Somewhere in the middle of a well-pruned and otherwise peaceful
Gilroy residential area, a small shed thuds with the energy from
amplified guitars, crashing drums and soaring vocals.
Somewhere in the middle of a well-pruned and otherwise peaceful Gilroy residential area, a small shed thuds with the energy from amplified guitars, crashing drums and soaring vocals.
This is the practice room of local band, Five Minutes to Freedom.
Black Marshall amps line the walls of the shed, a small converted exercise room that stands alone round the back of a house. Magazine pages with pictures of rock stars and girls are taped up, well-worn rugs patch up the concrete floor, littered with empty Aquafina bottles and 7-Up cans. The final touch to this Spartan décor comes when switches are turned on, and emo and punk influenced sounds swamp the room.
With Kevin Pfeffer and Tomas Carrillo on vocals and guitar, Daniel Carrillo on bass and P.J. Jammal on drums, FMF formed almost three years ago. Since then, they’ve recorded a nine-track album and played local venues like the Great American Music Hall in San Francisco and The Gaslighter in Gilroy.
Impressive, especially considering two members – Daniel and P.J. – are still in high school.
Members of the band have a history that predates FMF. Friends since grade school, all four at one point attended Gilroy High School. In fact, the band name is derived from classroom experiences.
“We wanted something catchy that would stay in people‚s minds,” said Pfeffer. “Whenever you’re at school, those last five minutes seem to go by so slow when you just want to get out of there.”
In addition to their education at Gilroy High, band members also share an early disposition toward music.
All of them began learning their respective crafts before they hit their teens. Brothers Tomas, 19, and Daniel, 17, credit their mariachi musician grandfather for their interest in music.
“When he passed away, we went into the room where he keeps all his instruments. I happened to pick up the bass and (Tomas) picked up the guitar,” Daniel Carrillo recalled.
Tomas Carrillo added, “Music has always been a big influence in our lives, in our family. It seemed natural to move on to this.”
Pfeffer, 19, similarly was raised in an environment where music, specifically classic rock, was present.
“My mom used to play older songs on her acoustic guitar, so that’s how I first got interested,” he said, citing the Rolling Stones as an early influence.
Though Jammal is the youngest of the band at 16 years old, other members are effusive with praise for his percussion prowess. Jammal got his first drum set at age 11 and is visibly excited when he talks about his next drum set, one that he ordered from Orange County Drum & Percussion, a company that allows buyers to customize their kits.
His enthusiasm is probably heightened by the fact that Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker also uses Orange County drums.
While Blink-182-esque, punk-pop sounds are the most evident leanings in FMF’s music, the band says their influences run the gamut from hip-hop to hardcore punk, and from Santana to Story of the Year.
“I listen to almost every genre of music except country,” Daniel Carrillo said.
The band describes its songwriting process as a democratic one, where a band member can pitch an idea that gets collectively fleshed out. There aren’t any dramatic battles for creative control, and no one voice dominates. Subject matter is drawn from daily life and ranges from love to loss.
Since their first album, the band’s sound has developed and moved away from punk, according to Pfeffer.
“We took a break and changed up our style to more of a rock sound,” he said.
If the turnout at their first show in two months is any measure, the new sound is just as much of a hit with their fans.
“Most other bands kind of suck, compared to them,” said show organizer Greg Smith, 15. Smith’s band, Sonic Mirth, also was in the lineup that night. “On a scale of one to 10, I give them an eight.”
The show took place at Morgan Hill’s Dance Unlimited, a dance studio by day, and for one night, the place to be for fans of local rock. Mostly high school-aged concert goers – decked in an assortment of mini skirts, studded belts, Ugg boot replicas and checkerboard Vans slip-ons – packed the studio and spilled out into the parking lot outside. FMF played “Waiting Again,” “Remember Yesterday,” “Time Is Against Us,” and “Find Yourself.”
“They’re really talented, every song they play becomes my favorite,” said enthused fan and friend Jennifer Clet, 17. “I hope they’ll make it big. If they don’t, I’ll still be behind them, and if they do, I hope they’ll remember me.”
“Big” is indeed the level the four members want to take their band.
More than just a hobby, FMF is willing to make sacrifices that will hopefully make making music a career option. Despite busy lives of school and work, the band gets together every Wednesday to practice. In addition, college freshmen Pfeffer and Tomas Carrillo say they chose to attend Gavilan College in order to keep the band together.
At Gavilan, the two have found ways to make coursework complement their efforts for the band. For a video production class, they put together a music video for the FMF song, “Remember Yesterday.” The five-minute clip depicts the relationship between a couple, interspersed with footage of the band rocking out in the practice room.
“We’re all geared toward making this happen,” Tomas Carrillo said.
Next in line for FMF is to record a new demo CD to send to record labels in the hopes of being signed. Their last recording experience took place in Riverside, cost more than $1,000 and lasted almost 60 hours. Fortunately, the band is sponsored by Adesso clothing, which helps to defray those costs.
“It sounds like a lot of time, but when you’re in there, time just flies by,” Pfeffer said.
While touring nationally and playing big shows are goals, FMF have a love for music that goes beyond getting a nod from record label bigwigs
“It’s good to know that what’s coming out of those amps is something that you’ve created,” said Daniel Carrillo.
Pfeffer agreed, adding, “I like seeing stuff come together. Having something in your mind and seeing it come to life is an awesome feeling.”
For more information, visit the band’s Web site at www.fiveminutestofreedom.com.
