Q-C band Minus Six adding fans, new CD
By Sean Leary, seanleary@qconline.com

The Dispatch and The Rock Island Argus – Life
Thursday, August 18th, 2005

Lumped with the alternative rock label, local band Minus Six has done just fine without rock's greatest archetype: a guitar player.

"That's where we got our name," said Kevin Carton, pianist and lead vocalist for the group. "A guitar has six strings, and since we don't have one, we came up with minus six."

However, it hasn't left the group's sound lacking. The rhythm section of bassist Kameron Rummans and drummer Tyler Kaschke keeps a persistent punk rock beat, Carton's piano and Matt Sivertsen's saxophone take a right jag toward a jazzy Ben Folds vibe and Carton's lead vocals lean into the pop sound. In all, it's a unique blend of would-be disparate elements combining for a pleasing whole.

The group's act, which has been packing crowds into local coffeehouses since 2003, has been captured well on its latest CD, "Some Things Change," which bows this weekend with a $10 price tag and a considerably more upscale pedigree.

The disc was recorded on Music Row in Nashville with producer Joe Hand, who has worked with matchbox twenty and Linkin Park.

"We met him at a music conference down in Arkansas," Carton said. "He heard our stuff last year and said he'd be very interested in working with us on the next CD, so we got one all written up and he was very anxious to get the stuff.

"It was amazing. We went down there on a Wednesday night, got there about 11 a.m. Thursday, worked until midnight, got up at 8 Friday, worked until midnight, and did the same thing through the weekend. It was a very cool experience, especially working on Music Row with someone who has worked with bands that have made it. It was very cool."

The record marks a leap forward sonically and thematically for the band from its debut, "Overdue," last year. Of course, given the jump to Nashville, the record showcases a decidedly professional sheen. But the material also reveals deeper, maturing songwriting textures.

"We're really excited for people to come out and hear it," Carton said. "I feel really, really good about it. The chord progressions and lyrics are a lot more advanced than they were previously, and a lot of the songs are based on experiences in my life. But I tried to make them relate to both the younger generation and older generation.

"We have people from toddlers to our grandmas that come to our shows. It's a good feeling to see that, and I tried to keep that in mind for this CD."

With the group's 3 younger members entering their senior year at Alleman High School and the eldest member out of school, things have happened quickly for Minus Six. The act has trekked to various locales in the Midwest and has begun to receive invitations to open for larger bands and join bills on the music circuit.

"We're just trying to get our music out there the best we can," Carton said. "It's exciting to us to see people who don't know us, outside the Q-C, enjoy our music. It made us realize that if we branch out people will enjoy us in other places too. I'm really excited to see where Minus Six goes."

For more information on the band, see www.minussix.com

© 2005, Moline Dispatch Publishing Company, LLC