Roster McCabe Keeps the Dance Floor Full

This week, Roster McCabe, a Minneapolis five-some, will be pumping out original tunes at Rascals and the Crosstown Lounge.

This new band has been hitting the regional festival circuit hard this year, playing Bella Sol, Summerfest, Fat Fest, Harvestfest, and the 10,000 Lakes Festival.

They are currently inking in club dates, filling an already very busy calendar.

Roster McCabe grew out of a solo acoustic act on the University of Minnesota campus three years ago. “I met our current keyboard player, Alex Steele, there,” said Drew Preiner (rhythm guitar/vocals). “At the time, he played djembe; he didn’t even play piano! We just started playing music together.”

Mike Daum (lead guitar) joined later when he visited his girlfriend who had an apartment over Steele and Preiner’s practice space. He just asked to sit in with them and a lead singer they had been working with. Mike stayed, but the lead singer moved on when the band vibe changed into a more electric scene.

“We started writing new songs for a full band,” Preiner said. But they needed more personnel. “We put some ads out there, and we got a couple of hits.” They used these new players on a per gig basis.

“They worked out for a little bit, but in the end we wanted someone who was more permanent. So, we put another ad out in a bunch of places like City Pages.

“We also put up flyers at McNally Smith College of Music in St. Paul. That’s how we attracted our current bass player, Scott Muellenberg.”

Roster McCabe also found their first drummer, Sassan Scott Zaker, in that school. Zaker, whose major was music production, found he needed more and more time to devote to his new career choice and left the band.

Muellenberg, who was also playing in a blues trio, found their current drummer, Jeff Peterson. “He met Jeff through the guitar player of that band. Now, Jeff is in the band, and we finally got our solid line up,” Preiner said.

Filling out the original band was Jason Parvey who played saxophone.

After a year or so, Roster McCabe began to refine their sound, moving away from jazz-based work and writing more rock-rooted, edgier music.

“We’re still going to do the jams, but we’re more like Umphrey’s McGee and less like the Dave Matthew Band now,” Preiner added.

Their new music stems from changes within the songwriting collective of the band. “Mike comes up with a lot of the original ideas. Then, he’ll bring it to either Alex Steel or me. We’ll start to write a song from that,” Preiner explained. “It’s usually a collaborative effort in the end. There aren’t too many songs that Mike writes all on his own. But he does from time to time.”

What is interesting is the fact that Mike Daum doesn’t sing. Steel, Preiner, Muellenberg, and even the drummer Jeff Pete all do. “We’re working on a lot of songs that have four-part harmony now,” Prenier said. “That’s something that we think is very important. It just creates another element, another step of musicality.”

Not only is Roster McCabe a great band to listen to or dance to, but these guys all have a strange sense of humor. Last summer in the blazing heat, the band brought a crazy mascot to their stage at the 10,000 Lakes Festival. Joining them in a very furry costume was a guy in a kangaroo suit! So, don’t expect an ordinary rock and roll show. Roster McCabe knows how to keep the party going.

If You Go

What: Roster McCabe
Where: Rascal’s Bar, Moorhead
When: Thurs, Oct 23, 9pm
How Much: $3
Info: 218.287.1846
Where: Crosstown Lounge, Grand Forks
When: Fri, Oct 24, 9:30pm
How Much: $5 buys admission and a free beer.
Info: 701.757.0162