ARTS

Get connected with the rhythms of The Connection

Known locally for its hip-hop influenced rock, the Connection is Conservatory junior Mark Agrusti, College senior Bill McElnea and College junior Tom Francavilla. Review Design Director Daniel G. Romano recently met with them to discuss The Police, TIMARA class and their VH1 Behind the Music special.

DGR: In a nut shell, could you guys describe your music a little?

Bill: I guess you could classify it as alternative rock. I don't know, we have a lot of different influences from a lot different stuff. Hip-Hop and...

Tom: Chili-Peppers?

Bill: Yeah, Chili-Peppers. Hip-Hop isn't all I listen to. I write a lot of different things and just random shit. If we like it and it sounds good we'll play it. Like swing, if we find a riff and everything, we can try and make a song out of it... even an oldies song.

Tom: Which we actually did.

Bill: Which we are actually working on right now.

Mark: I like stuff you can dance to. I only started playing drums like four or five years ago so I like stuff I can dance to. So I learned to play stuff that I can dance and other people can dance to. Then we have his [Bill's] mish-mosh of stuff and Tom's a classical pianist; so together we have this nice little combination of stuff.

Bill: A really strange consistency.

Tom: But it all works.

Mark: I usually bring in a song and Bill here will add a little Latin flavor, and we all add our two cents to the song....

Tom: ...and we flavor with Vanilla Ice.

DGR: Who is the wind beneath your wings, besides me?

Bill: Ah...

Tom: I grew up listening to Rush. I listened to classical music until sophomore year of high school and then my friends got me into Rush (pause) and then I bought every Rush album.

Bill: The Police were a really big influence for me. A lot of different stuff, like Marvin Gaye, the Chili Peppers and a lot of different types of house and techno music. A lot of different hip-hop stuff. Me and Mark are actually producing a hip-hop album.

Mark: Strangely, Smashing Pumpkins is a big influence for me. I don't know how. I bought Siamese Dream and all the stuff I play now sounds like the stuff on that album. Photo of the band The Connection

DGR: How did you all meet?

Bill: I knew right away when I got to college that I wanted to start a band. This is sort of the Mecca of musicians, so I thought if I was going to do it, this would be the place to start. I put up a flyer saying "Bassist and Drummer Wanted." Tom and Mark were the first to call.

Tom: On this flyer he listed like every band.

Bill: Every band from David Bowie to Wu-Tang.

Tom: It was amazing.

Bill: So then Tom called up, and I think he was really weary at first. We got together and his first question for me was "Do you like that new Puff-Daddy-Every-Breath-You-Take-rip-off song?" (Everyone laughs) And I thought if I say yes then I'm going to lose him. We ended up jamming for a while and then at the beginning of last year we advertised for a drummer. Mark didn't even see the ad, we were in the same TIMARA class and...

Mark: I came in to do a project, and Bill was like "Oh, you play drums." At the time I didn't have a real drum set, all I had was an electronic drum kit. So I skated over to Wilder with an amp and a whole bunch of other shit strapped to my back, and for the first time in two or three years I wiped-out really badly. All my stuff went flying and I got this big gash on my arm. I was bleeding everywhere. The gash was in the shape of Florida. I go into the practice room and everyone is like "You must be Mark. Hey what the hell happened to your elbow?"

Tom: Then he took his shirt off, which he has done every time since then.

DGR: How would you guys describe your own edition of VH1's Behind the Music?

Mark: Hey! That's a great question.

Bill: Is this a future-retrospective question?

DGR: I guess. Basically where do you see yourselves in the future?

Bill: I don't know, I guess I'd like to see us be a part of a new rock revolution. A newer revolution than what we are seeing now. Lately there has been a lot of crap coming out of the music industry. I think the next rock-revolution a lot of different ingredients, like hip-hop, it's going to be very beat oriented. The kids that are going to be writing [the music] grew up listening to Dr. Dre and Nirvana. So in the future you will see this kind of a combination in music. I think it's going to be really interesting and I guess I'd like to see us be a part of that - the revolution or movement.

Tom: I want to make this my life.

Bill: I went to career services today and all I realized was that all I want to do is play guitar.

Mark: I want to change the world! (Tom and Bill laugh) It the true Oberlin statement. You think one person can change the world? Then just watch the three of us.

Bill: That's the modest point of view. We just have a blast, a lot of fun.

Tom: When I'm down here playing with them, it's like everything else goes away. All my homework. All problems. All that stuff goes away.

DGR: Who would you say is your favorite Osmond: Donny or Marie?

Bill: Now who the heck are they ?

Mark: Donny has those funny buck teeth.

Tom: And his face is shaped all funny.

Mark: I'm going to have to go with Marie.

Tom: I would have to agree with that.

Bill: Who are they?

Mark: They are those two old dudes on TV.

Tom: Didn't Donny have like seven kids or something ridiculous like that?

Mark: I think he is Mormon or something.

Bill: Who are they?

Mark: They were child stars or something.

DGR: So in order to take advantage of shameless self-promotion, are you going to have any gigs in the future? More specifically in the next two to three days?

Mark: Saturday! At the Cat in the Cream. Friday night in Cleveland. Check out www.mp3.com/TheConnection for more info.

DGR: Describe your relationship with the United States Postal Service.

Tom: Very good! No wait... very bad right now. On the whole it isn't hostile but not like I love them.

Bill: They get a lot of our business, because we send stuff... a lot.

DGR: Umm. Ok, no more questions. Thanks for coming, guys.


Photo:
Oberlin Rock City: The Connection, left to right, Mark Agrusti, Tom Francavilla and Bill McElnea (photo by Andrea Kamins)

 

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Copyright © 1999, The Oberlin Review.
Volume 128, Number 3, September 17, 1999

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