Fifth Way

Sault Ste. Marie, Mich. — Fifth Way will be main support for the rock band Tesla at the 1,500 seat Dream Makers Theater on Saturday, June 26. Doors open at 6 p.m. and Fifth Way hits the stage promptly at 7 p.m. to perform a 45 minute set to include songs from their debut album “No Boundaries,” along with two new songs slated for the sophomore release expected early 2011.
The band includes Tim Gossman, vocals; Zak Stelmaszek, guitar; Adam Trahan, guitar; Nic Cole-Klaes, bass guitar; and Dave Reingardt, drums.
There’s been no slowing down for Fifth Way since their sold-out album release show in late January. Since then, they have opened for Bret Michaels and the Sick Puppies and also headlined the Bay City State Theater along with other smaller venues in the Detroit area.
Other developments include:
l Contract with a Los Angeles based publishing company for music placement in TV shows and movie soundtracks
* Sponsorship by Red Monkey clothing
* Bass Guitarist Nic Cole-Klaes has been picked up by MTD Bass Guitars as a sponsored artist
* In the process of making a music video for the single ‘Stomping Ground’
* Show at the Hard Rock Café –Detroit later this summer
Fifth Way is not restricting themselves to the Michigan scene, either. They are currently in talks with a European promoter for shows in Germany and France.
“European promotion and distribution is definitely a top priority for us. The first CD ordered from our web site was from Germany. We are discussing the possibility of playing some dates across the pond. We most likely will not make any money, but the promoter over there thinks she can book us at high-enough paying venues to cover our travel expenses,” said Stelmaszek, a Rudyard native.
The group is also planning dates for the Whisky a Go-Go in L.A. and a gig swap with ‘Black Water Rising’ in New York City. Preparation is also underway for participation in the South by Southwest (SxSw) music festival in Austin, TX next year.
Fifth Way’s first single, “Stomping Ground,” is also presently in rotation on Sault Ste. Marie’s Rock101 (101.3 FM). The group will be in the Rock101 studio during the morning show on Friday, June 25 from 8-9 a.m. to promote the album and Saturday gig with acoustic versions of select songs to be performed live on air.
In the Upper Peninsula, Fifth Way’s CD ‘No Boundaries’ can be purchased at Grooves Music located at 540 Ashmun, in Downtown Sault Ste. Marie.
“The album is selling faster than we anticipated and we are really proud of the results. Around 3,000 copies have been purchased since its January release,” said Trahan.
“I’m very excited to play in the UP and open for Tesla which is one my favorite bands from my youth. I listened to Tesla’s first studio album ‘Mechanical Resonance’ non-stop; I don’t think it left my tape player for over a year,” said Reingardt.
Advance tickets are available now at the Kewadin box office or online at Kewadin.com. The Dream Makers Theater is located at 2186 Shunk Road, Sault Ste. Marie.

- Soo Evening News

Detroit, Mich. — Detroit rockers Fifth Way are set to debut the release of the music video for their song “Stomping Ground” at the Magic Bag Theater in Ferndale on Friday, November 5.
Produced by director, Sean Babas, the video features band performance clips along with an intricate story line.
Frequency 54 and Ghosts of August open the night. Fifth Way closes the show with a 90-minute set featuring new music slated for their sophomore album.
Fifth Way was recently featured in a video for Chevrolet’s “Department 180” advertising campaign that was released September 8 on Chevrolet’s YouTube channel. The episode features a performance of “I’m Rock & Roll” by Fifth Way alongside the new Chevrolet Cruze.
The band was first contacted by a producer on the project after being recommended by WDET’s Ann Delisi.
Fifth Way had the honor of performing acoustically in the WDET studios for the ‘Essential Music’ program that aired earlier this summer. The video can be found as a favorite on Fifth Way’s YouTube channel or by searching for “Fifth Way Dept. 180.”
“It was a very interesting experience, we set up the complete band in the middle of a test track and played our song while a vehicle fitted with several cameras drove circles around us,” explains guitarist Zak Stelmaszek, a native of Rudyard. “The point of the episode is to show how quiet the car is inside so we jammed while the engineers made the point from inside the car."
The debut CD ‘No Boundaries’ (released in January of this year) can be purchased locally at Grooves Music. The album can also be ordered directly from the Fifth Way website or downloaded at www.itunes.com
Advance tickets for the show are available now at the Magic Bag box office or online at Ticketmaster.com.
The Magic Bag Theatre is located at 22920 Woodward Ave., in downtown Ferndale.
Doors open at 8 p.m.; tickets are available at the door and ages 18 and over are welcome to attend.
- Soo Evening News

