Summer People this Saturday at Big Day In! Ah, music to my ears. Despite our love for this this high-energy revolving cast of characters, this is the first BDI that has worked out for both parties. We're stoked to have one of central NY's hottest rising stars back on the IU stage. This crew had another busy year with two more lengthy tours, releasing their spilt 12" with tourmates HotChaCha, a successful Kickstarter to convert their tour van to veggie power and press their second LP "Teamwork" to vinyl and more. Ithaca Underground's Bubba Crumrine catches up with Brandon Musa for a bit of Q&A before they head for Buffalo to start a handful of NY tour dates, ending with our event on Saturday.

IU: Congrats on the kickstarter process! How is everything going regarding the pressing and veggie conversion?

Brandon: Thanks! It’s going well. We are working on getting both done within the next month or two.

IU: Glad I was able to catch the SP/HCC set at Culture Shock earlier in the fall.  Everyone tore it up as usual. What were some highlights from your tours w/ HotChaCha and Zlam Dunk?


Brandon: Pete did karaoke in his briefs. Jesse set off a firecracker in the middle of Cleveland. Cheddar got a needle stuck in his arm (not what you'd think). Lots of chaos.

IU: How did you all initially hook up with HotChaCha and Zlam Dunk?

Brandon: We met Zlam in San Marcos and hit it off immediately. We met HCC in Cleveland and fell in love.

IU: Any other bands you met on tour that Ithaca folks should put on their radar?

Brandon: The Moaners, Fangs Out, Vamos!, The Catalyst.

IU: Who and where did you record your split tracks for "Do It" out in Columbus, OH and how was that experience?

Brandon: We recorded with a fella named Adam Korbesmeyer at a place called The Tone Shoppe. It was the best recording experience I’ve had in a long time.

IU: Sort of a mundane question typically, but what artists do you all pull inspiration from for this project? I've always found it interested how past and current members come from involvement in hardcore, punk, and math-rock bands and what music comes out as Summer People.

Brandon: We have a bunch of members so the influences are all over the place. All of us love hip hop but, I have no idea how much of that makes its way into our songs. I know that we all love old rock n roll and punk and try to sound as raw as possible. If it’s not fun to play it’s probably not much fun to listen to so, that has a big impact on what stays and what gets dumped. We get a lot of Nick Cave, The Cramps, The Stooges, and Joy Division comparisons so we can’t complain.

IU: So, this question is a bit dated, but even though we've been working with you all for a few years, I don't know the back story of how Summer People came to be, post- Fire When Ready. Care to share with us and other uninformed individuals?

Brandon: Summer People started as an excuse for us old dudes to continue being involved in art and music. We got ahold of Graham because we loved his band The Trip Wilsons and wanted to work with him. After our first show we started playing with Alex but he was only popping in for a few songs. When Red Leader put us in the studio we had him sing and play drums on a few songs. He has one of the best voices in the game so, the jump from percussionist to singer was natural. When our old singer Justin told us he wouldn’t be able to tour we got ahold of Peter. I am a huge fan of Crime Pays so, I was stoked for that. Jesse came in once Steve started working as an environmental biologist at Duke. Basically we came together via mutual admiration - a weird little Upstate family.

IU: Thanks! As you alluded, SP have had a bit of a revolving cast of characters on tour. What's the line-up for Big Day In?

Brandon: It’ll be Peter, Jesse, Graham, Alex, Justin, and myself with some vocals from Jovanna (singer of HotChaCha) and our old singer Justin.

IU: What are the plan for 2012?

Brandon: A lot of touring. A lot of writing.

IU: Good to hear! We'll look forward to it.  Any final words to those coming out to Big Day In?

Brandon: It’ll be our last upstate show for a couple of months so let’s get really weird.


Summer People - Great Northern Diver from If You Make It on Vimeo.

Hallelujah I'm A Bum & Broken Bones


Don't miss Summer People live at Big Day In on December 3rd at The Haunt (702 Willow Ave, Ithaca, NY 14850) with the likes of Algernon Cadwallader, Parts & Labor, SIRS, HotChaCha, Megachurch, The Sidekicks, and more! 12 band, 10 hours, $5. Doors open at noon and music starts shortly after.