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Classic Graffitti :

Taking Fusion & Jamband Music to a New Level

By Scott Baker

 An eclectic group of Saginaw based musicians have redefined the term fusion.

Rather than exploring  the invigorating sounds of Jazz mixed with Rock, eight individuals with unique backgrounds and ages have forged ahead with the spirit of a love for music, christening themselves Classic Graffitti.

The initial brainchild of guitarist Todd Bethune and percussionist Mike Walkowski, the band formed two years ago in hopes to create something original sounding, yet open to collaborations in every field of music.

"Mike and I really decided to put the project together, I'd say in January of 2003," said Bethune, during a phone interview last week. "It took us about a year to get everyone in the group together  to the point where we had enough material around to go out and perform."

Good friends from all different backgrounds jumped at a chance to be part of the new musical creation. Walkowski's  buddy Scott Kuhn was added on drums, Troy Kiel filled the slot on keyboards, Bethune's long-time guitar/music compatriot Dan Erben joined on lead guitar, Eric Markley moved in on bass, and Dr. Yoon-iL Auh topped it all off as violinist. Tom Sims is the elusive eighth member, in charge of promotions and marketing, management and webmaster.

Both Walkowski and Kuhn have played with the Sagineers Marching Band and bring a jamming aspect to the group (Kuhn is a big fan of the jamband scene, including Phish and Leftover Salmon). Both Erben and Bethune have a love for Dream Theatre's metal-hooked progressive rock and have studied under local jazz guitarist Matt Corrigan.

Auh is a renowned classical composer and has performed around the world. Markley has been part of the Tri-cities scene for many years, composing acoustic and electrically with the alternative tinged Swaggering Rogues, among others, and has an ear for studio work. Kiel, originally from Muskegon, comes from a jazz background, bringing the swing to the band.

"It really does make for a unique mix of stuff,"  said Bethune. "I mean, when you sit and look at everyone in the group, its such an oddball kind of mix, you wouldn't think it would go on. But everyone in the group is just so passionate about music."

With band members growing up around one another, it was inevitable that one day they would find an outlet for their musical tastes and abilities.

"Scott's a little bit younger than Mike," said Bethune.  "When Scott got into the Sagineers he actually looked up to Mike. Mike had been doing that rudimentary marching drum style for a while and I know Scott really dug that style. Then again, I think the  chemistry they had growing up helped a lot as well. They toured basically with the Sagineers for a couple of summers. They were on a bus all summer long and played in football stadiums. I believe Scott marched in the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade. They have a lot of experience as far as that goes.  Plus, Tom's father actually founded the Sagineers."

Being mutual friends and students of Corrigan, Bethune and Erben found a deep bond in progressive music.

"I remember  talking to Dan for an hour on the phone about  the band  Liquid Tension Experiment. Dan was one of those kinds of people that I've met who actually listens and has that depth perception of the music that he follows. It wasn't just like you know,  'That's cool and I can play those licks!' Its like he was listening to the entire thing that was going on. It wasn't the guitar player that impressed him, it was the entire ensemble and what they were doing as a group and a unit."

As the musicians began to create together, they found that featuring their respective  strengths on individual tracks gelled better than they initially expected. Classic Graffitti issued a seven-track, self- titled and printed demo last year that is still available.

"It all varies on different levels," comments Bethune on the topic of  band contributions.  "As far as Yoon-iL doing the orchestrated pieces and bringing entire scores down for the band and that kind of stuff, he's a big contributing factor. We had about three to four completed songs finished by the time he started coming down to rehearse with us. So as a band, all of us are trained in the sense that we can write a melody or a chord progression out  on a piece of music paper, copy it off,  and give everyone in the band a sense of where  ideas can come through and that kind of thing.

Everyone in the group does contribute one way or another."
With a job at CMU and his family in Korea, Auh has become the de-facto father-figure of the band, a classical music guru of sorts that contributes spiritually and physically to Classic Graffitti.
"He's in charge of the long-distance education (at CMU) where he does more work in the internet learning  field," stated Bethune. "That's  his department that he runs. If I'm not mistaken, he's taken that program to number one in the country."

"Yoon-iL is an over-achiever and a workaholic. You'll never catch the man on vacation. He's constantly analyzing everything. That's his personality, that's what he does. It humbles me as a musician to be around someone like him and have that melodramatic experience passed on through hanging out or just jamming or spending a weekend at his place and working on composing music."

"You know, just kind of digging into his brain a little big on how things happen for him. I find it very interesting. He's a good friend and almost like a mentor to me as far as music goes. He's someone I really appreciate and respect as a human being and a person. He's a wonderful person."
    

With Auh and Erben based in Mt. Pleasant, Walkowski in Okemos, and the rest in Saginaw, the band doesn't get to rehearse or play as often as a weekend band, making their shows more of an experience.
"Usually about twice a month we get together as an entire ensemble and rehearse," said Bethune.

As a whole, Classic Graffitti did a show nearly every month last year, including highlight gigs in Detroit and at the Temple Theatre in Saginaw.
"We started out playing at Van Java Café in Holt, Michigan, a little coffee shop down there," said Bethune.  "It's a suburb of Lansing. They'd let us come in, set up and jam and that kind of stuff. It was a lot of fun. We didn't have a bass player at the time. We played one show without a bass player."

"It boiled down to December as the only month that we didn't have a gig  in 2004 . August was a show in Detroit down at Bert's Marketplace in the Eastern Market. I'd say for last year there were definitely two standout gigs for the band, as far as the energy level of the group."

" We had to wait all night to play at Bert's, so we watched  ten other bands. And with the guys in our group, we love playing so much and we have such a passion for the music that we play,  it was building up inside of us to the point that by the time we got onstage it was  like 15 minutes of  raw energy. It was  kind of like psyching ourselves up  to prove ourselves as far as our music and our ability and that kind of thing with the group. The people that have been following the group around were at Bert's Marketplace, and  said that we were really tight and on fire that particular night."

"And at the Temple Theatre also, some people that saw us said we were right on the money. That's another one of those things where we had a lot of time backstage while all these other groups were playing. Again, I  could feel it with the group, it was just kind of boiling up inside of us and by the time we got out onstage, it was just this big release over everyone."

"As an ensemble I thought we played very, very well that night. It was two of our tightest nights playing. That really came out on those two shows."

 Classic Graffitti and be seen Saturday, Feb. 5, at the Blue Line Club (at The Dow, for entertainment after the Saginaw Spirit game) and Saturday, Apr. 23, at the Temple Theatre's  Benefit for the Saginaw Youth Orchestra (with Brush/Lopez and The New Reformation Dixieland Band).
Watch out for them at the 19th Review Music Awards this year as well!

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