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'Setting the (Aci)tone
New local band hopes to build on Mp3 success
By Christina Killion Valdez (ckillion@postbulletin.com)
If the people at Mp3.com wanted to make a local commercial, they could call the guys from Acitone.
This newly formed, punk/alternative rock band credits much of its success to the exposure gotten through the music downloading Web site.
It's the best way to hear us, said lead singer Alex Kilen, a freshman at Minnesota State University-Mankato.
It's easy, convenient and free.
You have to sign on to listen, but it never costs anything, Kilen said.
Signing on isn't that bad either. Do it once and you're in, catch free, Kilen said. At least, I've never gotten anything from them. I know people are scared of getting junk mail.
All they've said they've gotten is positive feedback. And that's just the beginning.
The band found its fourth and final member only three months ago after weathering a year of line-up changes.
Lourdes High School seniors Paul Macken, a Radiohead fan, and Chris Camilleri, a Blink 182 fan, started the band with Macken's guitar and Camilleri's drums.
They found their lead singer, an Incubus-fan and Lourdes grad in Kilen, who drives back from Mankato each weekend. And they found the bass player they wanted, most recently, in Macken's 15-year-old brother, Danny, a Rusted Root fan.
Since then, they've gotten nine out of 10 tracks recorded for their first full-length CD, which is expected out this spring.
They've also tracked more than 1000 online plays of their three raw demo songs available on Mp3.com.
Those who are listening are liking the band's original, energy-spiked pop punk and heartfelt alternative rock ballads.
So much that two Twin Cities bands, Days Like this and Panel of Experts, heard Acitone's stuff on Mp3.com and asked the young band to join them for some possible shows in February, Kilen said.
Also because of Mp3.com, Acitone is being considered for inclusion on a punk rock compilation CD out of Orange County, Calif., he said.
Big stuff for a band who won't even play their first local show until Jan. 25.
It's crazy. For the past two months, we've been aching for a show, Kilen said. We want to show our stuff to people so bad. They haven't heard this stuff before.
They'll debut their collection of original songs at Rockinsania, Lourdes High School's annual lollapalooza of local talent.
By then, Acitone will already have its biggest, and first, show to date under the belt.
Acitone opens for the kick off of Sundownradio's national tour to be staged Jan. 18 in Mankato. The concert will put Acitone on the same stage as 2nd Best, a punk band that toured with the Warped Tour last summer, and Mayfield, a Chicago-based band.
It's a huge first show, Camilleri said.
But they're hoping the upcoming release of the debut album leads to something even bigger before he and Paul Macken leave for college next year.
We want to use this year to get as much done as we can, Kilen said.
They're off to a good start, thanks to Mp3.com.
Now, back to our regularly scheduled programming.
'~ Post Bulletin (Rochester, MN) 'Battle of the Bands
Acitone wins Channel One fund-raiser
By Jenna Christopherson (lifestyle@postbulletin.com)
Disco lights, a violin and saxophone duet and a song from the Disney Movie The Little Mermaid - all were part of the Battle of the Bands on Saturday night at Century High School auditorium.
The annual event, hosted by the Century National Honor Society and benefiting Channel One, set high school bands against each other in a competition for cash prizes. Try-outs were held in mid-March, and bands Red Ize, Casual Pass, Struck 3, The Mollys, Acitone, Syntrap, Benchwarmers, Piknik Kasket, New Convert and Evolved were selected to compete.
Fifteen minutes before the doors opened, a diverse group of teens - some dressed in skirts and sweaters, others wearing Mohawks and black lipstick - lined up in front of the auditorium. Although the auditorium was filled throughout most of the event, few who arrived at the beginning of the show stayed until the end. Most people came only to hear one band and left after its set was completed. As a result, the audience's excitement and energy was continually refreshed. Fans waved homemade signs and posters, took pictures, danced on stage and sang along with every song.
Upon entering the auditorium, each ticket holder received a voting slip. Unlike previous years, when National Honor Society members selected the winning bands, this year's winner were decided by the audience. National Honor Society members, led by adviser Larry Gilbertson, totaled the votes while the last band performed and the results were announced after the show.
The 10 bands, each allotted a 30-minute set, played music ranging from alternative to ska to metal to classical. The $200 grand prize went to Acitone, which played punk favorites Sadie Hawkins Dance, by Relient K and The Anthem, by Good Charlotte with enthusiasm. The guitarists and bass player's dancing and jumping created an exciting stage prescence.
Casual Pass placed second, winning $160. The band favored both alternative music played on electric guitars and a mellow style characterized by acoustic guitar and keyboard. Although they admitted that they wrote most of their songs within the past week, Casual Pass's skill in jazzing up slow numbers like Wonderwall, by Oasis and Glycerine, by Bush impressed many in the audience.
Third place went to the Benchwarmers, which received $120. The band, dressed in 70s-style clothing and playing both trumpets and trombones, immediately captured the audience's attention. With disco lights flashing and a giant B hanging behind them, the Benchwarmers worked their audience into a frenzy. When they began to play Under the Sea from The Little Mermaid soundtrack, fans rose from their seats to dance on stage and in the aisles.
Additional highlights included when The Mollys band member smashed his electric guitar onto the stage and the effect created by the fog machine used by Piknik Kasket. Although the Battle of the Bands rarely includes classical music, New Convert's set featuring a grand piano and orchestra instruments, was an appreciated change from the norm.
The event raised $1,500 for Channel One.
'~ Post Bulletin (Rochester, MN) |
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