By Gloria Diaz (9/14/00)
I donít listen to the radio very much, but there seem to be two types of music that are popular right now: bubble gum (Britney, Christina, Marc Anthony, Backstreet Boys, NíSync) and what I call ěrage rockî ó Limp Bizkit, Korn, Rage Against the Machine. While I canít think of any local groups that fall into the first category, Sarin, a six-member group from Fort Wayne, falls into the latter. Sarin didnít want to define their music into a category, and says its fans canít describe their sound either, but Iíll take a stab at it. Itís Rage Against the Machine plus Limp Bizkit, with dueling vocalists.
Itís not normally my favorite type of music, but during a recent practice in their northern Fort Wayne rehearsal studio (a.k.a Benís garage) I was impressed by the sheer energy and musicianship. The interplay between vocalists Shane Cox and Jason Rassman makes for a more interesting spewing of rage than having just one singer. The energy of both singers gives oomph to an already energetic performance. Despite being together for less than a year, they sound extremely solid.
Itís probably the twice-weekly practices, some of which were endured in zero-degree weather last winter. And with their desire to make it big, it just might happen. Theyíve snagged early gigs by word of mouth. Their first was opening for Industrial Strength, at Piereís. So popular was their debut, Nick Sauer, bassist for the group, recalled ěpeople were fighting over drumsticks our first time out.î
Since then, theyíve played 13 gigs. Besides holding down full-time jobs, their time is spent practicing, assembling press kits, calling contacts within the record industry, and entering band contests. Cox says, ěI spend most of the time on the phone these days.î
Thatís not a bad thing. Marketing is as important as musicianship, which a lot of musicians donít seem to realize. Sarin isnít among those. They see a need and work on it.
They also donít waste time. Formed last October, they began playing out this past spring. So impressive were their early gigs, people were asking if they had a CD available.
Ask and you shall receive. Sarin whipped together a CD in approximately 15 hours (appropriately titled ěthe quick EPî). After a gig in late June, they sold all of them.
Despite the short time span, the CD comes off pretty well,particularly in quality. Your average listener probably wonít be able to tell the difference between this and any other CD recorded in a studio. Donít worry, it wasnít recorded in Benís garage, which has become a magnet for Sarin fans. When people started showing up, uninvited, Sarin assumed they must be friends of the other band members. Turns out, nobody knew who these people were, who would bring liquid refreshments and lawn chairs to the practice sessions.
Five of the six members of Sarin met through work and Know Substituteís. Aaron, Shane Coxís brother, is a California import. Shane persuaded him to move back to Indiana and join the band. He picked up the guitar when his cousin handed him one, and said, ělearn to play it, says Aaron.
ěNow, heís better than his cousin,î says Shane.
Aaron shares guitar duties with Craig Maloley, and Ryan Othersen is the drummer.
As I mentioned, the energy Sarin generates is extremely potent. This is no ěstand-there-and-just-sing/playî kind of group. Rassman puts so much into his vocals, it caused a vein to pop in his head, requiring hospitalization. Othersen has been known to smack himself in the face occasionally. Art is painful. But Sarin seems to want to do anything it takes to get to the top. And despite their angry lyrics, this are nice guys. Really. And they just might finish first.