BonesGarage (1998-2002)

This is the “official press release” prepared for the release of the proposed CD Superstring Theory. Recording began on the songs prior to Jaytee’s joining the band and resulted in the appearance on two compilation CDs of the song Crushing Faith and the instrumental homage to Edgar Winter entitled Bride of Frankenstein. Unfortunately, this lineup of the band dissolved before the album achieved completion.

Just ask anyone who hails from the blue-collar industrial town of Toledo, Ohio, and they will tell you that the city is not best known for its musical contributions. Rather, it is here that the majority of residents see their dreams being overshadowed with day-to-day struggles. This, however, is not the case with Kevin Kekes, who in one year alone has appeared on Chastain’s In Dementia (Leviathan Records, 1997), and Southern Gentleman’s national debut album Exotic Dancer Blues (Leviathan Records, 0000). These accomplishments, combined with his three Damien albums (Select Recordings: Every Dog Has Its Day, Stop This War; Mourning Star Records: Angel Juice), makes him no stranger to creating top-notch music and once again in 1998 he has proven himself with his latest vision: BonesGarage.

“With BonesGarage, we strive to prove what the importance of being good musicians and performers has on entertainment itself”, the founding member states. He continues, “we refuse to be pigeonholed or stereotyped into one genre and we’re not afraid to put melody and feeling into music and play both extremes”. In fact, the complementary energies that make up the band—Kekes (bass), Dave Stickles (guitar), Jaytee Minton (vocals, guitar) and Rob Brug (drums)—demonstrate this by offering over ten tracks that range from straightforward rock tunes to heavy, dark, classic metal arrangements, and at times even bluesy ballads.

However, the last developmental year has not been without its frustrations. At one point, it even seemed that the group. who had searched in vain for a lead vocalist since its inception in February (1998), might not ever find its fourth member. Kekes remembers, “I had tried tracking Jaytee down for months with no luck and had actually given up and then one day, she just called me up out of the blue”. Stickles, too, was more than relieved and adds, “waiting for her, and then having her just step right in, it’s like a Cinderella story”.

Furthermore, not unlike the make-believe princess who had the help of a fairy godmother to make her dreams come true, BonesGarage believes that they too were beneficiaries of something mystical.
“There is so much magic in this band,” Kekes explains. “Jaytee and I were born on the exact same day and year; Dave and I were best friends for years, but had gone our separate ways for just as long; and Dave and Jaytee’s families are both from this small county in Pennsylvania. Everything could be just cool coincidences, but…”

Whether it be destiny or just a matter of luck, BonesGarage, along with several musical guests, wasted no time and immediately entered Strawberry Fields Studio to create an emotionally-wrenching collection of songs entitled SuperstringTheory. Despite the album’s title, however, Kekes claims that the listener will not find pretension but instead will find raw energy and lyrics that will touch all emotions of the human complex.

Included in the band’s repertoire are songs such as Hey Judas, the heaviest of the band’s songs, which explores the concept of friendship and betrayal as well as the catchy, groove-oriented Crushing Faith. The latter illustrates the same concept as it perpetually appears and reappears throughout life, causing one to confront inner demons, thus making them stronger in the end.

Also present on the group’s self-produced debut album Superstring Theory is the power ballad Both To Blame, the lyrical content of which will be understood by anyone who has been involved in an intimate relationship gone wrong, as well as the first song-writing effort of BonesGarage, Bride of Frankenstein. The instrumental inspired by Edgar Winter’s Frankenstein combines breaks, samples and a drum solo and demonstrates the musical talent within the group. Other cuts include the ballad Same Old Eyes, the meditative Still Water Runs Deep (which emphasizes Kekes’ deep belief in Eastern thought and its concepts of wisdom, knowledge and illusion), and a rendition of Thin Lizzy’s Still In Love With You. This song is a tribute to the multifaceted talent Phil Lynott who met an untimely death from heroin abuse at the age of 36.

“This band,” Kekes explains, “is about passion, feelings, chemistry, and speaking from the heart. Music is not about fantasy or about trying to shock people; it’s about honesty, and I hope that our music will touch people and become part of their memory. We want to write the kind of songs that have as much feeling in them as the songs that I grew up loving, the kind that hooked itself onto your soul.” Minton continues, “I’ve always thought that I was brought here to be a teacher of sorts. Since I was given the gift of music, I want to use my talents to teach people how to be the best person they can be—to be more spiritually aware—to have an open mind. So often, people blindly accept other’s views of how to live or dress or act without thinking first about what it is the they really want.”

And it seems, unlike status quo, today every BonesGarage member knows precisely what it is that they want—to be in BonesGarage. “Every person,” Kekes expounds, “is here because they are motivated, enjoy playing so much and understand that the very process of creation is as important as the goal itself. ”

Stickles, who has played the guitar since the age of 12, wholeheartedly agrees and adds, “being a member of BonesGarage means everything to me. It’s changed my life, it has given me more discipline and allows me to express myself the way I’ve always wanted to. This is something I’ve always dreamed of being a part of.” The same can be said for Minton, who as a Bowling Green native began her musical career at the young age of six on guitar. “Everybody played the piano and I wanted to be different.” It wasn’t until she was fifteen that she began to focus more intently on her vocal talent and as a former VIT student, can think of no other place she’d rather be. “This is the band I’ve searched for my whole life. Kevin gets the best out of you and works so hard to maintain everyone’s visions and Dave is like Mr. Anti-ego, even though he has so much talent.”

“I stay motivated by focusing on the positive and not dwelling on the negative,” Stickles emphatically states. Talent, drive, determination and the absence or egos—that’s more than any band could ask for—and more than enough for music lovers across the world.