By Nora Johnson, southof20@qconline.com
The Dispatch and The Rock Island Argus
South of Twenty
Saturday, September 3rd, 2005
What does a piano, plus a little bit of saxophone, plus some drums, plus a touch of the bass guitar, plus some vocals, plus some high energy equal?
Minus Six.
It’s not your ordinary band. It doesn’t include a six-stringed guitar (hence the name " Minus Six"), but that has no effect on the quality of the band’s music. Members are Kevin Carton, 18, piano and vocals; Matt Sivertsen, 25, saxophone; Tyler Kaschke, 17, drums; and Kameron Rummans, 18, bass guitar and backup vocals.
(Minus Six gets its name from somthing the band doesn't have: a six-stringed guitar.)
The band was formed in May 2003. Its first CD, "Overdue," was released in 2004, and its second, "Some Things Change," was released recently.
When asked about her favorite part of the Minus Six shows, Tara Vandygriff, 15, of Rock Island said, "Just having fun while listening to their really fun, awesome music."
Minus Six has pretty personal music, and pretty much everyone can relate to the lyrics on some level. The songs cover everything from relationships to bad endings. The band has many musical influences, including Ben Folds, Gavin DeGraw and Maroon 5.
On top of being in a band, the guys have their hands full with a lot of other things. Kameron, Tyler and Kevin are seniors at Alleman High School. They're involved with sports and extracurricular activities, and they have jobs and social lives. Matt is married and has a day job and a dog. All four members also give music lessons.
When asked about the best thing about being in a band, they said, "Friendships, meeting new people, people's reaction to OUR music, road trips! and rockin' out!" (They made sure I put emphasis on "our" music and exclamation marks after road trips and rockin' out.)
With three of the band members graduating from high school this year, what will become of the band? The guys are planning to stay local next year, and they would like to play circuits and branch out while waiting for "the" phone call that will get them on their way.
To find out more about Minus Six, visit the band’s Web site at www.minussix.com.
You can see Minus Six perform during the "Christmas for the Troops" event Saturday, Sept. 24, at the Rock Island Moose Lodge, 4410 9th St. The band will play from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. It also will perform from 9 to 11 a.m. Sunday, Sept. 25, on the main stage outside The Mark of the Quad Cities, Moline, during the Quad Cities Marathon.
© 2005, Moline Dispatch Publishing Company, LLC