ABOUT THE MUSIC
....RECOIL
Recoil has been rocking such Kansas City venues as the Aftershock, Kobi’s Bar and Grill, the venerable Uptown Theatre and many more in recent months. Their first gig, Spring for Green, was busted by the local PD before Recoil made the stage but even back then the momentum for the band had started churning.
The Recoil interview started with bassist Mark Lapine, only because of my own fascination with the bass guitar in particular and its seeming 2nd chair position to the sexier lead guitar or singer role. Why bass? Why not lead guitar?
A nearby fan of the band had the short answer, “You look like a bass player, man, just kinda’ chilled out on the stage. “ While he is anything but nondescript, Lapine’s presence on the stage is certainly low-key. At times intense, other times the hint of a smile and if things are going just right, a full-on grin, the 6’ 3” musician is clearly comfortable in his role towards the back of the stage, “I like to stand by my drummer, locked into the drums, “says Lapine.
Not being up front is not a concern of Lapine, “that role is for the singer and guitar player. Most people don’t make that distinction anyway. I am not really an attention whore, I just wanna’ link the rhythm of the guitar and drums.”
Although least like him musically, Lapine’s biggest influence may be Les Claypool, “In fact, I am the exact opposite, I’ve never been a slap and strum player, always a finger player. I am locked in with the drums and he (Claypool) plays up front,” Lapine said.
While the band has practiced three times a week for nearly three years, they have recently enjoyed the rush of playing in front of huge crowds of new fans. Playing to a crowd is quite a departure from band practice in the basement of his Overland Park home, “It’s definitely a good feeling to hear a crowd scream,” he says. “I try not to think about it much, just play the song and try not to fuck it up.. just kick more ass than the previous song.”
The band’s full line-up includes Mike Willard on drums, James Clark and Zach Goodman on guitars and Chris King, vocals (Goodman is currently on hiatus to finish his law degree at the University of Kansas).
Lapine is a self taught bassist with strong influences of Rage Against the Machine, Metallica, Led Zeppelin, Claypool and Geddy Lee. The original band formed loosely at a party three years ago where they started jamming, and as Lapine says, that quickly became an on-going “let’s get drunk and jam thing." Those 'things' developed into music writing sessions and the band began to develop a unique sound. They perform only original songs.
Recoil has evolved through the years and the addition of King on Vocals in 2009 may have helped nudge the band into the limelight they now enjoy, “things have moved pretty fast. The first show at the Aftershock just propelled things,” Lapine stated.
Moving into the future, Lapine says he hopes the band gains new fans, “we want to get more technical and stay true to our sound, please the fans and still not compromise our integrity. It’s a train that’s rolling at its own pace. We are on-board. We are just passengers. ”
Our interview ended abruptly when practice began and before I could ask if Shit Balls is one word or two, the band ripped into Summon the Demon.
Since I first started writing this article several months ago, the band has gained even more recognition locally. At the time of the interview, they had played some 12 or so live gigs. Last count I am guessing it’s more like 20 with more scheduled in the near future. They have battled it out for Freaker’s Ball, Club Wars, the Rock House Brawl and now are in the running for the coveted Stratgazer competition, California Dreamin’.
