Recycled Percussion, the insanely high-energy band visiting the Dartmouth campus this Friday, is anything but garbage, even if their music is made from trash.
The four members use everything from barrels and pots to stepladders and chainsaws, and the effect is "definitely chaotic" according to the band's founding member, Justin Spencer.
Formed in 1994, Recycled Percussion has four members: Greg Kassapis, Zach Holmes, Ethan Holmes, and Spencer.
They truly are pioneers of a new music field, and as Spencer quickly points out, Recycled Percussion was formed before the band Stomp came out.
Spencer, in his determination to see the project work, taught two of the members how to play percussion.
"You have to have a good idea for what you want to do, and you have to love it. I wouldn't be nearly as successful if I didn't love what I do," he said in an interview with The Dartmouth.
The band claims to have drawn inspiration for forming the band from the old Coca-Cola commercials, and watching with amazement the "17-year old kid Larry Wright banging on a single bucket." Recycled Percussion went all out with this idea, creating a show so intense that "two hours at the gym is a necessity" according to Spencer, "there are no breaks in the show, ever."
He cited the many injuries he and his bandmates have sustained while drumming, including dislocated knees, electrocution and gashes, as testimony to the extreme physical nature of the shows.
Their hard work and injuries are paying off though; the band has played with performers such as Staind and LL Cool J, and they've graced the pages of newspapers such as USA Today and The Chicago Tribune.
They spent the past summer on the VANS Warped Tour and even opened the season for the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden.
Recycled Percussion has spent the past year-and-a-half touring and playing at universities and colleges around the country, which seem to be their venue of choice.
"When you walk in, you see the trash cans and everything. The whole thing is hooked up to microphones, lights, yadda yadda." The stage's setup may be typical, but don't begin to expect to hear anything close to typical.
Spencer describes their music as "not like geeky, not like stomp, not like jam. It's a cool, young, hip, attractive show, but pretty insane."
Boasting the World's Fastest Extreme Drummer, the band has more than ten years of experience playing shows, and they've clearly perfected the act.
Last year, as testimony to the amazing performances, college students around the nation voted to award the title of Campus Awards Entertainer of the Year to Recycled Percussion.
Recycled Percussion, despite their overwhelming success, says that they "haven't accomplished anything yet."
Spencer says the band plans to produce a second DVD and Recycled Percussion is also working on producing a new album featuring collaborations with more mainstream artists. Spencer cites that the band's aims are to "not be stagnant, always fresh."
Recycled Percussion is sought after by colleges to perform all the time, but Dartmouth has a special place in the hearts of the band members because the state of New Hampshire is their home.
Recycled Percussion's performance on Friday is sure to earn a special place in your heart too. Spencer confidently states, "If anyone is disappointed by the show, I will give them a free T-shirt, which costs me $20!"
