Passafire and Perpetual Groove return to Savannah

Photos by Angie Stong

Interviews and writing by Pablo Portilla del Valle

Video and Podcast by Rummel Medina

Passafire and Perpetual Groove are two acclaimed bands that originated in Savannah and have a history with SCAD. On Sept. 16 and 17, the groups gave a loud and energetic performance at the Lucas Theater where Passafire opened for Perpetual Groove. Behind the stage, we asked them about their time at SCAD and their creative process.

According to Nick Kubley (drums), Passafire started when he met Ted Bowne (guitar, vocals) through mutual friends. Bowne was living in the dorms and Kubley invited him to his apartment for some ‘jam time.’

“That was all you needed to say: ‘I got an apartment off campus with a drum set. Do you wanna come hang out?’” said Bowne, turning to Kubley. “And it’s like ‘Uhh, did we just become best friends?’”

Bowne was originally a photography major, though he switched to film and eventually settled for sound design. Kubley stuck to illustration throughout his time at SCAD.

Bowne enthusiastically agreed that the band still applies many of the skills they learned at SCAD.

“They were hobbies that turned into our education. [Nick Kubley] does a lot of the illustration work for Passafire… And I’ve been doing a lot of the production work. I produced our first album here in Savannah as a sort of SCAD project,” said Bowne.

Their first album, self-titled “Passafire,” was a culmination of four years of recording songs written during their time at SCAD.

DeGuzman says he joined Passafire through Youtube. They came across a cover of his and invited him over for a sound check.

“Nick and I were sitting out inside of my house… we had exhausted every friend we could think of that played keyboard. Then we were like ‘wait. Remember that guy that came and played with The Expendables? I wonder if he’d drop everything and come road trip with us and change his entire life,’” said Bowne.

“And I’m here. I’m still here,” said DeGuzman

Before parting, they shared some advice to aspiring musicians.

“Start as early as you can and just push through and enjoy the progress. There’s no one pathway to your goal…we weren’t waiting for someone to come and offer us that. Work ethic is crucial,” said Nick Kubley.

“Play live as much as you can and then start branching out,” said Bowne.

“For the five people at Wild Wings. That you just drove five hours to,” added Will Kubley.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l53_t5eMd9c

But don’t over saturate markets. According to Bowne, you must strike a balance to maintain hype. And uncertainty is just part of the game.

“Your tires are gonna bust, your gear is gonna mess up, there’s always something that gets on the way of having a perfect day on tour or as a band… and just gotta be able to brush it off and keep moving,” said Bowne.

They all agree that they learned their lessons the hard way, but that they look back on those days “fondly.”

“There’s going to be a lot of parts you don’t like, but you just have to deal with it, because in the end, it’s all worth it,” said Bowne.

“It’s the ability to adapt to those changes that makes the ride enjoyable,” said Will Kubley.

“And no matter how good you are, always tell yourself you suck,” joked Bowne.

“We always tell ourselves we suck,” said DeGuzman.

“And each other!” added Will Kubley.

If you’d like to listen to the full interview with Passafire, check out the Sound cloud link below!

 

https://soundcloud.com/scaddistrict/the-beeat-passafire-interview
Perpetual Groove also started in the Oglethorpe House dorms, according to Brock Butler (guitar and lead vocalist). He and Adam Perry met there and soon became musical friends. For a few weeks they would jam to a “little Casio drum pack,” and one day Joe Stickney (former drummer), whose room was directly underneath them, walked by and they all started playing together.

And Stickney knew Brett Hinton (former keyboardist) and everything just ‘fell together.’ They all started playing in Savannah Coffee Roasters for a while. After graduation, Stickney and Hinton left the band, but then Albert Suttle and Matt McDonald met Perry and Butler in an open mic-night and the rest is history.

Butler called it “dumb luck.” He and Perry attended SCAD to study sequential art because they “fancied” comic books. But both switched to film after they realized film and sound design would benefit their career in music better.

When asked if their time at SCAD, and their passion for sequential art inspired their songs, both Perry and Butler nodded in agreement.

“As far as the lyrics and the structure of our songs, it’s really sequential in a way. It’s all about timing and the things you visit and revisit. Not necessarily the subject matter, but how you present an idea and take a spin on things and then steer back into the music,” he added.

All four of them have a passion for film too. According to McDonald, they enjoy and discuss films and shows to the point where cinematography has an influence on their musical performances.

“Cinematics have an idea of how to establish a powerful mood,” said Butler.

And that’s the kind of narrative they share on their performances. That night, the band walked out “Willy Wonka” style, marching in line to the theme of the movie to take their places on stage.

They also had had quite a few words of advice to share. Butler shared that you have to be prepared to sleep on couches and floors and live that kind of “gypsy” lifestyle.

“And if there’s a time you can do it when your adult responsibilities are fewer, then always chase after it while you can. Don’t hesitate. But don’t ever think it’s too late either,” he said.

“And make sure you stay true to your roots,” McDonald added. “Whatever your goals where at the beginning, make sure you stay true to them.”

 

Perry went with “never give up.”

“You just gotta keep plugging everything. It’s gonna suck sometimes. It’s gonna be hard, but you can’t stop. You gotta keep going. Keep pushing through and believe in what you’re doing and good things will happen.”

“It’s a struggle,” he admitted. “But thankfully it’s one of the most fun things you’ll ever do.”

Suttle also warned against the commodity of the internet. He said he understands the temptation of putting music online and thinking it will take care of itself, but that it can be fruitless.

“Don’t be afraid to still hit the pavement with traditional means of getting the word out. Mailing lists, flyers, things like that…You need to find something that will let you stand out.” Suttle added.

To learn more about Passafire and Perpetual Groove checkout their web site or you can find their music on Spotify and itunes.