Roadhouse (August 2007)

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by: Crystal Arten

Roadhouse…No longer just a Patrick Swayze movie.

I was just a young girl the first time I heard my dad playing the Dead on his stereo and something about the sound and the feel of the music just roped me in right away. It is seldom, this day in age, when you find a band whose sound is so true. Recently, I was asked to do an interview with Roadhouse.

Influenced by bands such as the Grateful Dead, Phish, Blues Traveler, and Jimi Hendrix, this band brings back music in its truest form. You can hear hints of these influences in every note and once you start to listen, you are instantly drawn in.

Roadhouse was the creation of Martin Antoon (guitarist) and Paul Peters (drummer) who were later joined by Jared Moffat (bass) and Farris Antoon (guitarist). These guys, though young, have already shared a stage with the legendary B. B. King among other important names in music.

I recently had the chance to chat with Martin Antoon and pick his brain a little about the band.

Q: Tell me a little bit about the members and how you all met and formed the band?

A: Well, my brother Farris and I began playing classical guitar when we were eight, so we have been playing together for almost nine years now. As far as joining with Jared and Paul, basically we just decided it would be a good idea if we got together and jammed sometime, and it's been nothing but fun since then.

Q: I see that your influences are many jam bands, do you have a favorite memory of a show that you went to? How did this show impact your decision to become a musician?

A: I've seen so many great shows that I don't think I can put one above the rest, but I do remember the first time I heard Jimi Hendrix I decided that playing music is what I wanted to do.

Q: Tell me a little about your style and what you would describe it as.

A: We've always had a fairly difficult time ourselves trying to categorize our sound. We take influences from everything from jazz to progressive to metal and literally everything in between. We try to incorporate things that most bands around here don't do, such as odd time signatures, polyrhythm's, etc. while still trying to make our music fairly accessible. One great thing about this band is even though there are some types of music we all like, everyone's taste in music is different from each other, so all of those get blended together to make up our sound.

Q: What would your dream lineup for a concert or festival be?

A: I would love to see the original lineup of the Mahavishnu Orchestra get back together. They were an amazing jazz/fusion group from the early 70's.

Q: Do you have anything in the works as far as albums or shows?

A:We've been writing many songs that we will hopefully release on an album in the near future. As far as shows go, it would be best to check our MySpace since we play so many different venues around Mississippi.

Q: Are you all primarily musicians? Or would you describe yourselves as musicians by night?

A: I would definately say I am primarily a musician. I can not even imagine my life without music, and I think I speak for everyone else in the band when I say that.

Q: What is in your CD player right now?

A: Paul and Jared and I have recently been stuck on a newer band called Umphrey's McGee. They write some pretty incredible, complex songs, but they still are able to leave plenty of room for improvisation, which is what we try to do.

Q: Is there one album that changed your life? If so, what is it and what impact did it have?

A: There are so many I could name, but I think I would have to say Jimi Hendrix's Band of Gypsy's album. I think any musician regardless of what instrument they play could learn something from that album.

I was instantly impressed with Roadhouse’s ability to draw from so many different kinds of genres and am just as impressed with the amount of sheer talent featured within the band. I am excited to see what the future holds for these young rockers and urge you in the Jackson area to SEE THIS BAND! It would be a crime not to.