A few decades back, The Byrds provided some oft-repeated advice on becoming a rock and roll star. “Just get an electric guitar and take some time and learn how to play. And if your hair’s combed right and your pants are tight it’s gonna be all right,” they suggested.
Well-meaning advice certainly, but it was, at the very least, incomplete. They mentioned nothing, for instance, about delegating tasks, making lists or setting goals. Significant omissions, since the pursuit of ambitions as quixotic as rock stardom require pragmatism. Your head can be in the stars, but your feet are what move you around and must therefore remain firmly on the ground. This is something the members of the band twenty4seven, hard-working as their name implies, clearly understand.
“We set goals as a band, and we’ve accomplished almost all of them, and now we’re creating new ones,” explains drummer Chris Bowers.
The band practices twice every week, they have a rule that they must write at least two songs and play at least two shows per month, they delegate promotional tasks, and they make lists of future goals. That focus and work ethic is paying off. Having been together little more than a year, the band, starting from zero, has already assembled an extensive set list, and has recorded and released a five-song CD.
“Our main objective is to get our music out there, out of this town, and break through the local band barrier … We are very serious about getting a record contract,” says singer Vincent Ceccarelli.
In light of the band’s large ambitions, it’s fortunate that their music fits well with current rock radio. It’s hard but melodic, with powerful singing and powerful riffs—a little bit metal, a little bit grunge.
“It’s like Creed, Three Doors Down and a touch of Korn,” says bass player Dave Camara. And it’s easy to imagine twenty4seven alongside any of these bands.
“We try to write stuff that has a lot of hooks,” says Camara.
While the music is written collaboratively, the lyrics are all written by Vincent, who had never written a song until twenty4seven formed: “It was a really cool experience—to always wonder if you can write or not, and then you try it, and it works really well.”
“We have a pretty good chemistry when it comes to songwriting,” says Camara.
Camara, Vincent and guitarist Randy Ceccarelli all contribute musical ideas, which Bowers, taking a more active role than is usually expected from a drummer, frequently tears apart and reassembles.
“Chris [Bowers] has been the main arranger … and he is the reason our sound is what it is now,” says Vincent.
This sound is something in which all four members have great confidence.
“This is the first time I could actually see being signed on a record label as a possibility,” says Bowers.
That all sounds pretty good, but what about those tight pants The Byrds told us about?
“We all dress pretty sloppy,” Camara admits.