The sound of excavated porcelain bowls, marbles along wood floors, and
the hum of calculations...
Watcher is a less than refined sound, like the rustic nature of the
practice space, a nearly unfurnished old Victorian home. Like the stories
homes can tell, Watcher has accounts, musical histories, created in the
moments spent in the back room.
Watcher began as an idea, predictably, over coffee. Tristan knew his time with his former band was coming to a close. But he didn't want to give up on music, so he called up Ben.
'I want to form a band, and I want you to sing.'
Ben's experience with music was never his own. Having sought out his musical taste for himself, he was a bystander, never pushed towards or away from pursuing his own sound. Though Tristan's proposal came as a shock to him, it was understood that this was inevitable, so again T laid down another track:
'I have a friend who plays keys, his name is Rich.'
Rich was still in a band at the time, but he wanted to make room for Ben and T.
'I heard Ben sing, he was good. But not until a song Tristan wrote, with just four chords, did Ben show his cards as a singular melody maker. Then we were a band.'
Keyboards, guitar, and vocals. Watcher struggled for a time, posting ads and having interviews for a drummer. The bass player was on the rocks, juggling too many things, and later left reluctantly.
Finally, out of the fading warm air, Rudy answered an ad. She played in the attic of Ben's stubborn old home, braving sweltering heat, and officially joined in late August 2005.
A year later, the 'bottom,' or bass, was found when Theresa joined in August 2006. 'We had cut the EP in March/April '06 and after courting Theresa for a year it turned out that all she wanted was an invitation,' Rich laughs.
To some, Watcher's music reflects the struggles of compromise, truth,
and life. But there is something that goes under the radar, as it
should, that may be most significant about this band: Watcher captures
an essence of life that is over looked, a driving force that hums
just above the grinding of the daily routine, a sanity that floats
strongly above the smoke.
We're hiring: Roots Music Bands. If you are a reggae, blues, klezmer, Irish or bluegrass band, we want to book you. Go here for information: http://northamptoncommunity. ning. com
