Caledonia Argus

Local band "Sold Separately" carves musical niche for itself

Posted: 10/15/02

by Andrew Miller
Argus News Reporter

Most bands wait years for their first radio airplay. For Mike Bubbers, Seth Gengler, and James Fleischmann of the hardcore outfit Sold Separately, exposure on mainstream radio took less than a year. On Thursday, September 26, the Caledonia-based trio were featured on Local Licks, a late-night program on 95.7 FM out of La Crosse.

ìWhen I heard it, I could not believe it,î Bubbers said. ìIt was one of the best moments of my life. Granted, when you think about it, itís a very small thing to get excited about, but it was such a great achievement for me and the band.î

The route from the garage to the radio was simple enoughñ Fleischmann sent radio personality Extreme Rudy their demo tape, and Rudy selected their song ìGenglerís Hatî for airplay.

The radio broadcast of ìGenglerís Hatî on 95.7 capped off an inaugural year for the band that saw them progress from playing in Fleischmannís basement, solely for the entertainment of friends, to playing live in front of hundreds of peopleñ the group wooed dancegoers with their music at the Caledonia High School Prom last spring, and they performed in front of their entire school at the Homecoming pepfest on October 4.

But it is no wonder that the group has been in relatively high demand. Combining professional-level playing ability with a unique approach to songwriting, their artistic output has elements that appeal to a large cross-section of rock and roll listeners.

To classify Sold Separately, one is forced to reference other bands that their sound vaguely resemblesñ hard rock acts like Mudvayne, the Deftones, System of a Down. But such comparisons are more a testament to Sold Separatelyís precocious technical skills than to their songwriting abilities. Performance-wise, they are on par with roughly all of the aforementioned groups. Musically, theyíve carved a niche all their own.

Their sound is an amalgam of innovative guitar riffs, booming basslines, and rapid-fire drumbeats. The songs are tight, up-tempo jams with thunderous heavy metal hooks, held together with technical precision, powered by unfettered energy. The occasional punk riff adds to the super-charged ambience. Each track seems like it would work well as a soundtrack for a drag race or a demolition derby, so hard-hitting is their sound. Each instrument feeds off the others, creating a vibe greater than the sum of the constituent parts. Each instrument by itself is like a thunderstorm, all three together are like a hurricane.

Sold Separatelyís tight-knit sound stems at least in part from the close friendships fostered among the bandmembers. All three are seniors at Caledonia High School, and Bubbers and Gengler attended St. Maryís Elementary together. Gengler and Fleischmann are both on the Caledonia Varsity Boys Soccer Team, and each member of the trio brings a lifelong passion for music to the table.

Fleischmann picked up drumming in first grade, initially tinkering around with just a snare drum. He acquired his first drumset shortly thereafter.

ìIíd say the reason I became interested in the drums back then was that my parents always played a lot of music,î Fleischmann said. ìI thought it was pretty cool and I liked the drumming in the music, so I decided that I wanted to learn percussion.î

Fleischmannís playing waned as elementary school progressed, but picked up again during high school, when the allure of rock and roll served as a motivating force.

ìI played very little until high school,î he said. ìThen in about tenth grade I really started practicing, since I wanted to be in a band.î

Fleischmannís drumming skills fit well with the bass and guitar in Sold Separately, but he is the first to admit that, until a short while ago, the type of music the group plays wasnít of much interest to him.

ìWhen I was younger I didnít really like hardcore music, but I started hearing it more and more through my friends who did like it, so it kind of grew on me,î Fleischmann said. ìNow itís my favorite kind of music.î

Bubbers, the principal songwriter, has been playing guitar since his early teens.

ìI started playing when I was about 14 or 15 years old; at a friendís house, he always had this guitar, but never really played it, so whenever I got bored Iíd just dink around on it,î Bubbers said. ìEventually he got a new guitar, so for my birthday he gave me his old one and it all just built from there.î

The art of Bubbersí craft, he thinks, is blending several different genres of music into a listenable whole.

ìI wanted a sound that was hard and power driven, but nothing too gothy,î he quipped. ìWe have a different sound for each song, so itís really hard to specify one kind of sound we play. We incorporate punk into one song, metal for a few others, alternative in a few. We play so many different types.î

Gengler, though he has the least experience as a musician, is described by his bandmates as possessing ìan endless array of talent.î

ìI started playing about four years ago,î Gengler said. ìMy bro Zach got me interested and I wouldnít be playing if it wasnít for him. He taught me the basics and Iíve been playing ever since.î

Though the trio views the music they create as an end in itself, worthwhile for the sheer joy it brings, for Gengler and Bubbers, playing music has been a way of dealing with grief. Both have lost a brother in the past four months, and music has helped them work through the loss.

Bubbersí brother Billy died June 10 from injuries sustained in a car accident. Before the accident, Mike and Billy spent countless hours making music together, Mike on guitar and Billy on drums, and now that Billy is gone, Mike still plays the songs they created.

ìMy brother Billy, Seth, and myself used to be in a band,î Bubbers said. ìMany of the songs that my brother, Seth, and I created I used in Sold Separately, and its great because James plays those songs very much like my brother, so itís almost as if heís still around jamming in our basement.î

Gengler lost his older brother Izzie on September 29, and he has used his music as a means of catharsis.

ìMusic has helped so much, I donít know what I would have done without it,î Gengler said. ìPlaying guitar helped me cope with some problems and get my mind off it. I got out a lot of emotions playing music. Thatís why music is such a great thing.î

All in all, the three bandmates have found their time together to be a wholly satisfying experience. One of the alleged universal virtues of music, so sayeth the rock critics, is that it brings people together. Bubbers, Fleischmann, and Gengler are flesh-and-blood proof of this.

ìThe best part is knowing I can make great music with my friends and have a great time doing it,î Gengler said.

ìWe always have an understanding of each other,î Bubbers added. ìJust the fact that we can all agree on things and disagree without making a big fuss about it is the best part for me.î

All three concurred as to the only drawback in their current situationñ thereís simply not enough hours in the day to practice. They manage to play ìas often as possible,î James Fleischmann noted, ìbut sometimes school and work get in the way.î

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