From left to right:
Mike Devericks -Lead Vocals,
Acoustic and Electric Guitars
Bill Huebner - Bass, Backup
Vocals
Cameron Snapp - Lead Guitar,
Backup Vocals
Jamey Morris - Drums
Describe how Broken Monday got started, and how it came together.
Broken Monday got started when I responded to Cameron’s ad that was
posted on local web site. I initially contacted him to play some acoustic
stuff. After our first session, we both liked each other's style and decided
to continue kicking it around. I brought it to Cameron's attention that I was
also interested in doing something with a band. He actually agreed, and
we said, "Okay this is the genre of music we want to start in and this is the
path we want to go in, let's go ahead and start putting up ads looking for
other members.” That's how Signal 7 got started. The name didn't come
about until we added a couple more members, but that was basically the
beginning.
Who exactly came up with the name Broken Monday?
*** New Response
Pending***
If someone has never been to a Broken Monday concert, what should
they expect to experience?
One thing they're going to see right off the bat is that we're not the typical
Richmond-based band that plays eight to ten songs all night long, where
as we give thirty or forty songs per night, all different genres, all different
bands, all different styles. That way people can choose what styles and
what kind of music they like of what we play. We kind of gage what we
play as depending on the venue. But that's something about Signal 7,
we're not like most cover bands; most bands can be very
one-dimensional. We try to throw a little bit of everything at them, other
wise we're not going to please everybody all the time but we try our best
to do so.
Do you guys do original music?
Yes, we're in the process of forming
some originals; we've got four songs
right now, that are really starting to
come together. Being that this group
of four has been together for a few
months now, we've got all of our
styles and influences going into our
originals. We already had one
original before Jamey even came on,
and now he's adding
a little bit of what he likes to do and
using some of his influences. But
right now we have four songs,. We're
already starting to play them out and
other than tweaking them in the
studio they're very playable and
people are starting to like them,
realizing it's a different sound.
What do you think keeps you guys together, pushing forward, motivating
you as an artist?
I think the biggest thing we do is having such different ideas about what
kind of music we want to play, while staying in the rock genre, and that
really offers such a variety. We don't "pigeon-hole" ourselves into only
playing one style, we don't stick to just classic rock, or southern rock, or
modern scream rock. We play the whole gamut, so we're constantly
changing up what we are doing. Any song that sounds cool, we can
completely adapt it to what we want to do in a different way. And just
being able to learn new material that I thought I could never play with a
band before. Also, taking songs that have a lot of keyboard parts,
adapting that to guitar parts, and changing that around to make it fit for
us. Just keeping it fresh and new keeps us going every day.
What exactly would you guys
call the genre of music you're
playing?
It's modern to classic rock
because it does go with
everything from the 60s, 70s,
straight up classic rock to stuff
that's on the radio right now.
I think our original material brings that forward too as far as old and new
rock. If you do listen to our original material, we do plan on cutting a CD
or release an EP by late fall, the songs show a lot of diversity.
What was the defining
moment in your life that you
decided to pursue making
music?
Just being born with it, you
either feel it or you don't.
Was there anyone in your
family that was musically
talented?
I had a mom that was really into piano, choir at church, playing things like
that. I started on piano when I was in fifth grade, played for about two
years, and then got into drumming. I didn't even start playing drums until I
was twenty-nine years old officially. I'm in my mid-thirties now and I've
been kicking around for six years on and off. My mom was my biggest
influence as far as music and getting started.
Are there any drummers out there that you particularly admire?
I admire lots of drummers.
However, I don't have a
favorite. People ask me all
the time who my favorite
drummer is, and I always say
it depends on the style of
music they're playing. I try to
expand my abilities by
learning from others and not
focus on one great in
particular. That way, I can be
better and more versatile,
because of a range of
influence.
I've played a lot of different instruments in high school. I played
everything during in-school bands from brass section to saxophone. I
picked up the guitar about seventh grade when I really just wanted
something new as an instrument, not really playing in a band or playing
live necessarily. I played in a couple little jam projects in high school, not
really playing a lot of stuff but learning how to play with other musicians.
At the beginning of college I started to see a lot of live music focusing on
what other people were doing. That was a huge influence on me to get
better at guitar and be able to contribute to a live project. I never wanted
to be a studio musician. I wanted to be in a live group. Definitely playing
out live and playing for a crowd and trying new things. I've been playing
in and out of bands about eight years now I guess, since I was a
freshman in college.
Speaking of being live on stage, what was it like for that first time in front
of an audience?
Playing live is the most important thing. Being able to anticipate what the
other people in the band are going to do. Music has been in my
family for a long time. My uncle played country at his own bandbox. His
band was called Howard Night and the Night Riders. That was where I
initially had a "want" to play. Also, my brothers had instruments
underneath their beds, I used to play them and it's ironic enough that I'm
the one that was able to play the instruments, while they never really got
anywhere playing them. I started on playing guitar, and then
incorporating singing while playing. To me it's nothing like getting in front
of a live audience—no high, no alcohol, nothing can give you that feeling
of adrenaline. Especially when somebody likes what you're doing, it's a
really good feeling. It's addictive.
The first show that I ever played was in my college band, we had to
practice probably for three to four months and we played one show. We
only had two or three songs without mistakes. It was terrible to be on
stage stressing how awful it must have been for the crowd. But our
friends were good supporters and they really enjoyed it. The guy I played
with then, I ended up playing with for four years and then we started
playing weekly. At that point you start playing enough that things roll off
and you know what the other musicians are thinking.
