Bump LIVE at the Majestic Theatre

Local Band Back for the Holidays! Live November 21, 2007

As seen in the Grosse Pointe South "Tower" by Tesha Kondrat & Andrew Simon

After bad wreck,Grosse Pointers form band:Coming at rapid speed, a semi-truck pushes the van off the road, forcing it to tumble down the mountainside and crash into a boulder. One passenger, Clint Carpenter '97 stopped breathing.

Though this might be a scene from an action movie, it's what brought South graduates Carpenter and Eric Novak '97, and North graduates Yorg Kerasiotis and Chris Sterr together to form the band Bump.   

 After experiencing the near fatal car accident in Arizona, bassist Novak and drummer Carpenter decided to move back home with their families to Grosse Pointe. There, they united with future band mates vocals Kerasiotis and guitarist Sterr, who at the time were playing in the band Sweet Mary Love.  

The four began practicing together as Bump, and eventually created a demo CD of three songs that they passed out to friends and family, said Sterr. Once they had graduated from college, the members finally put all focus on the band. This came to a head in 2003, when Bump began touring around the U.S.  

Their current sound is hard to pin down, but is said to be spacey-rock, said Novak. 

"Our manager Joe Choma has been saying were science-fiction rock," said Kerasiotis. "We use synthesizers and techno beats with rock and roll."  

Thus far, Bump has toured thirty-four states from coast to coast. Recently, they have finished a tour with legendary band The Samples. Carpenter said they enjoyed three months of no responsibilities, focused only on their music.

"The tour was almost a little too much, and that's a stretch coming from our mouths," said Sterr. "But for a change, we didn't have to worry about driving ourselves around or trying to find the next location, which was a great luxury."

Though they have had some perilous adventures, the band said it is standard operating procedure in the touring lifestyle.     

"Touring in Denver in 2004, we were caught in the middle of an ice storm and started sliding down the front range of the highway," said Sterr. "We eventually got the car straightened out when I began steering the wheel the direction the van was turning." 

Granted, along with the excitement of touring sometimes comes the occasional brush with fame, said Nadz..

"There was an online contest to open up for Hanson two years ago, so all these other bands that didn't like us voted for us as a joke," said Novak. "We actually won and opened up for them in front of 5,000 screaming girls. Who wouldn't want to do that?"  

Of course, playing in a professional band entails a lot more than just touring and playing a guitar, said Carpenter. The music business is most often a complicated industry in which Bump is still trying to find its place.     

"The common misconception with musicians is that we're just here to party and have a good time, but no, there's a business we're creating from the bottom up," said Carpenter. "We haven't had anything handed to us by any means."    

Bump takes the stage with Natives of the New Dawn on November 21 at the Sixth Annual Thanksgiving Eve concert, an all ages show at the Majestic Theatre in Detroit.  

"Anything goes, and you know it's going to be a riot," said Kerasiotis. "Everyone please come and party with us. You'll have the best time ever." 

To buy pre-sold tickets for $15, contact Allie Choma '09 at (313) 909-6189.

Have you ever felt your heart pulse over your spoken word? You are surrounded by darkness and sudden blasts of laser lights, flashing in rhythm through out the audience; your body instinctively swaying to a pounding riff. The tension rises with each note and the audience moves in unison, mouthing the words to each refrain. Then, you have been to a Bump concert. In April, 2006 Bump released its first full length CD "Incredible Consequence". Malista attended the CD release party on April 17, 2006. There were over 1000 well wishers at the Majestic Theatre to celebrate the release. Bump a Detroit based alternative rock group is compromised of Yorg Kerasiotis, lead singer, writer and keyboards, along with Clint Carpenter, drums, Chris Sterr, lead guitar and vocals, and Eric Novak, bass guitar. The group started in 2002, practicing in the basement of Athena & George Hanzakos' Holiday Inn basement. They have traveled throughout the US and are planning just one Detroit area appearance this summer.

