White's Bar News

Cream Always Rises to the Top

The Banana Convention Ascends

The BC5 have just gotten better over the years and you've honed your craft to critical acclaim. A case

in point is the LEAP LP – as well as your hard rockin' live show. Are you where you want to be musically and artistically?

SEAN: Musically and artistically we are still maturing and that's the key to making it all happen. We have been together for almost a decade now and if we still sounded like the 60's bubble gum act I think we would have imploded. We are never where we want to be because we set a high standard for ourselves. We are always working hard and making new things happen. That is where we want to be.

MONTE: I’d say anybody who is a musician, or does any sort of artistic expression, should never say they are where they want to be. If you’re where you want to be, what is there to reach for and try to achieve anymore?

Shar you got a well-deserved award for Best female vocalist. You are a stunning lead singer, you can belt

it out or sing is soft and sweet. You are the best singer on the scene. You've come into your own. How

does it feel?

Thanks. I am humbled by the award because there are a lot of other hard working and talented people that deserve recognition.

What's Banana Convention got up their sleeve for the future?

We have two big projects. One is the documentary of us on the road is coming together and then a special show in June. It is going to be a big stage production in Bay City at the Masonic Temple. Those are the only details I can give right now on that. Also we have some interesting show ideas to still flush out so we always have something in motion.

New recordings?

SEAN: We have a couple songs that need to be tracked and the idea of a new album by winter should be in the cards. We all have songs right now. We all have a lot of ideas; more than we normally have. So not to record is foolish. LEAP was the tip of the iceberg I feel. Since we finished it we are all in the creative juice music making mode.

MONTE: We certainly do have enough new original songs for another full length album right now, but we didn’t just want to get to 14 new songs and then just put them on an album. We want to have, say, 30 new songs and then choose from those which deserve to go on the new album to make sure it’s the best product we can put out there.

More extensive touring?

Right now we are getting new material going and have been thinking about freshening up our live show. If we get in the studio this summer I say we hit the road late fall so we don't have to do the whole "Michigan" Winter thing. haha

Monte I heard that your brother is filming a documentary of BC. Is this true?

Sort of, but not quite. The documentary is not just about us, but more about the current state of the independent music scene and how hard it is to Do It Yourself in today’s climate. We are one of the bands the documentary follows to showcase the struggle and they followed us during our West Coast Tour last summer. The doc will include some high up music industry corporate suit types talking about their end of the spectrum while we’re on the road living it from our end. It should be a really interesting story when it’s all said and done. It likely will be out sometime next year.

Why is Sean Drsydale considered the sexiest bass player of the Great Lakes Bay Region...(you know

how bass players are)

I don't really think of my self as a sexy or sexiest bass player. I make white paper look tan, have the red hair and am 5'8" on a good day. I appreciate the ego rub but just being a good bass player is fine by me.

Any last words

MONTE: Just thanks to everybody who’s been continuing to come out and show their love and support to us the last 8 years. We’ve grown and evolved so much, as musicians, as writers, as performers, and as people. We have more in us, that’s for sure, and just hope everybody stays interested and keeps coming out to watch us.

SHAR: We’ve been working at this for a long time and I’m excited about where it’s heading from here. We have a lot of room to grow and expand and I hope everybody will come on that ride with us.

SEAN: There are a lot of new and exciting changes for the TBC. Recording is a must and moving forward is the always. I just want people to hear the EP and come see us live. The only people who don't know what we sound like, it seems, are people in the local area. We are not a bubble gum band anymore. I get asked that all the time. Or the “I haven't heard you in years”. If that is the case check us out. You are only as strong as your foundation of where you come from. We are a rock band that will melt your angst and put you in a good mood. TBC - Its okay to like it!