To many students, fall means classes, work and tests. To the members of groovemerchant, many of them current Dartmouth students, this fall will mean so much more.
In anticipation of the release of their first compact disc, the group plans on branching out from the cozy confines of Hanover, New Hampshire to the airwaves of America.
The group has already begun to spark interest away from the Hanover plain with tight performances at off-campus locations including their set at the Burlington Music Conference in mid-September.
The band will also continue to play at several venues on campus.
Way back when, in the basement of Ripley, Woodward and Smith, then freshman Alan Grubner '98 (drums, violin) overheard Josh Nadelberg '98 (vocals, rhythm guitar) crooning along to Prince's "Purple Rain."
Grubner then approached Nadelberg about forming a band. Living upstairs in the same dorm was guitarist Joe Nagraj '98 and the with these three together the nucleus of the band was formed.
In the fall of '95, the outfit was completed by bringing in bassist Nick Van Amburg '99. The foursome then began rehearsing covers and messing around with originals. Gigs began to flow and the band began forming a group of excited fans (who still faithfully come to each of the band's performances).
To broaden the band's capabilities, saxophonist Anthony Jurado '98 joined the group.
Unfortunately, due to personal and creative differences, Van Amburg left the group and was replaced by bassist Andy May '97 (who coincidentally lived in the same dorm as Grubner, Nadelberg and Nagraj).
By the fall, freshman guitarist Mike Roberts '00 committed and groovemerchant hasn't looked back since.
The group refuses to relax and has entertained audiences on a constant basis for the better part of two years. Hopefully, hard work and perseverence will begin to pay off in the very near future. Groovemerchant has already compiled a pretty formidable list of connections, which includes groups that they have previously shared the stage with including country great Jerry Jeff Walker, Burlington's Strangefolk, and Amherst's yeP!
The band even warmed the crowd for rapper/hip-hop artist Wyclef Jean's concert last week. The popular artist was impressed by the group's music and asked curiously why the band wasn't opening for him.
The band resided in the Hanover area this past summer, although none of them were here to take classes; nonetheless, there was not much time for relaxation and the outfit rehearsed daily following a rigorous 1 to 6 p.m. schedule, not to mention overtime jam sessions which inevitably lead to stressful nights and heads clashing.
According to Roberts, "it was definitely a difficult time since we were working under deadlines -- we had produce so many tunes by recording time."
"However, [the deadline] was also a good motivational factor because it forced us all to think creatively as a group and to work together," Roberts said.
Of the songz process, Roberts said the group would initially, "sit down individually, write tunes, and then bring them into the group setting."
However, they did not have enough time to do that so unfortunately they ended up "coming up with everything as a group."
In fact, "the ideas were so raw that by the time the group was done with the song, it was a completely different tune," Roberts said.
Groovemerchant's diligent work ethic is finally paying off. They released tapes of three originals and three acoustic jams (which are currently still availible for sale) as well as promo stickers.
The group brought in manager Barrett Shaver '98 to deal with gigs, promos, and public relation issues.
Shaver said reaching out to various clubs is a very tedious process.
"It can be tough to initially to make contacts, especially since there are so many unknown bands out there -- clubs are deluged with tapes so it is hard to give club owners a great first impression," Shaver said.
"The first step is definitely the most difficult. As far their talent and skill, groovemerchant has what it takes to make it.
The band members really have to be into it. Being serious about a band is a big committment -- money risks, taking classes, playing with other groups, are things that can potentially distract them," Shaver said.
The zenith of this past summer was the recording session during the first week of September for their first studio release.
Everyone is excited about the album and the lucky few who have heard it are equally anxious for its release which band members approximate to be in the "next few weeks."
This studio compact, titled "Dance With Gravity," reveals the band's influences and musicianship.
With the exception of Nadelberg, who relies on emotion and soul, each member is formally educated in music and sport impressive resumes: Grubner, Jurado, May and Nagrag have all been recognized for their musicianship in their various orchestras and jazz ensembles.
All of their abilities and influences can be heard on this album, but as an outfit, they have their own unique sound that sets them apart from their predecessors.
Even the band members have a hard time deciding on how to describe the band's sound.
Robert said "when I first joined the group, I initially thought that the band was a funk band."
"I was really psyched to play in a funk band; however, it is really interesting to see that groovemerchant is not really just in that vein at all."
"As we play more and more, we are working towards a fusion of funk and groove, a rock, R&B type of sound," Roberts said.
"Josh especially adds that R&B sound to the group; we come up with more stuff that's a lot more funky," Roberts added.
According to critics, they have both "rock-solid grooves" and "the uncanny ability to consistently excite audiences into a dancing frenzy."
Groovemerchant definitely know how to play and to keep people interested in their music during jams.
Nadelberg's emotions can be heard in his voice and the lyrics have sincere messages. Unlike many bands out there in the world, there's passion in their music.
The band has high hopes for this coming year
May gave the band a vote of confidence by deciding to stay on for another year despite graduating last June.
Upcoming gigs also include several weekend performances on campus like an upcoming fraternity concert during Homecoming and an appearance at Burlington, Vt. festival later this month.
If any of students are interested in being a part of the mailing list or just wish to get more information on upcoming groovemerchant shows, contact band manger Shaver or check out the band's web page at http://www.dartmouth.edu/~esden/groovemerchant/groove.html.
