Bojibian

"Straight up rock with a high-powered and playful sort of charm, [Bojibian] is poised to be one of the bigger and more inventive names in the northeast region."

http://www.origivation.com/issues/origiVation_2008.04.pdf - Origivation Magazine

"A well-executed kitchen-sink cocktail of pop, post-punk, classic rock and more, Bojibian—the band and the EP—is the sound of four remarkably self-assured early-20-somethings…having what sounds like an awful lot of fun as they show off their impressive chops."

http://www.mainlinetoday.com/Main-Line-Today/October-2008/MLT-Musts/


- Main Line Today Magazine

"A pop-rock band with a punk attitude. Their upbeat tempo, energetic stage show, and three-part harmonies drew me in but their entertaining lyrics and attitude kept me there to the end."

http://www.ontaponline.com/view_article.php?article_id=11271
- On Tap Magazine

"These kids are young and seem to have a lot left in the tank, with plenty of room to grow. Catch 'em before you have to pay more than ten bucks to go."

http://www.thedelimagazine.com/philadelphia/index.php?name=deliphiladelphia&itemId=205894&mode=comments

- The Deli Magazine

For any musician, your attitude defines you. You either believe in your craft or you don’t… sometimes it’s that simple. Musicians have to prove themselves on stage, night after night, in front of people who either adore them or are indifferent to their music. Let me speak from experience: the worst audience is not one that hates you; it’s one that couldn’t care less about what you’re doing.

But sometimes one comes across an artist that carries with them a confidence that is so evident that it make you want to listen to them, even if you have no clue as to who they are. It’s not a confidence that shakes you into submission, it’s one that attracts you because they believe in their music so much that it somehow reaches you and makes you believe in it too. This week’s Featured Artist, the Philadelpha based Bojibian, has that intangible quality that’s hard to put a finger on, but whenever I hear their music I’m further convinced of it.


Self-Titled EP
Taking their name from singer Stephen Lorek’s sister’s way of saying “jibberish,” Bojibian has done quite a bit in the short year they’ve been together. They’ve secured management, they’ve been a finalist in the World Café Live’s “Philly Rising” competition, they’ve been able to tour the northeast extensively and will be expanding their reach come summertime, and they’ve released two EP’s. ” To be honest we could have made 8 EP’s this year if we had the means,” says Lorek. For any start-up band, that’s a LOT to accomplish in a year’s time.

I guess confidence does pay off.

The roots of the group come from singer Lorek and drummer Dylan Mulcahy. As Mulcahy tells us, the two met after a gig with his old band, Rhymes With Orange. Lorek approached him and said, “Hey, I’m Stephen Lorek, nice to meet you, and you’re gonna be my drummer.” The two connected instantly at the first rehearsal and after recruiting the rest of the members at college, formed Bojibian, the “band we always wanted to exist,” as Mulcahy states.

They just released their second EP on March 9 titled All Night, All Day. ”We recorded six songs all in one night, live, to two inch tape,” says Lorek. The results were a collection of infectiously catchy rock/pop songs that do their job in grabbing the listener and keeping them until the last note.

Take a listen to “Voodoo Magic” in the Dig-It section below. I was hooked in right from the start, and was surprised to hear that it almost didn’t make the album. As Lorek relates to us, “Niles started strumming some chords one night in my apartment after we had already decided which songs would go on the new EP. Next thing I know I’m singing the ‘Voodoo Magic’ melody. We thought. ‘Damn, this tune is pretty good! If we don’t record it tomorrow, we probably will never record it.’ So the next day, I jotted down some lyrics in my Art History [class]. That night we went into the studio, hit record, and played ‘Voodoo Magic’ for the first time.”


All Night, All Day EP
Bojibian seems to thrive in the studio. “It’s fun, it’s in the moment. It gives you that golden chance to just react,” as Lorek explains. “We love to work. I love writing songs,” he continues, “I am utterly compelled to write. I love to build. I love to see these songs come together. I love to be in the heat of work. It’s very satisfying. Building is such a positive thing.”

I thoroughly enjoyed spinning All Night, All Day, and discovered that the songs held a deeper meaning within the good-times nature of their sound. A good example is the second track, “Go Out.” One line caught my eye in particular: “She told a priest that religion was fear of the unknown.” When I asked the band about the meaning behind the song, Lorek answered with, “The bravest thing to do is to bare the burden of the unknown and to inductively uncover objective answers. This song is about a smart guy who finds himself awake at 4AM in a messy room, drunk, listening to music, who needs one last dance with his whimsical behavior before he becomes a rational person. He is taking refuge in tomorrow. Evading his responsibility to himself. He is a complete contradiction. Perhaps religion is a way of evading the glaringly evident responsibly we have to ourselves.”

Bojibian may have a name that means nothing, but their music says differently. Their sound is surprisingly refreshing, making me want to see their live show (which is a sign of a good record). Although I was initially surprised to hear that they have only been around since early 2008 because of how confident they come across, it all makes sense now, based on how they approach the band. “What makes this group work successfully is that we understand we can’t all do the same job,” says Mulcahy. “Besides actually playing the music, which is the piece of Bojibian that we love and want to do all the time, there is a lot of other work that goes on to keep us running. Everything else [aside from booking shows] is done by the band members. There’s a lot to do everyday.” It’s this kind of group effort that will undoubtedly pour over into every part of their work, from writing to performance.

Two releases for a young band is impressive enough, but with a head turning record like All Night, All Day, it makes me wonder where they’ll be in another year.

Drummer Mulcahy sums it up well for Bojibian: “It’s a funny thing to me, this is not the first time we’ve heard that we emit a confident vibe. It’s funny because this group is one that is very self critical – not in a defeating way, but more of a unit that feels its only action is to improve, to discover more and more and never for one second think that we have ‘arrived’ somewhere or done something too great. I think from day one this group has felt like an underdog. We will always feel we have something to prove. I think that’s why we come off as confident during our sets… there’s no space to chill or relax. It is our 45 minutes to show you how much we love this.”

By Swapmeet Louie
March 30, 2009 - TheFrontloader.com

"They've perfected that fine musical art of being as familiar sounding as they are original, a surefire key to success" - BagOfSongs.com

"They mix a variety of music genres to create a unique eclectic sound." - MetroMix (Washington, DC)