Real Detroit Feature - Thanksgiving Eve @ Majestic

Bump
By Travis R. Wright | photos by Joe Gall
Nov 18, 2008, 11:29

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Bump
Evolution & Ascension

It’s no secret: Bump’s been around the block … a couple times. They’ve seen a small handful of members come and go, they’ve seen four corners of this great nation and they’ve certainly seen some of the highest highs and lowest lows a band might come across on the myriad adventures a touring, festival-friendly band like Bump surely journeys into. And now, after six years of steadily chipping away at both the local and national music scene, Bump stands as one of Detroit’s hardest working bands, a group that clearly isn’t going away any time soon.

Like the times, Bump is a band that embraces evolution with open arms and open minds — case in point is their new, highly addictive and interestingly different (for them) single, “Out Of Reach.” Are you Googling yet?

These dapper and dashing musicians throw a now-infamous Thanksgiving Eve bash every year and this year they’re doing so with none other than The Hard Lessons at the Majestic Theatre. In lieu of Bump’s new single, new bass player and Thanksgiving Eve concert, RDW caught up with Bump’s Clint Carpenter and Yorg Kerasiotis for a chat … you know … before they get too big for local mags.

You’ve always been known as a very hard working band, what advice do you have for up-and-coming musicians who want to make music their life?
Yorg: Some days, you’re going to be at your wit's end, every band has those days, and you have to be able to draw the line between being optimistic and being realistic, but ultimately you have be aware of the progress you’ve made and the steps you should take to get to the next level. Analyze what’s going on.

Your live show is always quite impressive, I hear you have a secret weapon.
Clint: Wow, it's helped us out in so many ways. We now have a consistent sound engineer night after night. We fully utilize an in-ear monitor system that allows us to stay consistent no matter the size of the room we play. Plus, he's just a great guy who helps provide an honest and outside perspective — that's invaluable for a band on the road.

Also impressive was the video for “Out of Reach.” It’s one unedited take?
Yorg: We worked hard with the production company, FulVew, to make an impacting and professional music video … on a budget. We want to record as many videos as possible for songs on the new record. The “Out of Reach” video has been entered into numerous competitions where judges are seeking proof of the lack of editing, one-shot-wonder it is, but we have a 60-minute documentary on the making of the video, so it’s all good.

What, in music, inspires Bump?
Yorg: In music, we like artists who put everything on the line, that would put their lives on the line. That’s the mindset we have — music is everything. | RDW

Bump w/ The Hard Lessons • 11/26 Majestic Theatre