April 12, 2006

Alarms Go Off On Campus

Juniors Eric Magnus and Jerome Stenger always wanted to have a band. Over the years, from their acoustic experimentations freshman year, to their first group, Strange Brew, and now with their latest group, The Alarms, the friends have developed a sound that is entirely their own. This time they're showcasing it in a newly-recorded CD, The Alarms: Live in Gray Chapel.

Freshman Valerie Lonneman, the band's drummer, says her favorite thing about the band is that it plays all original music.

"We're more interested in playing than making money," explains Magnus, on guitar and vocals with Stenger. "For us the band is a creative outlet. We don't play bars, because bars love cover songs. We have fun playing our own music instead."

"I like the kind of music we play," says senior bass player Eric Winzer. "We're generally kind of rock-centered, but we have a lot of different influences." The influences include older groups like The Kinks and CCR — as well as newer bands like The Strokes, The White Stripes, Kings of Leon, and Wilco. Winzer's current favorites include Tom Waits, The Talking Heads, and Of Montreal. "Also, the Backstreet Boys," jokes Stenger.

"Magnus's songs are folk- and blues-inspired, whereas I love rock and indie songs," Stenger says. "Together we create a nice blend of modern and classic sound."

Stenger and Magnus may be the group's songwriting duo, but when it comes to making the music, the process is collaborative. Once a song is written, each member of the band develops a piece of it. "We all make our own parts," Lonneman explains. "They come together so smoothly. It's surprising."

That the band came together so smoothly is even more surprising.

"We needed a bass player and a drummer for the Red and Black Review, and we had to put the group together the same day," says Stenger. "We'd jammed with Winzer before, and we met Val in botany class. We played, and we thought we should make it a regular thing, and we've been practicing ever since."

"They just asked me if I wanted to play for an event," remembers Winzer. "We played a little bit, and we've kept playing."

The group recently recorded a six-song CD in Gray Chapel.

"Our P.A. system was stolen over Thanksgiving Break," says Stenger. "That really put us back on live shows. We decided it was a good time to record a CD, so we holed ourselves up in the annex of the House of Thought and worked on making our songs as good as possible."

"It's all live," he says. "It's something to be proud of. It'll archive the band forever." Stenger plans on sending the CD out to radio stations and record labels over the summer.

Despite its success, the band's members haven't let their popularity go to their heads. 

"I think the one unique thing about our band is that we're all extremely good-looking people," says Stenger. "You don't always find that in a band. Me and Magnus just got haircuts."

"Actually, I don't think I'm very good-looking," Magnus admits. "It was a free haircut. I didn't like the first haircut, but I got the second one free because I referred someone. But the second one turned out even worse."

"I usually take a little more off, but I left a little length on it this time," Stenger adds. "It's good for when the wind is blowing."

So what's the key to The Alarms' success? It's not their hair. "We don't pay a lot of attention to our image," says Stenger. "We do look good, but we don't really care. That's just a visual feast for the audience."

"But really, the best thing to hold on to is the enjoyment of playing music," says Magnus.

"The band is so much fun to play with," Lonneman adds. "I look forward to every practice. We have a good energy. We can play anything."

The Alarms will soon welcome a new addition: senior Matt Saracusa on the keyboard. "I'm excited but nervous," he says. "I've never played in a band. I played clarinet in the sixth grade for a few weeks, but that's all the practice I've had."

The band has played four shows in the past week, and will play three more by the end of the month.

The Alarms will perform April 21 at noon during the Earth Day Luncheon in the Benes Room, April 22 at 10:30 a.m. in Selby Stadium for Delaware Delicacies, and April 29 at 3:30 p.m. on the Welch lawn for the Amnesty International concert. The band will continue to sell CDs for $5.

— Yulia Strizheus