Radio From Hell helps put Rock in UVU

On April 8 at the McKay Events Center, X96, Ken Garff and Spring Communications are proud to present Rock In UVU, featuring Story of the Year, The Bravery and the Brobecks live in concert.

Tickets for the show are free, but must be won. On Monday, April 7, Kerry, Bill and Gina from X96’s morning show Radio From Hell will be broadcasting live in the Student Center from 6-10:00 AM. Throughout the show, they will be giving away tickets to Rock In UVU.

The Bravery

In the beginning, Sam Endicott and John Conway, Bravery vocalist/songwriter/frontman and keyboardist respectively, were college freshmen classmates. In the late 90s they formed a small mock-ska band, but upon moving to New York City began to expand their horizons. By answering an ad in the local paper, guitarist Michael Zakarin and bassist Mike "Dirt" Hindert, classmates at Georgetown University, joined Endicott and Conway in their quest to form The Bravery. They were still missing a drummer, however, so, after moving back to his hometown of Long Island, drummer Anthony Burulcich completed the crew.

Bringing back an older genre and adding a new twist is a difficult task, but The Bravery had the skills and the guts to do it. They combined an indie rock sound with a strong undertone of Electronica to create a new sound that is unique to them. The Killers have a similar sound, but, with the obviously broad range of possibilities of Electronica, both bands have a distinctly dissimilar sound. The Bravery introduced catchy rhythms with keyboard driven tunes, a throbbing bass guitar, and well played percussion.

The Bravery began, much like any other band does, small and not extremely popular. But, unlike other bands, The Bravery had a plan to gain some popularity and share their different flavor of music with the world. They began with small shows at local clubs in New York to gain popularity. At first they promoted themselves by putting up posters and handing out CDs in the area. After some time they set up what has been termed a residency, playing every Thursday at a local club. Their shows were soon sold out. Thus, The Bravery quickly became popular in New York City and soon across the Eastern Seaboard.

Being one of the first bands to use MySpace to self-promote, they gained quick popularity over the Internet. Their very own Web site provided free downloads of three of their first songs. A radio station in San Francisco and one in the UK downloaded and began playing their hit single "An Honest Mistake." After gaining notoriety in the UK, The Bravery moved to London to set up a residency there and perform throughout several countries in Europe.

The Bravery’s first album, a self-titled piece, was well received in the UK and later released in the US. After The Bravery’s debut, The Killers’ frontman, Brandon Flowers, made some comments that led to a much-publicized feud. Flowers claimed that The Bravery was riding to fame on the coattails of The Killers. This sparked quite the response from The Bravery.

This will be the second time The Bravery has played at the McKay Events Center in the past year, after opening for the Smashing Pumpkins concert in September of 2007. They will be helping Utah Valley celebrate the transformation of UVSC into UVU by rocking in UVU. The Bravery is well known for putting on a fabulous show, so every student would be well advised to check it out.

The Brobecks

Contagious melodies, deep bass riffs, unpredictable guitars, and rather dancey keyboard licks. Sounds like every other band these days, right? Wrong. The Brobecks have taken what could be the typical and turned it into the "adorable."

With a name like "The Brobecks," their unique sound doesn’t come as a surprise. Described as "adorable, intelligent indie pop" by Spin Magazine, The Brobecks main influences were stated by Dallon Weekes, lead man of the band, to be Elvis Costello and "turn of the century" artists. They themselves have been described as "turn of the century indie pop" by a fan.

When asked about the unusual name, Weekes said it comes from an unpopular individual that he went to high school with. "Always, in the back of my head, I identified with this person," Weekes said, regarding the individual’s propensity for being picked on. "I never did think it was cool when he was made fun of."

The band started in 2002, after Weekes returned from his LDS mission, and was based out of Salt Lake City. In 2003 they released their first album, Understanding the Brobeks. It wasn’t until their next album, Happiest Nuclear Winter, that they started to get more recognition throughout Utah. In 2006 they released Goodnight, and Have a Pleasant Tomorrow, featuring popular songs like "Bike Ride," and "Goodnight Socialite," which are often requested at shows.

In the summer of 2007 they released their most recent production, The Small Cuts EP. It’s apparent that The Brobecks are finding their niche in music with this EP; its sound is a radical departure from their past efforts, and, according to Weekes, this is the first recording he’s truly proud of. Their newest material will be presented in an upcoming album entitled Bobdylans.

Weekes just returned from Boston, where he was recording the new album with Casey Crescenzo, from the band The Dear Hunter. Weekes says that this album is more professional, and, in his opinion, his past albums were "demo, do-it-yourself" quality, comparing them to a "junior high yearbook photo." The release date for this album has yet to be announced.

The Brobecks have gotten attention from some record labels. However, Weekes says, "Anyone can tell you they want to work with you," but whether or not they do is completely different.

Nonetheless, The Brobecks maintain hope that their upcoming album will land them a contract with a label. "The Brobecks is my full time job that I don’t get paid for," Weekes joked.

Their current line up holds Dallon Weeks on vocals and bass, Matt Seppi on guitar, Josh Rheault on keyboard, and Drew Davidson on drums and percussion. This lineup will open for Story of the Year and The Bravery on April 8 in the McKay Events Center on UVSC campus.