Band overcomes member issues

By Nate Cross
Staff Writer

Many of the band members of The Schramms, from Hoboken, N.J., have come and gone like players in a game of musical chairs.

The Schramms have recorded five albums since 1990, but it seems as if the only consistent things on all The Schramms albums are the group's namesake musician and good quality music.

Before there was The Schramms, there was Dave Schramm, the musician. As lead singer and guitarist, Schramm’s first big splash into the music pool came as a guitarist on the critically acclaimed Yo La Tengo's first album, "Ride the Tiger." After the album, Schramm left that band and formed The Schramms.

In addition to the work on The Schramms albums, Schramm has recorded solo albums and sat in as a studio musician for Freedy Johnston, Soul Asylum, Kate Jacobs, Chris Stamey — and the list goes on.

As the founding member of The Schramms, Schramm has not only worked with many musicians in the studio, he has also seen many band members move through roles in 10 years. There have been more than 10 different members in the band.

The Schramms is a roots-rock band that sounds similar to other all-country notables such as Wilco, The Jayhawks, Son Volt and Freedy Johnston. Its sound varies from acoustic guitar drawn-out twang to upbeat toe-taping hoe-down tracks to singer/songwriter tunes, all complete with the raspy Bob Dylan meets Tom Petty whiny and lingering vocals of the lead singer.

Schramm described the band's sound by saying, "We play rock music. They're pop songs; sometimes it's rootsy, sometimes it's Americana. You can tell from our records that we slide around a lot. We don't want to be the same thing all the time."

On the band's most recent outing on Innerstate Records, "100 Questions," Schramm continues to experiment with different types of tracks but remains consistent in that he travels along the now well-beaten path of quality song lyrics.

On the title track to the newest album, which is the band’s fifth release, Schramm writes, "A twist in the wind blew through me/and cut the cord that bound me home. Cold as an old December/cold as in air that ice had known. Then the moon fell sudden and accident'ly/with a shattered sight it shot the sea. And now I have 100 questions/you think the night might answer me?"

In a weird series of connections, three previous record labels that carried the band's release found themselves no longer in business.

"The first album came out on OKra/Rough Trade and then Rough Trade went belly up. Our second came up only in German on NORMAL Records. Our third album came out on ESD and then they went belly up. So we kind of kill labels I guess; although I don't really think it's our fault; it's just worked out that way," Schramm said.

It's ironic because the group plays killer music. And for The Schramms, change has always been a good thing.

The Schramms will join Mason Jennings at 7:30 p.m. on Sunday at the Boiler Room in West Lafayette.

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