"People go out for a reason ... for something different. They want to hear something new and exciting. No matter what kind of music you like, you will enjoy watching and hearing us. We are that reason people go out."
Chris Bondi, turntablist for the Richmond-based Ernies, makes this confident claim, which isn't far from the truth. The Ernies dabble in all sorts of music, from ska to hip-hop to funk-rock. They try to provide something for everyone.
The band started out about five years ago, playing cover songs in college towns on the East Coast. In 1994 lead singer Will Hummel and drummer Matt Goves let their creativity take over and started composing original music. Saxophonist Hayes Smith, Goves' music school buddy, soon joined them. In the past three years, Bondi and bassist Mike Hughes completed the quintet that rocks the stage and radio today.
Oddly enough, the name of the band comes from a Lynyrd Skynyrd song, "Freebird."
"There is this part at the end of the song when the guy screeches 'errr-neee! errr-neee!'," Hayes said.
In fact, the Ernies seem to have a rare talent for creating clever titles. Hummel, a former English major at Virginia Commonwealth University, found an outlet for his years of study by pouring poetry, scientific thought and Buddhist inspirations into titles and lyrics of such songs as "The Hitman Tommy Stearns," (based on a dream about T.S. Eliot), "Organism" and "You are Everywhere."
The Ernies (not to be confused with the German punk band) put out their first two discs -- a self-titled debut in 1995 and "Dropping Science" in 1997 -- on Richmond-based BOB Records. These discs showcased a catchy mix of ska, reggae and hip-hop. On the band's most recent album, "Meson Ray," named for the obscure character actor who played Coach on "Cheers," the sound migrates toward heavier alternative rock.
Yet the music remains upbeat and positive. The Ernies create a high-energy, life-affirming atmosphere at their concerts. While "Meson Ray" has a less poppy sound than their previous works, it's still great for dancing and partying.
On tour almost constantly, the Ernies have shared the stage with such bands as Our Lady Peace, The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, Jimmie's Chicken Shack, Foreigner and Journey.
"Here and Now," the band's first hit single, increased its radio exposure, gaining play on over 60 stations. Its new single, "Polarized," is slowly but surely gaining a presence on the airwaves. Typically for nascent musicians, the Ernies get very excited about radio time. They camped out this weekend in the mountains of Colorado, but said the highlight of the trip came when they heard one of their songs on the radio.
Though the band members love traveling to beautiful locales, they said they look forward to coming back home to Virginia.
The band said Trax is a special place for them -- they've played there several times before, and the MOJO label picked them up there.
And they said they love to play for college and teen audiences.
"We feed so much off of the enthusiasm of our crowd," Hummel said. "The more fun they have, the more fun we have, and vice versa."
He should have nothing to worry about in Charlottesville. The Ernies play at Trax Thursday at 8 p.m.
Read More
The best albums of 2014
By Noah Zeidman | December 4, 2014Across genres, it has been a pretty great year in music.
Top 10 movies of 2014
December 4, 2014This has been an excellent year for film, offering everything from gripping blockbusters to innovative personal films.
Iggy Azalea is “Reclassified”
December 4, 2014It has become common practice among music artists to repackage their albums in an effort to simultaneously boost single sales and dish out new content by slightly renaming the album or slapping “Deluxe” onto the title.
