Extra Blue Kind

The members of the rock band Extra Blue Kind stand in a cramped basement. All four musicians are in their own worlds. They have been practicing for about ten minutes, riffing a little bit and playing two songs that they know well. While taking a short break between songs, the band members check the amps, adjust the microphone and shoot the breeze with each other. Drummer Randee Eimer looks over at lead singer David Handy and gets his attention.\n\"You want to try the new one?\" Eimer asks.\n\"Sure.\"\nHearing this, Handy starts playing the opening to their newest song, \"Walk Slowly.\" Eimer and guitarist David Barajas watch, get their rhythm and chime in. Squirt, the bassist, grooves with the music, bopping his head and plucking his bass line. Handy begins to sing. They stand in a small circle facing each other, feeding off of a vibe that grows with each note played. Eimer and Squirt have been playing drums and bass together for nearly ten years. Handy met them in Bloomington about three years ago, and Barajas joined the group a year and a half ago.\nWhile Eimer, Handy, Barajas, and Squirt are all friends, they are not just four friends who stumbled upon some instruments and threw together a garage band. Putting a successful band together takes hard work and a great deal of skill. Their dedication is paying off. They recently beat out 300 other bands in a contest put on by the Indianapolis radio station X103 to perform at X-Fest, a rock festival that will feature Stone Temple Pilots, Kid Rock and others. \nAlthough the four of them have not been together for that long, there is already a strong and noticeable chemistry between them while playing. During each song, traces of their numerous musical influences are visible, but they are quick to point out that Extra Blue Kind does not follow any pop formula.\n\"I think that we try to keep it fresh and unique,\" Barajas says. \"I don\'t know how it is for [Dave] when he writes, but I know for me I\'m not really thinking too much about another band-trying to make it sound like another band. I\'m trying to stay as far away from that as possible.\"\n\"We\'ve never sat down and discussed what sound we wanted to have, or what band we wanted to emulate,\" Handy adds.\nAt times their sound resembles Nirvana, a band that all four have cited as an influence. Squirt\'s funky bass brings 311 to mind, another one of their influences. Their sound goes up and down the board as they play song after song, adding hints of hip hop and ska to a foundation of hard rock. Handy\'s voice is gritty and emotional, and unlike many young rock band lead singers he prides himself on not sounding like a Kurt Cobain-Eddie Vedder composite. He and Barajas switch off playing lead, although normally it is Barajas who does the honors, immersing himself in the music. Eimer\'s drumming is tough and consistent, and he acts as the group\'s non-verbal leader while playing.\nThe foursome made its live debut at Dunn Meadow in April of 2001. The equipment was shoddy, the audience sparse, but worst of all the band was not yet used to performing together. Playing show after show has changed all of that, improving their chemistry and changing their mindset.\n\"It used to be more about trying to play the songs well instead of putting on a really good live stage performance,\" Eimer says. \"Now it\'s more about trying to entertain, put on a good show and play the songs really well.\"\nFor smaller bands like Extra Blue Kind, good songs and good shows are huge keys to building up a strong fan base. A contributing factor to their decision to steadily build is the story of the band Transmatic, an Indy group that signed a six-album deal a year and a half ago and have since broken up due to financial and creative problems. They are content taking a slow road, and have chosen to trade a good payoff now for a great payoff later.\n\"I think this is something we all four really believe in and all want to do in the long run,\" Squirt says. \"That\'s pretty much our goal, to still be doing this in ten years."