August 3rd, 2006 Bump will be supporting Particle at the Majestic Theatre before they head to Lollapalooza outdoor rock concert in Chicago, IL.. The rest of the summer is still shaping up with some plays in MN, IL and IN. Watch out for announcements for our 3 month national tour this fall as well as their next headlining dates in Detroit and Kalamazoo. Tickets for their concert can be purchase at ticketmaster and band members or at the door $15.00.

Press information package information on www.bumpgroove.com describes their style as "Bump combines elements of funk, jazz, Motown and progressive with the organic feel of straight up Rock and Roll and the hooks and harmonies of Modern Pop. Bump embodies the fusion of the Organic and Synthetic in Modern Rock." A translation, their acceptably loud and you can understand each word they sing, and the lyrics not only make sense, they actually inspire.

Malista!

Lansing State Journal November 2005
Online Link
Music: Bump
Jam band wants to get you in the groove with funky beats that cross over genres

Christian Czerwinski | NOISE
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Picture a four-piece jam band, one whose live show changes evry night.

Give them some funk and R&B elements.

Now add some rock and jazz to the brew. And don't forget a bit of synthesizer and a lap steel guitar.

If that all sounds a bit much, don't worry - it really does make sense. Especially if you're Bump, a band out of Detroit who sound like a Motown version of Pink Floyd.

Their music emanates a dazzling radiance that endears them to fans of multiple genres. This lively quartet can get you moving with funky beats or turn your head with abstract guitar improvisation.

"We like the feeling that jam bands have. They do have a different show every night and that is one thing we do take from them. We like to switch up songs and we have a new song at least every week," said singer Yorg, 24, from his home outside of Detroit.

"We're like a progressive rock electric band. It's so much stuff. It's been really hard for us to explain it and we've been inviting our audience (to try). We just get some weird names. I think we're trying to open up the envelope. We can't give ourselves a genre. You come to see us and it'll take you off the normal road with new instrumentation and a new age feel to rock and soul."

Formed in 2002 in the Detroit suburb of Grosse Pointe, the members of Bump survive on an endless diet of touring.

Yorg said if he gets a day off, he's usually bored. This week, armed with about 40 tunes to choose from, Bump goes into the studio for about two months to record its first album. It's slated for a spring or summer release, followed by a rock opera album about six months later.

They've actually cut a homemade album of seven tracks showcasing their relentless and sophisticated funky attack. For someone who's never heard the band before, it's a solid introduction. Bump has a busy but uncluttered sound which boils to the surface on "Dusk II." The track offers subtle, intelligent rock that blends numerous elements into a smooth, propulsive blend of structure and improvisation.

A radio-friendly tune like "Injustice" has a reggae feel with its quick beats and steady guitar. More than four minutes into the track, it drastically quickens in pace while still keeping the groove.

Yorg said the band tries to overlap genres like the Talking Heads used African rhythms and The Police used electronics on Synchronicity.

"Some people think everything has been done in music and it hasn't even tipped the iceberg," Yorg said.

"With us, we're just a melting pot. We appreciate everything. You can tell when something is good or sucks no matter what genre it is. Every musician is afraid of labels. Some of the musicians are just one thing. They're talented, but let's get something different going. Bob Dylan re-creates himself all the time, always keeping people off-guard."

The band is pumped to record the album in the winter, because even though they love to tour, it gets crazy sometimes. Yorg and the boys have slept in their share of vans. The way he sees it, they've almost died about three times on snowy roads in Colorado - all for the sake of gaining new fans.

"It's rough, man. We've been very close to bad stuff happening. I've fallen asleep in the passenger seat of the van at night in the winter. That's the stuff you see on 'Behind the Music,'" Yorg said.

"It's like Bon Scott from AC/DC who passes out somewhere in the winter. That happens to us on a regular basis. Well, maybe on a good night after a gig in New York City."