Centrevol

You can tell a lot about a band by where they lay their head, and for the better part of 12 months Centrevol slept in one bedroom, on a triple-bunk bed they made by hand from wood scraps and a second-hand loft bed. “When we moved to California, we didn’t have much to call our own,” drummer Nate Burkhardt recalls. “We toured and moved at the same time, so we had to leave a lot in Boston. Lose the toaster, keep the snare drum, leave the curlers, bring the bassist.” Touring with their first EP, “City of Angles” the band settled in Long Beach in fall of 2006. Their fresh start in the west proved to be a bigger challenge than anticipated. “I envisioned the classic overnight LA rock story in my head, but it was quickly replaced with a temp job on a delivery truck and a 90-minute commute thru LA traffic just to rehearse.” Bassist Jon Guinta smirks, “My slap-bass technique got a lot better then.”

It was a year later that break-through finally came and Centrevol found themselves at the winning end, receiving $10,000 in cash and prizes for 1st place in the local Mai Tai Rumble. “We learned a lot about dependence and need in that year – everybody faces it; some fall to their knees and some take what they want. Nate knows, he had three different bikes stolen from him in a couple months!” Pete Guinta, singer and lyricist for the group continues, “That was the backdrop and really the story for the album: ‘Beggars and Thieves.’” With a prize under their belt (and in their pocket) they independently financed the project, completing the finishing touches in August with the help of engineer/producer Wyn Davis, (Sublime, No Doubt).

Most recently, they competed in the 2008 International Emergenza Festival, reaching the National Finals at the renowned Key Club in LA, finishing in the top four out of over 500 bands in the west. With a quickly growing fan base and set list, the band’s momentum is now focused toward the future, releasing their new CD on November 7th, at the Blue Café in downtown Long Beach, and planning a spring college tour. “I’m excited to see what’s next,” Burkhardt jokes, “We may have retired the triple bunk, but I’m still trying to upgrade from the couch.”