User:Tunab3ars/Banewell

Banewell
Banewell began in 2009, former appellation being "Iron Coochie". Music was recorded on and off, until one fateful evening, when guitarist/vocalist Christian Najera, received a message from The Wire, a venue located in Upland, CA. The message explained a show slot opening, along with two other bands: Nova Vega, and Cobra. After discussing the show with other band mates, Christian Barrios and Hector Garcia, the trio decided to jump on the idea. Having never performed a live show prior, the group spent hours on end trying to make their music "punk, slightly aggressive". Second guitarist, Eddie Lara was approached and asked to play with the group for the show. Preparations were made, and finally, on February 7th, the group played their first show, performing hits such as "Golden Eyes", "Anigav Leets", and "Twenty Four Hours".

Band Members
Christian Najera is the frontman and guitarist of Banewell. Najera is also in charge of songwriting, being the most verbose of the group. Hector Garcia is the drummer for Banewell. Garcia began his drumming career when approached by Najera, after seeing him play the hit XBox and Playstation music game, Rock Band. Christian Barrios was always a close friend of Najera's, the two having grown up together on the very street after which the band is named. His prior drumming and guitar experience served to benefit his bass guitar playing, and Najera approached him with the band offer. Eduardo Lara played only once with the band, at The Wire. Najera approached him with a band offer as well, after hearing about him playing guitar in the jazz band at the high school the pair attended.

The Wire
Banewell's first live performance took place in Upland, California, at a venue called The Wire. The group played along with Nova Vega, a Spanish rock band, and Cobra, a metal-oriented band. The show began with Banewell being the opening act. The first song played was a cover of the popular Ramones song, "Blitzkrieg Bop". Next was "Golden Eyes", a track reminiscent of Green Day's "Basket Case", followed by "Ceramic Teeth", an upbeat song about a fictional character addicted to attention. Next was the acoustic set, with the opening song being "Twenty Four Hours", a song previously recorded and put on Myspace for exposure. This song was followed by "Every Other Friday" and "Orange Grove", one being about loss, the other about love. The final two songs for the night were "Schizo" and "Anigav Leets". Schizo's trademark guitar opening brought life back into the scene, the acoustic set having supposedly "mellowed out" the audience. The show ended with "Anigav Leets", the band's then most popular song.

Audience Response
Many believed the band did well for their first show, although this opinion may be rather biased, since most of the audience comprised of family members and friends. However, many of the people who went and did not have a personal relation with the band enjoyed the music. Some found the band to have a rather "awkward" stage presence, and others believed the band seemed nervous: this is supported by the vocal quality in recordings taken at The Wire: Najera clearly makes lyrical errors, most obviously in "Schizo" and "Ceramic Teeth". According to sources, Najera improvised the lyrics that would become "Golden Eyes", "Orange Grove", and "Schizo". When approached about this subject, Najera responded: "Eh, they worked, didn't they?", which serves to confirm this rumor. . Overall, the audience response was strong, and Banewell survived their first show.

The Home Brew
Shortly after the show offering at The Wire, the group was sent another message, asking them to play at a venue called The Home Brew, a local coffee shop in San Dimas, California. The show would take place on March 21; later, this date would be changed to March 28, due to the band lagging to confirm their spot in the set list. Banewell was again the opening act, and played most of their previous songs, excluding the acoustic set. A new song was introduced that night, titled "Apologies [Nothing You Can Say}". "Apologies" is one of Banewell's darkest songs to date, with a minor guitar melody and a heavier drum beat. "Apologies" also holds one of Najera's most show solos, with bends and fast melodic alterations. The response was positive all around, and the band became more a little more well known.

Current Projects
Banewell has been working on more music, the three newest songs titled "In The Dark", a song very reminiscent of Green Day's "Dookie" album. "Loaded Gun" is darker song about lack of trust, and a new hit, "Just Our Rotten Luck", also known as "The Zombie Song", was played at a backyard show on May 30, 2009. This song has an upbeat, nostalgic feel to it; Barrios' bouncy bass line and Najera's vocal capabilities fit in well. The song was a hit before it was played live, due to a recording made by the band prior to the show.