Cosmic Railroad: Brilliant Live Improvisation

Cosmic Railroad is known for its live show experience, creating a conversation not only between musicians but with the audience. “We had a guy come up and tell us that the reason he likes our shows is because they don’t feel like there is a disconnect,” Brandon Shilts told HPR in a phone interview. “He felt it was like he was on stage with us.”
And for the band, the feeling is mutual. “The audience is there giving it to us whether there are 800 people or 200 people,” Shilts said. “We’re going to feed off that. That really is going to determine the direction that we go.”

And that is truly how the band operates. Though they have written songs with a set melody, chord structure, and lyrics, they move beyond that, giving the audience something more musically as it comes to them in performance.
The six-piece band is also unusual in its personnel. Though the band uses standard rock instruments, it boasts two drummers, three guitarists, and a lone bass player. One drummer concentrates on trap set, while the other uses toms, cymbals, congas, and a load of stuff he can pound. The rhythm section was beefed up because of the extra guitars. “We needed the two drummers because our harmony section was so thick and heavy,” Shilts explained. “That second drummer/percussionist really complements everything, balances everything out.”

But three guitarists could each vie for a place, especially when there are no set rhythm and lead guitar positions. “We are all well-studied as musicians,” said Shilts. “Peter Rallo and I were in a band together so we knew how to read each other. And the other guitar player, Greg Gierl, just knew how to listen. We trained just by the experience of being on stage…If one guy is on that night, we’re going to let him take it home, give it all to him. So we don’t consider it like rhythm or lead or anything like that. We consider that either you can play or you can’t play.”
All of this color on stage makes Paul Aceto’s place within the band that much more important. As the bassman for Cosmic Railroad, he has to keep everything on track, feeding the heartbeat to the drummers as they do their thing and as the guitarists experiment around that structure. “If he’s not solid in the pocket, we’re in trouble real fast,” admitted Shilts. “But he’s a solid-pocket bass player. He can hold it down. But he knows when to split, too. And when we start getting into jams, he can leave his realm and hang with us, then come back and make sure that everything is cool….It looks like straight chaos but there is some harmony and beauty in it.”

Cosmic Railroad creates a comfortable ride that usually lasts about four hours. They have recorded all of their shows for the past five years and distribute them as live discs. “What really captures the magic of us is the live show.”

If You Go

WHAT: Cosmic Railroad
WHERE: Crosstown Lounge, GF
WHEN: March 7, 10pm
HOW MUCH: $5
WHO: 21+ID
INFO: (701) 757-0162

WHERE: Aquarium, Fargo
WHEN: March 8, 10pm
HOW MUCH: $6
WHO: 21+ID
INFO: http://www.myspace.com/theaquariumfargo