If you’re looking for new music that you can simply relax and hang out to, then look no further. Oswego State’s very own Mick Van Rick might be the band that’s right up your alley.
I followed singer and guitarist Sean McNamara into the room in the back of his house, which he dubs “The Laboratory.” The room is tiny, but has a plethora of instruments and crazy lights. In the corner are two drum sets, and against the wall are a few guitars, and even a banjo.
“It’s all about collaboration,” says McNamara. “If we find someone that can play something, and want to jam with us, that’s cool. We’re always open for collaboration.” In a small town music scene like Oswego, people tend to play with Mick Van Rick by chance.
This motley trio came together during the summer of 2010. Bass guitarist Taylor Ricks previously played in another band with the drummer, men’s hockey defensemen Hank Van Box Meer, awhile back. Ricks and McNamara liked to jam together whenever they had free time. Put them all together for a summer, and Mick Van Rick was born.
The name is a pretty simple concept. It comes from the members last names. McNamara, Van Box Meer, and Ricks. “We didn’t start using it until an open mic night at Old City,” the trio says. “We were ‘My Friend’s Band’ for a while.”
While many musicians are influenced by a certain group, or at least a specific genre, each band mate says they’re not influenced by any one group. “We tend to be influenced by good music; anything ranging from R & B to folk,” says McNamara. “I’ve never been told we sound like anyone. We sound like Mick Van Rick.”
Although they’re a fairly new group, the band has a decent-size playlist of at least 20 tracks, including covers. Their cover list has many artists like Phish, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd and Incubus, but they also create their own tunes.
“We never say, ‘Oh hey, we need a song,’ because if that happens, we get an unfinished song,” says Van Box Meer. “We usually just start jamming and then next thing you know, bang, bang, bang. We have a song.”
Normally playing at basement parties, Mick Van Rick is looking to expand and take on gigs of a higher caliber. First on the calendar: an appearance at Hurricanes on Friday, April 8. Can’t make it then? No problem. The band will also be playing before the J.Cole and Sam Adams spring concert on Saturday, April 9, a privilege they won by beating out their competitors at Battle of the Bands.
“I’m not nervous about playing,” says McNamara. “The only thing I’m nervous about is that the weather keeps up. If it doesn’t, we’ll still play, but we’ll go in the food court and sing ‘Kumbaya.’”
That’s not the last time you’ll see Mick Van Rick though. On April 16 they’ll head to OswegoStock, a music festival put on by Students for Global Change in the campus quad. Want to jam out to the band while doing homework, though? Stay tuned because the guys are currently recording a demo that they plan to hand out during their performance before the spring concert.
What it all boils down to for these guys is enjoying the music. After all, “when it gets too serious, the attitude changes and the fun dies,” says McNamara. Don’t be afraid to get in on the fun yourself. If you play the guitar, a banjo, or maybe a clarinet, I’m sure they wouldn’t be opposed to jamming with you.