Robby Savoie lives on 16th Street in Bloomington
in a shining example of that town’s housing
stock. Though not a student, the Twelve and Two
bass player and guitarist Kyle Gilpin moved there
to enjoy the college-town atmosphere and to set
up a southern base and practice space for the
band. It’s a good idea, given Twelve and Two’s
most likely audience, and it will probably work
out well – unless, of course, the house kills
them first.
“The floor in the living room bounces like it’s
going to collapse when we jump on it,” Savoie
says. “And none of the outlets is grounded. Your
lips get buzzed if you get too close to the
mics.”
Living on the edge – that’s what being young is
all about. The guys in Twelve and Two –
guitarists Hubie Ashcraft and Gilpin, drummer
Alex Kroh and Savoie – are definitely young. And
while living in a crappy rental in Bloomington
may not qualify as edge-dwelling, the way this
band plays certainly does.
Dispensing with trite appellations, one way to
describe Twelve and Two’s music, from a
listener’s perspective, is anticipatory – their
playing often leaves you wondering not only what
is going to boil to the surface next in this rock
soup but what it’s going to taste like when the
heat is finally turned off. Fortunately, these
guys know how to cook.
Gilpin, who, along with Ashcraft, writes the
bulk of the group’s songs, avoids putting labels
on the music Twelve and Two play. When asked to
define it, he demurs. “We play the good kind,” he
says.
“Twelve and Two (the name comes from the address
of a house where Gilpin’s older brother lived)
got its start when Gilpin was in elementary
school. He’s been in the band since 5th grade,”
Savoie says. “The band changed slowly over time.
Whoever was around him and serious was in the
band.” As interests changed and learning curve
diverged Gilpin altered the makeup of the band.
“Three of the members would be improving at one
rate, one slacking behind,” Savoie says.
By the time all four band members were attending
Homestead High School, Ashcraft, Savoie and Kroh
were busy with a different band, Portrait. Savoie
says Portrait played a selection of songs that
fit in more with what Twelve and Two play now.
“Twelve and Two used to play more pop-type stuff,
while Portrait played more rock and improv-type
stuff,” he says. “Now we’re more like Portrait
used to be.”
The current lineup has been together for just
five months, Kroh (who lives in Bloomington as
well and is going to school at IU, while Ashcraft
is finishing school at IPFW and handling Fort
Wayne-area bookings) having joined as drummer in
late winter. Ashcraft, Gilpin and Savoie have
been together for four years, but the connections
go back much further. “Kyle and Alex and I were
in the Homestead jazz band in the rhythm
section,” Savoie says. “Alex and I learned to
play in his basement. We’d have a microphone set
up between us and just play, trying to figure out
how to play. When Alex came into the band I felt
more comfortable than ever. When he came in it
was a flawless transition. It was stupidly fast.
We sat down and there was no awkward stage trying
to read each other. We could already do the whole
thing of communicating without talking. Alex
picked up on the material faster than any of us
expected. The second time we all played together
we were almost up to par.”
Twelve and Two are based firmly in rock, with
one ear focused on 60’s icons such as The Band,
The Allman Brothers Band, The Beatles, The
Grateful Dead and the other on Phish, Smashing
Pumpkins, Umphrey’s McGee. Twelve and Two paid
homage to two of their early influences, The Band
and The Allman Brothers, during consecutive
Battle of the Band appearances. They covered The
Band’s “The Weight” and “Whipping Post” by the
Allmans. “Whipping Post,” in particular. is a
brave choice for any band to cover under the best
circumstances, but to launch into it during a
contest takes balls. Twelve and Two nailed it.
Playing music with other people requires
listening. It’s a conversation. Having been
friends for years, the musical conversation
Twelve and Two have on stage bubbles with
familiarity and fun. They know each other well
and trust that when someone goes out on a limb,
the rest of the band will be there to pull them
back in – or not. “As long as everyone pulls
their own weight it’s okay,” Savoie says. “All of
us can focus on our own part. Everyone has the
freedom to play whatever feels right. It’s neat –
somebody will be doing something a little
different and give a look to the rest of us. It
allows us to take the music where the music is
going rather than just push it somewhere.”
That communication is apparent, especially on a
song like “Whipping Post,” where the famous dual
guitar attack of the Allman Brothers becomes part
of the Twelve and Two show.
“It’s funny, the first time Hubie came to play
with us he was ripping “it up and Kyle was
nervous,” Savoie says. “Hubie’s been playing in a
band with his dad since he was 14, so he’s real
used to being on stage. Over the past two years,
Hubie and Kyle have become better friends. The
closer they become the better they play together
on stage. They’re getting to the point now where
they can just look at each other and know where
the other is going.”
The future looks good for Twelve and Two. Their
Battle of the Bands showing pried open the
Columbia Street West door, and the band is
scheduled for a show on September 15. More CSW
gigs are likely in the offing. Meanwhile in
Bloomington work is lining up as well. And with a
catalogue of more than 30 originals to work with,
a CD project is right around the corner.
“I’d like for this band to be my job for the
rest of my life,” Gilpin says. “That’s my
ultimate goal: to make a living doing this. Either way,
I’d like to play with them as long as
I can, if I have to have another job or not. It
would be really nice if we could just live off
the band.”