Local Info: Fifth Way features just one member who claimed a local residence, that being lead guitarist Zak Stelmaszek. Originally from nearby Rudyard, Zak graduated from Rudyard High School in 1995, and would then enroll at Lake Superior State University in the electrical engineering program, living on campus in Sault Michigan in the process. Zak gratuated from LSSU in 2000, and later moved to the Detroit area, where he currently works as an engineer at ESG Automotive in Pontiac, Michigan. That is, when he's not rocking out with Fifth Way! Portions of this info come from e-mail correspondence with Zak, in case some of it is hard to source online.

Band Bio: Fifth Way launched in late 2007, and found a solid footing in the Detroit rock scene through frequent gigging in the area through 2008 and 2009, backing up acts like Saliva, Alter Bridge, and 10 Years. Save for the bassist switch from Terry Greers to Nicholas Cole-Klaes, their lineup appears to have remained stable since their inception. In January of this year, Fifth Way released their debut album "No Boundaries", and have been touring in support of it ever since. Their name growing ever quicker, Fifth Way have slowly begun playing shows outside of the Detroit area, notably coming up to Sault Michigan for two high profile shows this summer at Kewadin Casino, backing up Tesla in June and Three Doors Down at the Kewadin Summer Festival in July! Still frequently playing shows all over Michigan, Fifth Way are preparing for their debut on the iTunes Store and will unveil their new music video at a concert in November. Watch out for more from Fifth Way in the coming months!

Fifth Way employ a very catchy radio hard rock sound that'd be right at home on Rock 101, and it's a wonder we don't hear them more on the radio locally, especially with Zak's local connection! Their music doesn't have much surprises in terms of song structure, but what they do, they do well, with a gritty aggressive sensibility that does help set them apart from other bands! Tim Grossman's vocals are melodic, yet have a rough edge to them, and the guitar work from Zak and Adam is both catchy and heavy, making the most of their riffs! Honestly, Fifth Way are the kind of band I can picture driving down a highway to, it has that hard riding essence, while still being melodic and fun to listen to! Fifth Way are a very good hard rock band, and I'm sure we'd welcome them back to the Sault area with open arms!

- Sault Metal Scene

Local rock band, Fifth Way will debut its first music video Friday, Nov. 5 at the Magic Bag Theater in Ferndale.
Produced by director, Sean Babas, the video features the band performing its song, Stomping Ground, along with an intricate story line.
“Stomping Ground is based around the idea of don't let anybody else hold you down. It's that type of theme,” said guitarist Zak Stelmaszek of Canton. “Make life what you want it to be. Take the world as your stomping ground.”
Doors open at 8 p.m. at the Magic Bag, located on Woodward, just north of Nine Mile in Ferndale. Tickets are $8 and the show is aimed at ages 18 and over.
Frequency 54, Ghosts of August and Panic Trigger will open the show. Fifth Way will take the stage around midnight, opening with the new music video, followed by a 90-minute set of new music.
Stelmaszek said the live performance portions of the new video were shot at a studio in Farmington Hills.
“It has a circular eggshell background. We set up our equipment in there. The rest of it was done in Chicago, with the story line taking place. That's where the director lives.”
He said the group isn't sure what story line runs through the video and that the director has to shoot one more scene before the piece is ready for viewing.
Fifth Way had some on-camera experience under its belt before it started shooting the music video. The band appeared in a video for Chevrolet's “Department 180” advertising campaign that was released last month on Chevrolet's YouTube channel. In the video, the band performs I'm Rock & Roll alongside the new Chevrolet Cruze.
“They wanted a loud rockin' band to show the quietness of the interior of the car.”
The video producer contacted the band after he received a recommendation from WDET's Ann Delisi. Fifth Way had performed an acoustic set on Delisi's Essential Music program.
“It was a very interesting experience, we set up the complete band in the middle of a test track and played our song while a vehicle fitted with several cameras drove circles around us,” Stelmaszek said. “The point of the episode is to show how quiet the car is inside so we jammed while the engineers made the point from inside the car.”
Other band members are Tim Gossman of Waterford, Adam Trahan of Rochester Hills, Dave Reingardt of Fenton and Nicholas Cole-Klaes of Garden City.
The band's debut CD No Boundaries is available locally at Dearborn Music, Rock of Ages, Blues Airmen Guitar, Grooves Music and Brandon's School of Rock. The album can also be ordered directly from the Fifth Way Web site www.fifth-way.com or downloaded at www.itunes.com.
Advance tickets for the show are available now at the Magic Bag box office or online at Ticketmaster.com.
For more information about the show call (248) 544-3030 or visit www.themagicbag.com.
- Ferndale Pleasant Ridge Mirror