I didn't show any musical inclination until age 30, about 7 years ago. I
started playing bass guitar at a friend’s party. He handed me a guitar and
taught me how to play the three notes to Sweet Home Alabama. That
friend of mine was Joe Collins of the band The Collins Brothers, he is out
in Nashville trying to make it with the band he has out there. He saw in
me that I could pick it up by ear, the songs he was teaching me that night,
not having played an instrument before. That inspired me to go out, buy
my own rig, and learn how to read music. I got bold enough to put an ad
in the paper to try to get on with another band and the band that picked
me up was a band from Hopewell Virginia called Iron Horse. They were
seasoned musicians who played for 18-20 years. They saw something in
me that they could mold into what they needed me to be as a bass
player. As I started to play with them, I started playing a lot of classic
rock. It was really fun, but I felt the need to get out and play with people
who play the same genre of music that I like, which is alternative modern
progressive, 80's progressive which is what I grew up on. That's why I
got with these guys (Signal 7) we started making our music, that's why
Signal 7 came about, it's a good opportunity to get together and do our
own thing. That is kind of how my playing bass evolved, learning Sweet
Home Alabama on the spot, to playing live in large venues and doing our
own music.
What do you do outside the music business?
I'm actually in wine sales, I've been in that for thirteen years now, and that
is something that is definitely paying the bills but it can't get you the
exhilaration you feel on stage in front of 200, 300 people.
I work with hi-speed machinery outside of the band. I do repairs for a
large corporation in Richmond. But I think if you can pay the bills with
playing music, everybody would opt to do that so it's a hard living to try to
do solely.
Professionally I'm a web and database programmer for a company in
Richmond. I'm going to start graduate school at UVA this summer. I've
also volunteered as an EMT rescue squad once a week for the past 5
years.
I own a sign business in Amelia Virginia. I do custom interior and exterior
signage.
Is there a lot of support for people out here starting up a band?
I've played in bands
throughout college
when I was at the
University of Richmond
so I was playing
venues here in town
off campus. People in
this town have always
been really supportive
of live music. It’s kind
of mixed. While people
want to hear live
music, I think it is hard
to get a large
following. We've been
working on building a
Some places are better than others. I think Richmond is getting better.
It's a far cry from the bigger cities like New York or LA, but its getting
better. There are more venues catering to live music, there are more
outdoor functions, you see allot more stuff going on for live music like
Innsbrook After Hours, Friday Cheers, and so many others. As a local
scene, as far as clubs, we are finding that a lot of club owners want
something for nothing. They are making money and sometimes it’s hard
to get them to support live music. I think people will be there, there needs
to be more advertisement. A lot of the clubs around here don't even
advertise, they expect bands to come in and bring all of these people.
But it is getting better over all.
Tell me about your creative process when it comes to writing, who does
what?
Since we've just begun, a
lot of our original creative
writing process is
collaborative. We get
together to work on a
song, we'll brainstorm,
and we’ll try to record
practices and just
start jamming. In The
There are different aspects that each of us contributes. I am more of a riff
and structure guy. I really don't do allot with the lyrics. Jamey and Mike
are really good at doing lyrics, while Cameron is really good at chord and
melody lines.
What is a favorite song of yours, and what inspired you to write that song?
Speaking for the band, the favorite is Always Been because it has great
hooks. The words have always been special because it's written about
somebody that's searching for themselves. The lyrics begin "Left my
home in search for some piece of mind that I don't think I'll ever find".
Basically, people finding that they have to move to another city or town to
search for themselves and not being afraid to leave home.
What do you hope the future holds for Broken Monday, and to find the
kind of success you hope to reach?
One thing is to get out an EP. We know full well that if you get your own
stuff out there for people to hear it, that's exactly what you want. After
that, getting into larger venues with more exposure. It’s a process. The
more venues you play, the more opportunity there is for people to see
you. You can't worry about what other people are going to think. If your
goal is to "make it big" I think you're just going to fall flat on your face.
Going with what you do is the best way to do what you're doing. Also,
you have to have fun and enjoy what you're doing.
I think that’s the main thing, to have fun and enjoy what you are doing.
Everything else will fall into place. It’s something that’s in your blood, its
addictive. My hopes for the band long term is to cut a CD, get as much
exposure as we can, continue to write new material, find new places to
play, and evolve as a band creatively.
This is the Fishbowl question:
Renee Morris from Phatback wants to know- "if you couldn't be part of
your current band and had to play with another existing band, who band
would you choose and why?”
I must say it would have to be U2. Although I could never fill Bono's
shoes, I love that band for their creativity and longevity.
This is incredibly cliché, but I’d have to choose Dave Matthews Band,
though it’s a quite a stretch to think they’d choose me. I’ve listened to
their music for so long that it’s almost in my musical nature. I hear things
they play and know what I would do in response. Since they don’t have a
regular lead electric guitarist, it’s a hole that would actually justify filling.
There are so many great bands with killer guitarists that it’s hard to
imagine being in their group and having space for you to play. Joining
DMB would be an experience like none other. They have a perfect
balance between jamming and structure. I’d settle for just playing with
Carter and Stefan in a three piece. It’s not their fame or necessarily their
songs, but their dynamics and abilities.
Go To
www.BrokenMonday.com
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