Band offers ‘Midwest Reggae’
Cinna the Poet´s RJ Jennings, left, Nate Robusto, Josh Mullens and Forrest Stockton have been playing music together for eight months.
One local band has more on its mind than selling tickets.
“We want our music to be part of the solution not part of the problem,” said RJ Jennings, bassist for Cinna the Poet.
The band said that too many musicians are making money off of sad songs about breaking up with girlfriends and bad childhoods.
“We just want to lift people’s spirits and show them it’s OK to have a good time even though so much bad stuff seems to be going on right now,” said Josh Mullens, vocals.
Cinna the Poet, a name taken from act three, scene three of Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar is another example of the musicians’ outlook on life.
Mullens said the band’s outlook is just like in the play when the crowd shouts, “kill him for his bad verses.”
He would rather the band be judged by what it stands for and who it is than for its name.
Cinna the Poet has been together for eight months and has been on an ever-increasing tour.
The band consists of Mullens and Jennings, along with Nate Robusto, drums, and Forrest Stockton, guitar.
It started out playing in local venues like the Bridge, Dioko, Champs and most recently, Memorial Hall. But it has also played many venues in Springfield like The Rockwell and The Blue Room.
The band has a show in Springfield on Nov. 12 at The Drink. Cinna the Poet also plans on playing in Chicago and in Texas near the end of the month.
Most recently, the band won first place in a battle of the bands in Grove, Okla., where it won a grant for $1,000, which it plans on spending on a new trailer for its equipment.
Currently it has a four-track demo and has a full-length CD projected to come out around March, although no dates are certain.
The band will also make an appearance at midnight Friday night on Hank’s Friday Night Movies on KSNF-TV.
Mullens said if anyone is interested in hearing the bands music, which he said is a blend of punk rock and reggae the members refer to as “Midwest Reggae,” to please visit its Web site at http://myspace.com/cinnathepoet05.
Also available on the site will be upcoming concert dates.
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