If musical groups' successes could be predicted by hard work and dedication to their craft, then local group the Annex could be looking forward to a bright future.
The Annex formed from the split of local bands Side Street Boulevard, which rhythm guitarist and lead vocalist Matt Capps said was more musically adept, and Gary's Kitchen, which Capps said was stronger in the lyrical department, when both the bands split this past summer.
"Gary's Kitchen was playing a gig with Side Street Boulevard and I hadn't heard them. So I was sitting out in my car waiting on our set to come up and I wasn't expecting much from the bands that were on before us, and the thing I remember was the guitar of Side Street Boulevard was just so crystal clear and I knew that I had to be playing with this guy," Capps said.
That clear guitar sound was coming from Troy Padilla, now the lead guitarist of the Annex.
Yet the band didn't get together until later when Gary's Kitchen was playing a show in Chicago.
"We had this gig and our guitarist couldn't make it out, so I decided to call up Troy and see if he would fill in," Capps said.
Padilla is responsible for bringing in two other members of the band, saxophone player Lucian Provines and bass player Kevin Head. Padilla remembers hearing Provines play and just wanting him in the band.
"I was out at a show, and the band was looking for something new. When I heard Lucian play, the first thing that came to mind was 'I'm stealing him,'" Padilla said.
Capps can be credited with bringing in drummer Will Augustus, who played with him in Gary's Kitchen. With these four guys coming together, the sound that is the Annex was formed.
These guys playing together seems to be a fortunate twist of fate, as all of them said they were searching to do something new, to play something that people have never heard before and to have a sound that can't really be described. Capps traces his longing for original music back to when he was playing shows in Indianapolis.
"When I played in Indy, I couldn't wait to get to Muncie and be able to play originals. In Indy, people only want to hear covers. When you bust into something that is eight minutes long, the crowd may be into it at
first, but by minute five a good chunk of the crowd is sitting around going 'What is this? When is it going to end?'" Capps said.
So with the first meeting of the band, they all agreed that if this is something people have heard before, they aren't going to play it, save few exceptions.
"We like to mix things up a bit. We may throw in a cover of some obscure song every now and again, but we aren't playing stuff that most cover bands are playing. When we cover a song, we want the crowd to go 'Damn! They can play that song!'" Capps said.
This band is more than serious when it comes to putting together new songs and playing together. The band members get together every Monday and Thursday night.
"Everyone always knows no matter what Monday and Thursday is practice time, and everyone is always there," Capps said.
Through the band's rigorous practice schedule, the members usually pump out two new original songs a week. Learning these new songs helps to bring the band together and keep everyone knowing that each member is of the same importance, Capps said.
"Everyone in this band is equally important; we try and keep the spotlight off of any one person, and it show through our music," Capps said.
Capps said he hopes the Annex's music takes its listeners on a journey.
"I like to think of our songs like a mountain, and we are guiding the crowd on this trail up the mountain. Most of the songs make a peak right somewhere. It keeps the audience with us when we do this. We hit the peak and they are into it, then we hit them with the rest of the song," Capps said.
At first, the band didn't seem to be hitting the crowds all that hard, they thought. Their memories head back to a couple of gigs they played in October 2004.
"We were scheduled for this festival and we were all pumped up and were ready for this thinking we were going to really rock this crowd, but the show was outside, and it was freezing cold," Capps said.
"My fingers were so cold; I wasn't sure if I was hitting my strings most of the time," Padilla added.
"When we got off the stage, we knew that it just sucked," Capps said.
Shortly after, they played another show at Doc's, and then it all seemed to hit them.
"By the end of our set, there were two or three people up on the tables dancing, and Hip Hop Anonymous joined us on stage, and it was just like 'Yeah! We made it!'" Augustus said.
Yet, with that surreal experience, the members still keep their heads in check.
"We don't want to get ahead of ourselves. We want to take it as far as we can, and after that experience we were really into it, but the first thing we said was 'How can we make this better?' and that is what we intend to do," Capps said.
The band also attributes some of its success to the demo CD that was recorded at Ball State.
"Someone called us up and asked us if we would like to record something for a project that they had to do, so we did. What band wouldn't?" Capps said.
The band will have CDs on hand at the show Saturday for free, but donations are welcome, with a portion of the donations going back to the university.
"We can't sell the CDs because Ball State is a non-profit, but we do ask donations of which a percentage will be returned to Ball State so other bands can have the same experience we did," Augustus said.
Also the songs from the demo can be heard on the band's web site, HTTP://www.theannexband.com, along with member biographies, pictures from the shows and more.
The band is also looking to expand its style and membership by adding a horn section.
"A good horn section would be nice, but money is the issue right now," Padilla said.
The original style of the band, the chemistry of the guys together and the strength of their talent should take them far. Their "Jam" sound is a fresh sound that takes listeners right out of the setting they're in and puts them on top of the "Mountain."
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