To understand a local band, it is important to know their history and their structure.
Amanda Jacobs
-Asst. Art & Life Editor –
Listening to local bands can be a fun and cheap alternative for music.
A band is made up of four main components: a guitar, a bass, drums, and of course, the vocals. Extremely Pointless, a band gaining ground in the St. Louis area, would cease to exist without the men behind the music. In their case, the four main components are: Ray Novak wailing on the guitar; Eric Evans strumming on the bass; Sal Cira beating on the drums; and Sean Doherty singing his heart out.
“There is great chemistry in this band, and it is what keeps us together,” said Cira.
To understand a local band, it is important to know their history and their structure.
The Beginning
Extremely Pointless may have begun in 1999, but the music was strong long before that. Cira and Evans actually played together for 16 years prior to beginning the band, as well as Doherty and Novak who played for 19 years prior. It began even before that, when they discovered for the first time what they have grown to love.
“I just started beating on pots and pans, then in the sixth grade talent show I played “Panama” by Van Halen and it was a rush to me. I knew that this was what I wanted to do,” said Cira.
Doherty’s beginning was a little different than any Van Halen song. “My parents sang in church, so when I turned 7 I got a guitar and started singing church songs.”
Evans, on the other hand, didn’t have any interest until he was a teenager. “Both of my brothers were musicians, so when I was a bored 13 year old I began to play Rage Against the Machine and some older music like Alice in Chains and Pearl Jam,” said Evans. “We all just like that type of music and there was no other metal band in St. Louis playing metal.”
The Fans
Without fans, the band would just still be four guys playing their instruments in a garage somewhere. The artists behind Extremely Pointless agreed their fans have kept them going, and give them the opportunity to play.
“The best type of fan is definitely a loyal one, one that comes out to every show, talks to us and tells us what they love and what they don’t enjoy as much,” said Cira. “Constructive criticism can go a long way. For me, as a drummer, I may be doing something I’m not aware of. Someone in the audience might mention it, whether I agree or not is one thing, but I always listen and I may change it up.”
The First Show
“Our first show was out at a hockey rink in Chesterfield, I think the Blues used to practice there or something. The Point was promoting it, so we went out and played for probably 10 people, maybe,” said Cira.
Now they definitely play for more than 10 people. Their fans are loyal and they know that they are going to hear exactly what they want.
The Venue
These shows that the loyal fans come out to are at the VooDoo Lounge, Helen Fitzgerald’s and the Phoenix. They play quite regularly at all three of these venues.
“We usually put flyers before our next show, that way if people are there a few nights before we play they will see them and come out and enjoy.”
The Inspiration
Extremely Pointless, just like every other band, has learned from the way others carry themselves, play, and please the crowd.
“The whole band is big fans of Dream Theatre, basically they are all great at their instruments and we all like that and we look up to them,” said Cira.
“Eric [Evans] has a punk rock metal background, Ray [Novak] is more on the heavy metal side, Sean [Doherty] is pretty well rounded and I can go from jazz to metal.”
Cira said the band members really like Soundgarden, Megadeath, Guns and Roses, all kinds of bands.
Everyone pretty much has a wide range of musical tastes, Cira said.
The Feeling
“When I am on stage I usually think about what I am going to do when I wake up in the morning, no, not really. Our music requires a lot of concentration and at the same time we want to make contact with the audience,” said Cira.
“There is no other feeling, it is a great feeling, a rush. There is definitely an energy felt between the band and the crowd.”