Local band Fifth Way opens for TESLA
June 17, 2010
There's been no slowing down for Fifth Way since the local band's sold out album release show in late January.
Since then the group has opened for Bret Michaels and the Sick Puppies and also headlined the Bay City State Theater along with other smaller venues in the Detroit area.
Members signed a contract with a Los Angeles-based publishing company for music placement in television shows and movie sound tracks and are in the process of making a music video for the single, Stomping Ground.
They're planning a show at the Hard Rock Cafv© in Detroit later this summer and they'll open for the multi-platinum recording group, TESLA, Saturday, June 26, at Dream Makers Theater in Sault Ste. Marie.
“It's going to be a great show, bringing the band ‘home' to northern Michigan is something I have been wanting to do for a while. This show is the perfect opportunity to give all my friends and family up there a chance to see the band live without having to travel,” said Zak Stelmaszek Fifth Way guitarist and a Canton resident.
The band will perform a 45-minute set, including songs from their debut album No Boundaries along with 2 new songs slated for their next release expected in early 2011.
“I'm very excited to play in the UP and open for TESLA which was is one my favorite bands from my youth. I listened to TESLA's first studio album Mechanical Resonance non-stop, I don't think it left my tape player for over a year,” said Dave Reingardt, Fifth Way drummer, of Fenton.
Fifth Way may add a few European gigs to its schedule. It's in talks with a promoter for shows in Germany and France.
“European promotion and distribution is definitely a top priority for us. The first CD ordered from our Web site was from Germany. We are discussing the possibility of playing some dates across the pond. We most likely will not make any money, but the promoter over there thinks she can book us at high-enough paying venues to cover our travel expenses,” Stelmaszek said.
Plans are underway for appearances in Los Angeles, Calif., as well as New York City, N.Y. The group also will participate in the South by Southwest music festival in Austin, Texas next year.
No Boundaries is available at Dearborn Music, Rock of Ages Records in Garden City, Blues Airmen Guitars in Garden City and Brandon's School of Rock in Brighton. It can be ordered directly from www.fifth-way.com or at Amazon.com
— By Sharon Dargay
- Canton Observer

Fifth Way : No Boundaries
By Bill Holdship

As much as popular music and various music scenes seem to be so genre-specific in modern times — so do the many genres often blend, bleed and blur. Detroit's Fifth Way, a hard rockin' quintet featuring Michiganders from locales as distant and exotic as Essexville and Port Huron, is a classic case in point. Self-described as "post-grunge," which sadly often means something like Creed these days, the band shows influences rooted in the Seattle bands the second part of that description would suggest, including Pearl Jam, Soundgarden and Alice in Chains. But when this debut disc kicks off with the blazing and blaring "Lose Control," it's obvious that these guys are also heavily ingrained with the metal — particularly the hair metal — sound that dominated much of the 1980s and early '90s.

