LOCAL SOUNDS
Brokedowns play punk, paranoid
Andy
Downing
Published
Brokedowns singer/guitarist Kris Megyery
readily admits his paranoia. Recounting the events that inspire his
songwriting, the 29-year-old mentions everything from monkeypox
to SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) to the walking catfish -- an
invasive species of air-breathing catfish introduced to the
"We have a song on the new album called 'The SARS Groove' and it's about
media-induced paranoia," says Megyery.
"That seems to be a very familiar topic, which is appropriate since I
suffer from it: I'm paranoid all the time."
The group
consists of singer/bassist Jon Balun, who started the
Brokedowns a decade ago as a 15-year-old growing up
in suburban
Balun and Megyery split
songwriting duties in the band, and each takes a slightly different approach. Balun will usually come in with a completed song for the
foursome to learn, while Megyery tends to make the
lyrics the final step in the process. Then there's the whole business of melody
-- or the lack thereof.
"Jon is more melodic and I'm not at all," says Megyery,
who notes a fondness for jagged rockers such as Hot Snakes and Dillinger Four. "Maybe it's because I'm the group's
pessimist. Jon is more like Steve Perry in Journey. Don't stop believing."
That trend continues on the band's third album, "New Brains For Everyone" (Thick). Most songs lash out at
mainstream culture. "You know, the typical stuff that teenagers write
about," continues Megyery, "which we have
no excuse to write about since we're ... old."
The record is the product of a three-year period (2002-2005), when the quartet
didn't record a note: Instead, it spent its time rehearsing and playing out
live everywhere from church basements to Elks Lodges, favoring the smaller
suburban venues they grew up attending.
"With a show like that you know everyone is there for the same
reason," says Megyery, who adds this parting
shot: "You know it's always going to be all about the music."
The Brokedowns
Anthemic, explosive punk music
When:
Where: Arlington Heights Knights of Columbus,
Price: $10-$12; 847-255-4483.
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2007, Chicago Tribune