Raising the Dead with Coffinberry

Depending on whom you talk with these days, the state of Rock is pretty abysmal. The nihilistic pity-me pretty boys of the Nineties spawned thousands of sound-alike bands who dripped their suburban angst all over the radio dial, with Emo now following in hot pursuit. Rap has successfully captured the ears and feet of a generation of teens who normally would have been head-banging or slam-dancing to the latest defy-your-parents-and-rock-with-us! band of scary social misfits. And Pop music, championed by dime-a-dozen divas like Brittany, Ashlee and Christina, is lowering the dress code and vocal standards for years to come. The litmus test to prove my assumption would have to be 2004’s tragic Lollapalooza tour, which fizzled and sputtered before making a spark, despite the fact that Sonic Youth, Morrissey, Le Tigre and Black Rebel Motorcycle Club were all on the bill. How could a show like that NOT sell-out, but by a huge wash of apathy from the ticket-buying public? RIP Rock and Roll.

Then again, on a hot summer night in the summer of 2004, while hearing a pal’s band play at the venerable Beachland Ballroom, my ears perked up, my heart started palpitating madly, and I couldn’t help but tap and bounce to the sounds that crashed into my head. It wasn’t Pop-Punk (thank God) and it wasn’t Thrash-Metal. It wasn’t Newer Wave, and it certainly wasn’t Rockabilly. It was...well, Rock and Roll by a bunch of young twenty-something upstarts, naturally. It was short, and it was loud, and it was melodic, with just the right splash of dissonance and feedback splattered about like a fun Jackson Pollack print. It was Coffinberry, and it was good. And Rock wasn’t dead after all. At least not in Cleveland, Ohio.

Cool Cleveland: Is there a significance to the band’s name—isn’t there a school or school district or something around Cleveland named Coffinberry?
Tony Cross: There was an old settler or something who was named Coffinberry. The school, the street, and the park are named after him. For us it's more of a state of mind.

Coffinberry’s sound is very exhilarating and refreshing — I hear bits of the Libertines and Sonic Youth and the Replacements all mixed up in there. Who are the band’s influences, and is there a certain sound you’re shooting for when you perform?
The band is influenced by many things, but I don’t like Sonic Youth or The Libertines. We all enjoy The Monster Mash any time of year. When we play we’re not shooting for anyone or thing. I've never given a name to our sound 'cos that would be dumb.

Your sets are always so short—I keep waiting for an extended jam of some sort to hear what kind of feedback and distort you’re gonna experiment with, but the band seems much more comfortable with the 3-minute structure. Is that some sort of statement about your style of Rock and Roll, or is it just that Coffinberry is not really about improvisational musicianship?
Improvisational musicianship equals “jamming.” Which we do when we are drunk in the privacy of our own home. Sometimes it's good, sometimes it sounds like Blues Hammer. Some stuff gets into the songs from playing around, but not all of it, thankfully. We like short sets--it's less work and less boring. Everyone wins.

Who are the guys in the Coffinberry and what instruments do they play?
Pat O’Connor is on bass, Tony Janicek on guitar, myself on drums, and Nicholas Cross on the guitar.

How long has Coffinberry been together?
This line-up’s been around for about a year and half. In all of our line-ups together, three years.

I like the monkey logo you guys are using on your souvenir disc and buttons you give away. Is there a meaning to that image, or are you just practicing some post-mod marketing strategy?
Our marketing strategy is post-office. The meaning is deeply hidden. I'm not sure I understood the question.

I’m told that you were originally the singer for the band, but switched to drums because you were having problems keeping a drummer. Is that true, and does that mean you’re a self-taught percussionist —I notice that you hold the sticks rather interestingly and you have a 'singular' style of playing the skins
I used to be somebody. We chose not to keep a few drummers. Then I started playing drums because I was there, at least all the time anyway. And yeah, I'm self taught,--it's drums, not violin. I have a “singular style?” You sayin' I suck? Whatever.

And now your brother, who also plays guitar, is the singer. I’d imagine it must have been a bit of a transition, going from being the front man to being the back man, or maybe you were relieved to get out of the spotlight - was it a tough move for you?
First, you say my style is "singular", and then you call me a "backman." Um.....it wasn’t really hard;…Nick had the harder job, but we weren’t born into roles in a band. Pat could easily be the singer next time. Easily.

Your brother has a great voice for rock and roll! He kinda sounds like a young Paul Westerberg. Does he know what a good singer he is?
I'll have to ask him that tonight when I get home.

There are all of these great stories about rock and roll siblings, like Liam and Noel Gallagher of Oasis or Ray and Dave Davies of the Kinks—how they love each other but also really drive each other crazy. I know the Davies brothers have actually gotten into fistfights on stage. Do you find it easier having a brother in the band, or harder, and what is the hardest thing about sharing a band with a sibling?
I've only played in bands with Nick, so I can't compare it to anything. It's easy though. The easiest thing is being able to communicate so well, and the hardest thing is when I don’t know what the hell he's talking about.

Coffinberry has been “at work” on your full-length CD for some time now. Any information on when it’s going to be available, and is it going to be worth all of the waiting?
We were never "at work," really. We recorded, mixed, and mastered it in 4 days. It’s been done for a few months. It’s a seven song EP. And no, it won't be worth the wait; its release date will be released soon.

Is there a title for the disc yet, and are you guys self-releasing it or is there a label involved at this point?
My attorney advised me not to answer that.

Do you guys have groupies yet; are Coffinberry ‘chick magnets' or would you like to be?
I seem to be a magnet for things I don’t like. We have no groupies; I think they follow money and success. I don’t have to worry; thanks, though.

The band seems to play at the Beachland Ballroom a lot. Are there other venues in town where you regularly gig?
We hit The Grog Shop and Pats in the Flats.

Okay, hypothetical time. It' s five years from now — who is the band opening for, or who’s opening for you, and where are you performing, tomorrow night, in 2010?
Tomorrow night, 2010? We are playing Sokolowski's that night--it's already booked. I like a lot of time to flyer for a show.

You guys are definitely part of the Cleveland Rock scene. How is the scene doing, and what does it need or not need?
I don’t claim to know anything about it. I work and go to school too much to get 'out there.' But, I think it needs a haircut...something you can set your watch to. It doesn’t need everyone liking everything, though. Maybe a dictator; they organize efficiently.
from Cool Cleveland contributor Daiv Whaley daivw@yahoo.com

See Coffinberry at the Beachland Ballroom's Tavern this Sat 2/26 at 9:30PM. http://www.coffinberry.net

Image by Ken Blaze

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