Fifth Way's saving grace, however, for those of us who didn't like, say, Skid Row — and perhaps where the Nirvana/Cobain component of their "post-grunge" title most comes into play — is the band's melodic bent, an element not always present in that era's metal music, or in a few of the grunge acts that didn't include members who married Courtney Love. A lot of that melody is courtesy of the twin guitar attack of lead player Zak Stekmasek and cohort Adam Trahan, which is powerful but tastefully tuneful at the same time and is ultimately what makes the band somewhat unique. And yet, the aforementioned "Lose Control" or "Stomping Ground" — which could have been called "Hell, Yeah," a line that's repeated throughout the song, and which musically brings to mind an instrumental line from Bad Company's "Rock 'n' Roll Fantasy" — wouldn't sound at all out of place next to something by early Van Halen or mid-period Mötley Crüe. It certainly has that kind of sonic "power."

Speaking of rock 'n' roll fantasies, it takes some balls to title a song "Rock 'n' Roll" in 2010. After all, none can stand up under scrutiny against the definitive anthems from Lou Reed and Led Zeppelin, respectively, back in the days when the term actually meant something ... or at least so we thought. Seriously, though, lyrics like "I live rock 'n' roll/I'll die rock 'n' roll" are pretty damn hard to take, um, seriously from anyone in this day and age. Still, these guys sound like they mean it so much, it's actually kinda refreshing, even if the song doesn't necessarily make a believer out of you.

Lead singer Tim Gossman grows on you with repeated listens — at first, one worries he may be as much David Clayton Thomas as he is Eddie Vedder — ultimately displaying a voice that even works admirably on the disc's sole ballad, "Never Gonna Be." The entire album may not hit on all cylinders, especially lyrically (most of it seems to be little more than platitudes about not letting the bastards get you down) on all 11 tracks. Nevertheless, No Boundaries is still pretty impressive when it comes to both a specific musical genre and genre-blending in general.
- Metro times

Formed: Early 2008 in Birmingham

Sound: Hard rock

Members: Tim Grossman — vocals (Waterford Township); Zak Stelmaszek — guitar (Canton); Adam Trahan — guitar (Rochester); Nicholas Cole-Klaes — bass (Garden City); Dave Reingardt — drums (Fenton).

Influences: Grossman says that the quintet’s collective tastes are “very diverse” but that the group members “all grew up in the ’80s grunge rock era,” favoring Pearl Jam, Alice In Chains, Soundgarden and “just a lot of heavy, straightforward rock. We’ve taken that and put a modern twist on it.”

Day Jobs: Grossman owns Broker Direct Properties. Stelmaszek is senior systems architect for ESG Automotive. Trahan is a medical equipment sales consultant. Cole-Klaes is a student at Columbia University in Chicago. Reingardt is a full-time musician and instructor.

What’s In A Name? Grossman says a previous bass player came up with the 5th Way moniker, “a fifth being the dominant note in the scale, and way being the habitual path, so the dominant form of rock would be the Fifth Way.”

Opening Adventures: Since forming, 5th Way has opened shows for acts such as Alter Bridge, Saliva and Poison’s Bret Michaels, all of which have been “exciting,” according to Grossman, who was previously in the band Courtesy Stitch. “Any time you get to step on stage and open for a national band is exciting,” he says, “and on top of that, you’re always playing for a packed house. And all the bands are really good about hanging out with the openers backstage before and after the show. We’ll do dinner at some of the venues we play before they open the doors and we’ll end up having dinner with the (headlining) band and hang out a little bit. We’ve gotten to meet some great people.”

Hear ’em: Fifth Way has just released its first album, “No Boundaries,” which was recorded at Rustbelt Studios in Royal Oak.

See ’em: Fifth Way celebrates the release of “No Boundaries” on Saturday at the Magic Bag, 22920 Woodward Ave., Ferndale. Core Effect, Forest Wade and the Wall Clocks also are on the bill. Doors open at 8 p.m. Tickets are $8. Call (248) 544-3030 or visit www.themagicbag.com.

Surf ’em: www.fifth-way.com.

— Staff writer Gary Graff - The Oakland Press Friday, January 29, 2010

If your musical library is lacking in power ballads and uber-masculine lyrics set to strong rock riffs, then mark your calendar for the January 30 release of No Boundaries, the first album by Detroit-based, post-grunge rockers Fifth Way.

