A “Battle of the Bands” announced in February at Emporia High School gave Sean Richey just the opening he was looking for.
Sean writes music and performs at local venues, including JavaCat 5, but he wanted to hear his compositions played by a fuller group.
“I heard everything in my head,” he said, “and to hear the actual sounds ...”
Sean, who sings, plays lead guitar and also writes with rhythm guitarist Owen Murphy, pulled together an eclectic combination of instruments that give the band a unique sound.
He brought in Melissa Heinitz on electric violin, Grant Saylor-Perkins on trumpet and Caitlin Hicks on bass.
“Sean has written all the music,” Melissa said. “And he just found me and Caitlin and Grant because of what we can play. It actually works out very well.”
Together, they formed “Float Device,” one of six bands that will compete in the “Battle of the Bands” to raise funds for the Emporia High School Theatre Department.
Each will have about 30 minutes to perform, Sean said, with Float Device splitting its stage time with Sean and Owen playing as a duo.
The band has practiced together at least once a week, during seminar time, to put learn the music and develop their sound.
Preparing to run through one of the songs informally on Tuesday, members of the group took a moment to try to define the music they play.
“Epic,” Owen said.
“I don’t really write with something in mind,” Sean said.
“Rock?”
Melissa smiled and settled the confusion with a comment: “It’s the Essence of Sean.”
Sean’s “essence” resulted in a melody that was at once haunting and somewhat driven, with trumpet featured and then blending with the other instuments.
“You don’t think of trumpet, electric violin and guitar together,” Melissa said.
But the combination seems to work well and promises to be even better when the battle begins, with full sound equipment and microphones, on Saturday, April 18, in the high school gymnasium.
The group is beginning to consider playing together even after the battle is over.
Sean hopes they will win the top prize, a $100 gift certificate to Flint Hills Music. The gift certificate would buy time in the store’s recording studio.
“I really want to get us recorded,” he said.
The battle of the bands is something that EHS theatre students have wanted to present for some time.
“It’s the first one we’ve done,” said Amanda Stice, theatre director and teacher at EHS. “The kids keep begging me every year.”
This year, the administration consented to give the idea a try.
Tickets are $4 in advance and $6 at the door. Doors will open at 6 p.m. for the 6:30 p.m. show.
“It’s open to the community,” Stice said. “Anybody can come.”
Other bands, and their members, that have signed up to compete are:
• 3.9 Seconds: Brandon Parra, Alex Breckenridge and Jordan Sosa.
• Take the Forgotten: Josh MaGuire, Rian Roland, Brian Leeds, Josh Arvieux and Jacob Barbee.
• The Dead Idols: Joel Austin, Logan Herrera, Andrew Sanchez, Ryan Schlotterbeck.
• Tsarlight: Rian Roland and Brian Leeds.
• The Tragedy of Romance: Sage Thurston, Tyler Jackson, Eddy Maza, and Danny Anderson.