You click play. A concise funky beat colored by machine-gun bursts of air from the beatboxer's mouth makes your head bob -- you wait ... what's next? A spacey, descending progression from a mandolin? Well it makes sense if you're The Bridge, one of Baltimore's fastest rising bands.
If the musical ingredients in themselves don't intrigue you -- mandolin, saxophone, guitar, bass, drums, and yes a human beatbox -- one listen to the end product certainly will. The Bridge -- Chris Jacobs (guitar/vocals), Kenny "White Chocolate" Liner (mandolin/vocal percussion), Ryan Porter (bass/vocals), Chris Bentley (sax), and Paul Weinberg (drums) -- have only been playing together for two years but have the sound and stage presence of a seasoned act. I recently got the chance to speak with bassist Ryan Porter about the band, touring, and The Bridge's plan for the future.
Though officially a band for only two years, The Bridge can trace its musical roots to Ryan and Chris's high school years.
"Yeah, I got my bass in tenth grade and Chris had his guitar and we started playing a lot." says Porter, "But then we went away to different colleges, and it seemed like that might be the end of it."
In fact, that was only the beginning. After college Jacobs and Porter started jamming again with the addition of Liner on mandolin. One night, Porter casually invited longtime friend, drummer Paul Weinberg.
"It was really by accident," says Porter "we had just invited Paul over casually to one of our jams. He was drumming for Black Eyed Susans at the time. Somehow the session was recorded, and the recording got leaked out. That was really the beginning of it all. We started playing out, a lot of the times with Black Eyed Susans. Paul was doing double-duty, playing a set with us and then coming back out to play with them."
Two years ago, with The Bridge in its infancy, the boys met up with saxophonist Chris Bentley and their sound, which makes them so unique, was finally complete. The Bridge's first self-titled release brings the listener through a vast expanse of sonic space. From the crisp, beat-heavy funk of "Pakalolo" with its concise guitar licks and wailing, jazzy sax eruptions, to the more accessible lyric-driven "Rising Sun", The Bridge defies typical genre distinctions.
However, the band does its real work on stage. Like so many "jam bands" The Bridge books shows night after night, traveling up and down the East Coast to bring their unique sound to new listeners everywhere. Yet they don't complain. In fact this is where they are most comfortable -- on stage.
"We're a live band essentially," says Ryan, "and if we show the crowd that we're having a good time they really pick up on it and they have a good time. If there's ten people in the bar we're gonna play our asses off and hope that next time there's fifty."
It's with this kind of modesty and dedication, coupled with the band's indisputable ability, that The Bridge has so quickly established a name for themselves. They have played with a host of up-and-coming and established bands on the jam band circuit including Umphrey's Magee, Mofro, and Galactic. Liner even joined fellow band Galactic on stage at a recent show to beatbox, or "exchange rhythmic phrases" with Galactic's drummer Stanton Moore. For The Bridge, such collaborations are cause for wonderment.
"Its crazy sometimes," says Porter, "when you get to play with these musicians who you have been listening to for years. Like, there was one show where we opened for Les Claypool. We're up there jamming and I look over and see Les on the side of his stage bobbin' his head. I mean, I almost lost it -- Les Claypool digging our music, it was great."
The Bridge is currently touring and trying to finalize their second studio release due to come out in early February, all while holding down other jobs to sustain themselves. Plans are also in the making for the release of a live CD, and for multiple festival appearances this coming summer. Right now, life is a nonstop roller coaster of touring, recording, and real life -- but for now at least it's been more ups than downs and Porter and the rest of the boys seem to be loving every minute of it.
"If were all to end right now," says Porter, "even after only two years, I think we'd all be happy."
With their explosion onto the jam band scene apparently imminent, you should get out there now and see them doing what they do best, "playing their asses off" in small bars for anyone who cares to listen.
The Bridge will be opening for Dirty Dozens Brass Band this coming Sunday, Nov. 1 at The Ottobar.
