By: Andrea Myers
The Debut started off their set at the Uptown with a bang, in more ways than one. The first song, “Big Bang,” crashed to life with bass player Alex Puetz playing a cheery, clattering trombone part, which floated over the smooth vocals of lead singer Benjamin Gurstelle. Puetz quickly traded in his trombone for his bass, and before the audience had any time to react they were barreling away into their next song.
Formed in Madison, Wisconsin during their college years, the boys of The Debut recently relocated to Minneapolis to start taking themselves more seriously as a band, and their work is starting to pay off. Originally a hip-hop group formed between singer and guitar player Benjamin Gurstelle and drummer Benjamin Mulhern (who refer to themselves as “the Bens”), the band has traveled through many different forms, ranging from rap to soft rock to folk, and the variety of experiences has melded together nicely to form their current sound.
Listeners will hear some extremely familiar elements in The Debut’s music, including some fairly typical, college-rock chord progressions, and the band has a bass player with an overstated appreciation for the work of the Cure. But just when you begin to think that you have The Debut figured out, with their coordinating relaxed-fit jeans and cute, frat-boy smirks, they make a sharp turn and pull out something new and unexpected. Guitarist Jordan Koel came out of left field midway through the set with a building, technical solo on “The Day the Sky Fell” that immediately upped the ante for the show. Gurstelle, understanding the talent brewing underneath the band’s safer, more predictable exterior, joked, “By day, he’s a proofreader.”
The band is unpolished in the same way that a concert pianist might be a little rough when toying around with a new piece of sheet music; the potential of their performance is so blatant that minor flaws and scratches seem to fade away. The crew already has a commanding stage presence, and the members responded to each other and traded off solos so effortlessly that it was easy to forget their young age and relative inexperience. As their set progressed and the group became more comfortable, they shot each other wild smiles and stood in increasingly affected poses, at times all pausing together in a near-choreographed fashion in sync with the music’s peaks and valleys.
The Debut has recorded one EP (though it is not widely available); and the band hopes to begin work on a full-length album once they settle into the Minnesota music scene. If their show at the Uptown was any indication, the band has more than enough album-ready material and concert charm to give fellow local up-and-comers such as White Light Riot and the Alarmists a run for their money.
Catch The Debut next on Friday, February 10, at the 400 Bar, as they play with the rowdy Fergus Falls rocky-tonkers Radio On.
Related sites:
The Debut's Official Website
The Debut's MySpace Page
Set List:
The Big Bang
Hey!
Last Chance (Yours, Not Mine)
Defense Wins Championships
The Day the Sky Fell
Long Lines/NYC
A Candygram Will Be Just Fine
The Photograph Song
Whisper
Calm Objective Opinion
So Far Away
I Need Not Breathe
Location Info:
Uptown Bar and Café
Artist Info: The Debut
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