville for a couple of weeks and discovered I had a crazy killer living in the house. This guy was just living there, actually wearing my clothes, doing my laundry, what do you think of that? " "But fortunately, Dr. William Richter helped us out a lot in terms of getting us new equipment. He wanted to become involved in the music business somehow and we paid him back and a lot of good things came out of it." For a group with such an esteemed reputation for the unorthodox, how has the group evolved with the new members? "For me it's been a long crazy ride," states Aaron. "Everything about the change has been beneficial to my playing. We know how to construct something from the foundation of every song and we've got material that can appeal to more people." "This was a big band to jump into," notes Steve. "I didn't start listening to them much before joining, but it's been a pretty cool experience. It's good to be able to add my own touch to the mix and spice it up more." "I think Steve is more aggressive in terms of his drumming and he rocks more. He helps the songs more," interjects Brian. "This was a big leap for me," states Matt. "I went from playing with my buddies in the basement to playing with an original band with 30-plus songs playing shows all over the place. I jumped into it with both feet." "I think there is a better chemistry in place," notes Justin. "And I enjoy improvisation. Hopefully this shows in the music." "I love the keyboard," adds Brian. "And I wanted one in the band for a long time. We've had keyboards here and there in the past, but since Justin joined we've expanded tremendously. In the course of one year I've never witnessed that vast an improvement in a musician, personally." Where do the collective members of Sprout see the band going in upcoming year? "This year is going to be our year of glory," states Brian. "First, we received a call from Donny Brown (of the Verve Pipe) and we're going to record a song called 'Falling Down' for the Nick Andros compilation CD that will be available on the Internet and all over the world. That's a big step for us." "On top of that we've been hitting our bookings very hard and are going on a national tour again sometime this spring. We've already sent about 100 press kits out and have been working steadily." "Finally, we are in the process of finalizing details for two big shows with Rusted Root in March at The Wayside in Kalamazoo, which seats twice the people the State Theatre does in Detroit, and another show in Lansing at the Temple Club." What was the first 'tour' experience like down in Nashville last year? "Nashville was great and very tough," comments Brian. "We were gung ho to play shows and discovered a million other bands were also there ready to play shows. We actually had a couple good spots opening for national acts and were told we are spoiled because for a local band to get booked on the level we were usually takes five years to accomplish, but we actually got a job in the biggest bar in Nashville. I told this female musician out there that we played at The Exit Inn and she was ready to slap me." "We learned a lot out in Nashville," adds Justin. "For me just going out to see all these other piano players throwing down was amazing. Just checking it out makes you realize how high the bar is set for serious musicians. You see good pianists around Saginaw and Bay City, but not like in Nashville. My goal is to try and match that level. You're eventually going to get heard, but it takes a long time to get to that spot." "We've been around here a little over five years," continues Brian, "and not being big-headed, but a lot of people have heard us over the years. By doing different towns and cities around the country you realize how big it really is out there. Every band touring has something to offer, so we just want to keep writing good songs and touring and staying together and eventually we'll have our place." Other noteworthy plans for the New Year include getting a CD of their new material on the market. With close to 60 songs written, the group is shooting for a disc of nine originals. "We have a new song called Get Over You that is more of a blues song but has a country influence and that's been getting requested non-stop," notes Brian. "Things will only get better. We'll probably have the CD out in about six months when we're ready to go on the road." "It's been a hard year since last July when the equipment was stolen," he continues. "It's hard to play a good show and put out a lot of energy when you're not happy about the things going on. A year ago everybody was down and you've got to have that energy. You can't walk in with a crappy look on your face. Nobody wants to hear you and people catch on quickly if you aren't feeling right." Is the band's approach to structuring different sets for each performance still a priority? "Oh yes, definitely," states Brian. "But we have a new approach to covers as well. We try to keep the show fresh for people that come to each gig and have a lot of different set lists. We don't have a lot of time to write new originals lately because we're gigging so much, so we get off on re-constructing the songs. People like that." Is the group hungry to sign a 'big label' deal? With the advent of downloading on the Internet, getting signed isn't nearly the big deal it used to be. A band can sell 750,000 units on a major label and make 13 cents on the sale or sell 25,000 copies on their own and make all $14.00 per unit. "Being known as a 'jam band' our situation is a bit different," reflects Steve. "I think we'll make it and grow by playing more shows year after year. The more people that see you will jump on the road and start following your band around. That's the way this Indie band called String Cheese did it and they've done well with their album, so it's inspired us to do it on our own." It's all about entertainment," concludes Brian. "We even did a skit like Monty Python this past Halloween. We did this huge skit from The Big Lebowski word for word. We were all dressed up and people were watching it. It was a real hoot. Always keep 'em guessing."
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