The Barometer Online

Issue date: 5/30/08 Section: Diversions

It all started fall term 2007. Michael Bode came to OSU with a distinct vision - to, as he says, find musicians with similar tastes as him and start a band.

Bode, a freshman tenor saxophone player in civil engineering, along with Aaron Broussard and Adam Kremer, put up fliers around campus asking anyone interested in playing in a ska band to come audition for a spot in the band.

Broussard, a sophomore guitarist in mechanical engineering, would also double as the vocalist. While Kremer, a freshman in electrical and computer engineering, would fill the role of the trombone player.

The three were once in a band called Terminal Viskacity in which they played a number of shows. The guys even admitted to keeping a number of the songs from the old band but have said they sound much better now; but TV was the past, and they saw a future.

All fans of ska, the three sought out to create a band that would rock and create tunes for people to enjoy and groove to. But to do this, the auditions needed to take place. There, they encountered a surprising number of applicants willing to fill the spots necessary to finish the band's lineup. Bass tryouts brought a few candidates, but none shined brighter than Jason Lusk.

"It wasn't really fair to the other bassists because Jason was by far the most amazing," said Bode.

Lusk, a junior in chemistry, had dabbled a bit in music in the past but really took the cake when his audition showed the knowledge it takes to improvise.

"He told us he was short on time," Broussard said. "And that he learned the songs like two days before the tryout."

Needless to say, they were impressed.

A drummer was added in freshman Max Wendel.

Wendel, a biology major, was a quick addition to the group, but a trumpet player was still necessary.

November brought the creation of the Oregon State Musicians Guild and in the first meeting trumpet player Brian Fitzsimmons, a senior, was introduced to the group by Badfish Band frontman Johnny D. Fitzsimmons, a former trumpet player for D's Badfish Band, knew what it took to create a formidable ska band.

"I was a little reluctant," Fitzsimmons said. "I had seen the fliers on campus but wasn't that active in looking for a band, but the guys were active in looking for members."

It was another quick fix for the group soon to be known as Pilot Light.

Goal one: create enough material to try out for the OSU Battle of The Bands. Which they did.

Continued...

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