CRAIG KOJIMA / CKOJIMA@STAR-BULLETIN.COM
Singer Chad Domschke, far right, moved here in March 2002 to be closer to his sister. About nine months later Amplified was born with fellow group members, from left, guitarist RickyLee Miller, drummer Ryan "Ryno" Selzer and bass player Kodia Rae.
Loudly, proudly
original
IT'S JUST after lunchtime this past Saturday, and all four members of Amplified are hard at work at the Wave Waikiki setting up for a gig that night. Passing showers drip down the building's exterior, much like sweat off people who would be dancing at the club some 12 hours later.
Out back near the Wave's service entrance, singer Chad Domschke stands just out of the rain's reach. Nursing a cup of 7-Eleven coffee and trying not to spill it on himself through a flip-top lid, Domschke looks like he's dealing with a serious lack of sleep in addition to storm clouds this afternoon.
Hard rock band plays own stuff
Amplified DVD Release Party with openers MixeD NutZWhere: Wave Waikiki
When: Tonight, 10 p.m. to 4 a.m.
Admission: $7 cover, 18 and over
Call: 286-3183 for info
As it turns out, they had a gig at Gussie L'Amour's last Friday and were out until early that morning. It's hard living like a rock star, but he's hanging in there.
Things would definitely be a lot better if there were someone to do the prep work for them, I tell Domschke after we're joined outside by the rest of the band. But instead of agreeing with me, as I had expected, all the guys said that they actually enjoy coming in to get ready before a gig.
"It'd be nice to have people tear it down for us," Domschke replies with a laugh. "That's the fun part, setting up."
FORMED JUST over a year ago, Amplified is comprised of guitarist RickyLee Miller, bass player Kodia Rae, drummer Ryan Selzer and Domschke. All four hail from out of state (Domschke and Miller were born in Germany, Rae in New York and Selzer in Michigan), and met each other here through contacts in the local independent rock scene.
After moving to Oahu in March 2002 to be closer to his sister, it took Domschke "about half a year to find people with a similar passion" for the type of rock he had performed with a dozen other bands while living in Europe. He was also looking for musicians who wanted to create their own material, not just play cover songs by other artists.
"It's a big, big issue," said the singer. "Ever since I've been here I've been told you got to do covers. It's kind of a challenge (to not play them), but people appreciate that."
Miller, who had just gotten back into playing guitar after not picking one up for the previous four years, is another recent transplant to the islands.
Describing his reason for moving as a "bad relationship," Miller packed his things one night at three in the morning and drove from San Diego to Los Angeles, where he sold everything and bought a one-way ticket to paradise.
After meeting at a local recording studio, the group began to coalesce when Domschke introduced Miller to Rae and they all clicked immediately. Selzer came into the picture a few months later when the decision was made to replace the band's original drummer. The current lineup was solidified by December 2002.
CRAIG KOJIMA / CKOJIMA@STAR-BULLETIN.COM
The band is releasing a live performance DVD.
WHEN ASKED what's been their biggest highlight so far, the guys quickly agree that performing at Bayfest last July in front of 6,000 people was quite an experience. Amplified took the stage before Big Island-based rockers Pepper and headlining act Everclear, and according to Miller, "the response was amazing."
Although they had played a handful of times at places like Anna Bannana's, Moose McGillicuddy's and the Wave, it wasn't until Bayfest that the band began to gig on a regular basis. For the rest of last year, it wasn't uncommon for them to play every Thursday through Saturday night, then return to their respective full-time jobs during the week before repeating the cycle.
In addition to giving Amplified the repetitions they needed to fine-tune their live act, the gigs also helped them to distribute 5,000 copies of a five-song EP they recorded independently. But the key word here is distribute, not sell, according to Miller.
"It was not about the money -- it (was) just hey, thanks for coming," the guitarist said, explaining that a majority of the discs were given out free of charge to people who supported them at various performances. "We appreciate that you guys come to our show(s) ... if we have it, we'll give it to you."
NONE OF the CDs remain, unfortunately, but the band is finally ready to release a live performance DVD that they had promised fans. An 18-and-over DVD release party is scheduled to start at 10 tonight, and the guys say they're always happy to welcome new people into the Amplified ohana.
"That's what (we're) big about -- no covers, and relationships with our fans to give them that family feeling," Domschke says. "That's what we are, and that's what we want everyone who gives up their time and money (to feel)."
If sales go well, the DVD will help finance an upcoming California tour to Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco and Oakland. And according to the band's new manager, Tim Richardson, there are also a number of record companies asking about a showcase performance for label executives while they're in town.
But what if that doesn't happen? "Even if we don't get a deal, we're going to keep on doing this," said Domschke as he exchanged a reassuring handshake with Miller. "We started the ball rolling and saw that this thing can keep going.
"The more help we get to keep ... rolling, the better off we are."
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