“Everyone in our band is so proficient […] we all have earned a solo” —Cheem
If you know me, you know that I really like musical theater, hip-hop, and classical audio. Rock songs? Not so significantly. But considering the fact that I have been at Brandeis, my close friends have slowly but surely confident me that rock, and exclusively pop-rock, are genres truly worth listening to. Pop rock is deemed to be an intersection of pop and rock tunes, which typically employs instruments such as piano in conjunction with numerous guitars, drums, and synthesizers.
On a chilly Friday afternoon, I ran up the stairs in the Shapiro Campus Center to my digital job interview with Cheem, a pop-rock band that results in a style-bending model. The March 10 interview consisted of me receiving to know the band’s members and learning much more about their story even though they joined me from their tour van in Georgia. They had been apparent that they are incredibly intentional about subverting anticipations within the new music industry and notably the pop-rock audio scene. This 5-member band declares their genre to be ‘nu pop,’ and while they have been around for some several years, they truly feel at dwelling with their own voice as a band and as artists.
Skye, with long hair carrying an adidas tracksuit, and Sam, wearing eyeglasses, are the band’s vocalists, whilst Sean, putting on an entire khaki in good shape, is their head drummer. Each Gabe, in a simple blue shirt, and Nate, rocking locks and sporting a tee and denims, are guitarists. When asked about their musical influences, they explained choice rock new music — notably from the 90s and early 2000s — is their principal inspiration. They attempt to integrate that nostalgia into their own audio type when balancing that with discovering their own voice. “Cheem has been likely as a result of a lot of forms in excess of the a long time,” Gabe spelled out. The band was to begin with started off in 2013 in higher school by Gabe and Skye, Cheem’s founding users. They ultimately grew as they observed far more expertise by way of college friendships. Quite a few of the customers went to tunes school or had been actively playing new music because they have been young. “I feel we ended up all really much participating in new music by any implies important,” Skye claimed. He also shared that regardless of not getting acceptance from his mom and dad or his neighbors for playing guitar and drums in his dwelling and garage, he beloved it anyway.
The band stated that discovering their voice and inventive design was incredibly demanding. Skye took the direct, indicating, “We try out to mix new metal and pop-new music,” whilst Sam additional, “We occur from an emo background.” The course of action was gradual to discover how to lean into other influences and not always observe what everyone else is performing. Something I truly appreciated even though listening to their audio just before the job interview was viewing how distinctive they were being in highlighting each individual other. Their songs often integrated every member’s design and style, no matter if that was a lot more light-weight pop, major metal, rap, or hip-hop.
Cheem admitted that they are very fascinated in genre-bending function though their influences are strong in 2000s pop rock, they commonly like to just take inspiration from fashionable music. “Even if just one person writes a song, it is type of creating with the rest of the band in brain and then the sections get introduced to the other members and they set their personal audio on every little thing,” Skye stated. This permits for every member of the band to convey their unique talent and design and style with instruments and vocals.
Beaming with pride, Sam included on, “I truly feel like every single member of the band is so gifted […] like we all ought to have a solo!”
I transitioned our job interview into seeking at the indicating driving their tracks and new music. As I mentioned right before, I had listened to some of Cheem’s tunes from their most current album titled “Guilty Satisfaction.” Specially, just one song from that album that stood out the most to me was referred to as “Clueless,” so I shifted the discussion toward their audio and particularly the this means at the rear of the lyrics in “Clueless.” Skye reported, “I signify [the song is] about staying upset at the music market … [and] the people today who operate on the organization facet and their attempts to appeal to the typical community.” Two of my most loved lines are “Tell me who you know from here or why your Soundcloud disappeared” and “How’s it feel to make-believe that that you attained all you attained?” The refrain consists of a double entendre “get the image, change the other cheek,” which is not only about a metaphorical wake-up simply call or having strike with reality, but it is also a reference to literally getting imprisoned and owning your mugshot taken. The band stated the meaning driving the metaphor in a individual job interview with Flood, indicating the song exposes the tunes marketplace as the ones “keeping artists as prisoners by finding them to indication awful contracts.” The band spelled out that the new music business typically pushes artists in a way that is not legitimate, and the audio that is designed in this surroundings is pretty alienating to avid listeners. The track by itself is a quite transparent search at this inauthenticity, contrasted with their passion for producing songs.
The good news is for Cheem, they have located their voice and they don’t plan on altering it for everyone. Conversing to every of the users of the band was effective, and I was capable to hear their stories and master where they attract musical inspiration. Cheem may well not be the most nicely-recognised band (nevertheless), but they usually place their very best work in almost everything they do. They are all enthusiastic to retain building music, to grow their fan base, and hopefully to participate in in a pageant like Coachella in the in the vicinity of potential.
I cannot hold out to see what lies forward for this remarkable band in the next handful of many years!
Velocity Round Q & A
Assistance for artists and musicians:
Sam: Consider your time to create your viewers.
Skye: Rehearse a ton in advance of you at any time engage in your first exhibit!
Nate: Be conscious about assembly men and women test to generate organic and natural connections.
Gabe: Really do not pull inspiration from only music search just about everywhere for inspiration.
Favored artist/singer/band?
Sam: Frank Ocean
Skye: 311
Nate: Primus
Gabe: Instrument
Sean: D’Angelo
Beloved music (not including Cheem)?
Sam: “When it’s over” by Sugar Ray
Skye: “Prisoner” by 311 and “Pop” by NSYNC ( “that music adjusted my life”)
Nate: “Primus” by John the Fisherman
Gabe: “Oblivion” by Mastodon
Sean: “This will have to be the spot LIVE” by Chatting Heads
Favored Cheem track:
Sam: “Fashion Valley,” “Smooth mind,” and “Snag” (“I have various favored little ones.”)
Skye: “Worldstar” (“It’s like choosing a favourite child”)
Nate: “Fashion Valley”
Gabe: “Pay2Play”