Last Saturday, I had the chance to interview a local band from the greater Boston/Worcester area, September Twilight, that recently played at UMB as part of the opening of the new Campus Center.
The band was formerly known as Downecycle, but decided to rename their group after an awesome show they played in Maine in September 2001. For the drummer Kevin Gallagher, a.k.a. “Bam-Bam,” the show was “an out of body experience.” As the five rock musicians strode out of the venue, a beautiful twilight was gleaming on the horizon. And so September Twilight was born.
But the group’s history dates back to 1996 when the band was originally founded as a Nirvana cover band by bassist Neil Taylor. They began as a basement band, influenced by rock bands like Tool, A Perfect Circle, and Sevendust. However, the band doesn’t limit their influences to just simply rock music. They are apt to thread hip-hop and melodic sounds into their music as well. Neil described their music as “thoughtful rock with a message…our music is like salad.”
Thus every member of the group throws in their two cents, as Bam-Bam put it. Bam-Bam reflected on his experience watching Tommy Lee play drums on television in the second grade. He thought Tommy Lee was so cool that he asked his parents for a drum set. His Mom was actually the first person to teach him a few beats, and he’s been playing ever since.
Bassist Taylor and lead singer Bill Bloom are currently studying at the Berkeley School of Music in Boston. Guitarist Joe Cusella is receiving his associate’s degree at the New England Institute of Art this spring.
Bill commented, “Everyone has a path in life. My path is to help others find and pursue theirs, and to give them the inspiration to push themselves further. The world is undergoing conscious evolution, and it’s not going to come easily; we’re all going to have to work for it.”
The group has played at such venues as The Middle East, Bill’s Bar, Copperfields, UMass Boston, and Assumption College. Catch September Twilight at the Paradise this Saturday, April 17. Tickets through their website are ten bucks- www.septembertwilight.com. They will also be performing at UMB on May 7.