The first thing one thinks of when they slap Gravity44’s EP “Escape Velocity” into the CD player is “Nice, another hard-edge band with a shouting lead vocalist.” The first instinct is to pull the CD out and toss it with the rest, but then the first track fades and the second track begins. A funk-type groove entitled “He Says That We…” begins, punctuated by near rap lyrics, in the style of 311.
The record continues: A song entitled “Smithereens” has a strong ska body, breaking into a stiff, heavy chorus and then blends the two sounds for the finish. These tracks show us that Gravity44 is not another metal clone.
Gravity44’s members are all Ohio State students. The lead vocalist is Ty Pierce, Jon Antos and Matt Weeks are on guitar, Lance Weinkamer handles bass and backing vocals and Jim Kilburg sits behind the drum kit.
The band is now going through a transition, losing Antos and gaining Weeks.
“He (Antos) is going to grad school,” Kilburg explained. “We’re gonna play with both of them until Jon leaves, then Matt will take over.”
The band’s influences are varied, which is evident when one hears their performance. The only influences they agree on are 311 and Primus.
“I’ve got a big punk influence,” Pierce said. “Anything with great energy. It’s got to be something that you can knock yourself through a wall with.”
Antos has a more classic rock background, which he shares with Weinkamer, but has since moved on to more punk and ska.
Along with punk and hard rock, Kilburg cites a heavy funk influence, which comes out throughout Gravity44’s music.
“My parents listened to a lot of George Clinton and jazz type stuff,” he said.
Weeks has more of an early ’90s grunge influence from bands such as Pearl Jam and Nirvana.
The band loves playing, but they all agree that taking the stage at a live show is the best feeling that a musician can have.
“I played in a band in high school, and even when we played in front of like 10 people, it was just great,” Kilburg said. “It was the coolest thing in the world.”
Pierce agreed with Kilburg’s sentiment. Even though he never expected to be in a band, the experience has been unbelievable, he said.
“It’s so much fun to just be able to see our friends having a good time, getting out, forgetting about life and what they have to do come Monday,” Pierce said. “For that hour and a half that we’re playing to just see people rockin’ out as hard as we are is just the greatest thing.”
The real experience for any band is to see the live show, and in no case is this more evident than with Gravity44.
“Even if you don’t like our style, you can come and really have a good time,” Kilburg said.
“You will not be bored,” Pierce said.
Gravity44 formed in late 1999, but in that short time they have gained a loyal fan base and played with some big names from the local scene.
Their favorite show was at the Newport opening for Red Wanting Blue.
“It was an awesome show, to just see like 800 people going crazy. It was huge,” Antos said.
Not every performance has gone smoothly, though. The group played a show at Woody’s in the Ohio Union, and that didn’t come off as they would have liked.
“There were no sound people, so we had to rent our own P.A.,” Kilburg said. “We had no idea how to set it up, so we had to take everything up like practice.”
“We barely got the vocals to come out at all, because we didn’t know what we were doing,” Weinkamer said.
The crowd was made up of Woody’s regulars, and they were not happy that their routine was being disturbed.
“The crowd was standing 20 feet away,” Antos said. “We just weren’t used to it.”
In addition to the line-up change, Gravity44 has much to look forward to in the future. They’re participating in a Battle of the Bands March 3 at Woody’s. The winner will land a spot on the big stage at this year’s Spring Fest on the South Oval.
The band will be trying to keep as busy as they can over the next few months.
“We’re definitely going to be playing out for a while,” Kilburg said. “Maybe in the fall we’ll get back in the studio.”
They are also trying to branch out and play shows outside of Columbus in an effort to expand their fan base.
As for the CD, the band is happy with the recording overall, but two tracks did not come out as they planned.
“We’re going back in Friday (today) to redo the two live songs at the end of the CD,” Kilburg said. “The quality just is not that good, and we want to give people who buy it the best recording possible.”
Gravity44 is playing tomorrow at the Northberg Tavern with Granville. The show starts at 10 p.m.
Give Gravity44 a shot. They combine numerous styles, making the show something that everybody can enjoy. The pace is fast and furious, with all the energy of a virgin on his honeymoon.