The band certainly fits in with the augmented breast-bandana-wallet chain Motley Crue aesthetic. And they’re pretty good at what they do musically; just don’t expect any sort of departure from the American rock style of Guns N’ Roses.

Lead singer Tim Gossman delivers strong vocals to accompany the heavy melodies set by dual guitarists Adam Trahan and Zak Stelmaszek, alongside drummer Dave Reingardt and bassist Nic Tole-Klaes, on the 40-minute album that generally resembles the sound of any Godsmack song played on 89X.

So what makes these guys different from the mainstream bands played on the radio? Besides a melodic reliance on two lead guitars for most leads and solos, the band members all have day jobs, according to lead guitarist Adam Trahan.

“We’re professionals in the day and then put a bunch of crap in our hair at night and run around onstage,” Trahan says.

Trahan’s day job is selling medical equipment, and fellow lead guitarist Zak Stelmaszek has a master’s degree in engineering. It’s those careers and outside-musical aspirations that have prevented the band from releasing a full-length album until now. Although they’ve been together for two-and-a-half years and started recording in August 2007, No Boundaries is their only album aside from a promotional demo.

They’ve taken awhile to get to this point, but Trahan claims he and his cohorts are willing to take the band as far as it will go.

“We’re taking a step where we’re entertaining bigger management companies,” he said. “Everything is calculated.” | RDW

Fifth Way • 1/30 • Magic Bag


- Real Detroit Weekly Jan 26, 2010

For the past two years, Fifth Way have rocked its radio-friendly post-grunge songs to a plethora of diverse Detroit crowds, opening up for the likes of Bret Michaels, Alter Bridge and Saliva. Fifth Way have recently finished work on their debut album “No Boundaries” at Rustbelt Studios in Royal Oak with engineer extraordinaire Eric Hoegemeyer, and are primed and ready to launch their musical careers to another level in 2010.

The band, consisting of Adam Traham (guitar), Nicholas Cole-Klaes (bass), Zak Stelmasek (lead guitar), Dave Reingardt (drums) and Tim Gossman (vocals), play their CD-release party at the Magic Bag in Ferndale on Saturday, an event which Traham promises will feature a “few surprises” though he hesitates to provide the dirty details. In the meantime, the guitarist told Metromix why the first, second, third and fourth ways all failed and why this one is going to be different.

How and when did Fifth Way form?
We started back in August of 2007. We just wanted to go into the studio to record a couple of songs, not thinking that anything would come of it. We did that, recorded four songs, and just started to put this together.

In November 2007, we started to take it more seriously and book some shows, so we recruited a permanent drummer and played our first show at the Machine Shop in Flint. We did well and they invited us back. We just took it from there.

Did you all grow up in the Detroit area?
No. I’m from Essexville, Bay City. Tim’s from Port Huron, Zak’s from the U.P., Dave’s from Hartland and Nick is from Garden City so he’s the only one that grew up close to Detroit.

You have an obvious Seattle influence. Is that generational?
I’m 31, so Pearl Jam is a large influence with regards to my guitar playing. By default, Tim falls into that category because of his baritone singing style. I’m not as influenced by local music, but I wouldn’t pigeonhole us with the Seattle thing either.

We all grew up with a lot of hair metal, and prog rock, too. As far as newer local bands, we try to stay away from that and take from what we all grew up with.

You’ve been called post-grunge. Are you happy to be lumped in with bands like Creed?
No matter what happens, we’re going to get labeled. I don’t care what people say we sound like, as long as they like what we sound like.

You recorded at Rustbelt Studios in Royal Oak with Eric Hoegemeyer. How was that?
Eric had a lot of influence on what we did. He engineered it, and helped with the producing and mixing. We enjoyed working with Eric, no question. We had a great time with him, we learned a lot from him, he contributed ideas to the songs, and we would definitely work with Eric again.

Where does the name come from?
First of all, there are five of us. The "fifth" is the dominant note in the scale, and "way" is form by definition. If you take those together, you get a "dominant form." The "dominant form of music" expresses what our goal is, as far as being musicians. People ask us if it’s a three-way, plus two. Absolutely not.

Are you happy with the way 'No Boundaries' turned out?
Definitely. It took a long time. It took two and a half years to get everything together. We still don’t have the product in our hands but we know what it’s going to look and sound like.

Are you looking forward to the show at the Magic Bag?
That’s one of our favorite places to play. Every time we go there, we try to do something a little bit special, something that deviates from our normal show. It’s a special place to play and we’re appreciative that they allow us to play there regularly. This time, we have a couple of things lined up that we haven’t done before, but I’m keeping it a secret.

Do you know anything about the bands that you’re playing with (Core Effect, Forest Wade)?
We’ve played with Core Effect a couple of times in the past and they’re great. Zak is friends with some of the guys in Forest Wade so that’s how we hooked up with them.

What do you have planned for the next 12 months?
The next step for us after getting the CD out is to try to promote it as much as possible. We want to try to take what we’re doing to the next level. We draw very well in the Detroit area, but that doesn’t help us in St. Louis.

We’re trying to put a business plan together. We want to go on tour, but if nobody’s heard of us in Columbus, what’s the point of going to Columbus and playing to seven people.

Where do you see yourselves in 10 years time?
Headlining at (new York's) Madison Square Gardens and the DTE (Energy Music) Theatre. That’s the ultimate goal.
- Metromix Detroit

Ferndale, Mich. -
Detroit post-grunge rockers Fifth Way celebrate the release of their new CD “No Boundaries” at the Magic Bag Theater on Saturday, January 30.
The doors will open at 8 p.m. Local bands Core Effect, Forest Wade, and The Wall Clocks open the show.
The band includes Tim Gossman, vocals; Zak Stelmaszek, guitar; Adam Trahan, guitar; and Dave Reingardt, drums.
Recorded at Royal Oak’s Rustbelt Studios, Fifth Way’s “No Boundaries” features 11 blazing tracks of melodic guitar rock.
The disc “is an attempt to bring back rock to its purest form — with fierce lead vocals, potent guitar riffs, fueled by a full throttle rhythm section,” explained Stelmaszek, a native of the Eastern Upper Peninsula and graduate of Rudyard High School and Lake Superior State University.
Stelmaszek, who is also an engineer with ESG Automotive working in Pontiac, Mich., formerly performed with Cement Pond and Plug Nickel.
“We all came of age in the 90s, listening to Pearl Jam, Nirvana, Alice in Chains and Soundgarden, and while you can definitely hear those influences, we’ve managed to create our own — very current — sound,” he said.
And Fifth Way’s sound is one rock fans are responding to. Detroit’s WRIF has already started spinning “No Boundaries” first single “Stomping Ground,” a forceful rock anthem that is at home alongside any Nickelback or Disturbed hit. The new CD will be available for sale for the first time at the Magic Bag celebration.
Honing their performance skills as openers for Saliva, Alter Bridge, and Bret Michaels, Fifth Way brings an arena-worthy live show to every stage they grace.
With pumped up exuberance, shredding, riff-heavy guitars, and knock ‘em down grooves, the band exudes an energy and excitement that more than satisfies even notoriously discerning Detroit audiences.
For the members of the group — who live and embrace “a way of life expressed through music,” — the Fifth Way is the only way to rock.
Advance tickets are available at the Magic Bag box office or through Ticketmaster. The Magic Bag Theatre is located at 22920 Woodward Ave., in downtown Ferndale. For more information about the show, contact the venue.

On the Net: fifth-way.com; www.myspace.com/fifthway; or themagicbag.com
- The Evening News

Recently I received a copy of Fifth Way's debut CD, 'No Boundaries'. Being a fan of hard driving rock and roll their CD was right up my alley. These guys have a great sound. The very first thing I noticed was the incredible guitar tones. I thought to myself "that has to be a Les Paul/Marshall combo". These guys are definitely pro's. I was particularly drawn to track 4 "Never gonna be". It's a fantastic rock anthem built on strong vocal melodies, rhythmic dynamics with a splash of ambient piano. While this track perfectly captures the more melodic side of the band, the rest of the CD is overflowing with testosterone laden grooves intended to inspire the most critical listener. After several listens the CD has found a home in my CD player. If you get a chance, get to the Fifth Way website and check them out. - Detroit Live Magazine