As Spring Fever was heating up on Laclede Avenue and the sun was sinking, Saint Louis University students flocked to the KSLU stage to witness the explosion of the latest addition to the SLU music scene: Stoked Mobius.
There’s a SLU music scene? Lately it seems like there is-at least a burgeoning one. Recent on-campus events have encouraged hibernating talent to come out and play. KSLU’s Open Mic Nights, Rock the Vote and Greek Week’s Battle of the Bands were all wildly successful by SLU standards. Stoked Mobius has been a staple at all of these events, and during their Spring Fever set it became apparent why people were listening.
Comprised of SLU students Brent Fernandez, Pete Geisen, Jake Burton and SLU graduate Adam Geisen, Stoked Mobius captivated an eager audience with all the accessibility and buzz inherent to a college band. Stoked Mobius is a rock/jam band hybrid with an affinity for goofiness, and though their tunes aren’t particularly innovative, they were fine entertainment for the crowd that huddled around the stage.
Parents with camcorders, students dancing around in their Stoked Mobius T-shirts and a set that included cartoon theme songs created a contagious vibe. Who wouldn’t want to hum along to the tune of the Inspector Gadget song? “Do do do do do Inspector Gadget.”
Pete Geisen and Brent Fernandez stopped by The University News’ office last night to chat about their recent move up from garage band to featured student performers-well, sort of.
The pair are unassuming and enthusiastic about their mini-stardom. They have been friends since 5th grade and formed the band when they were juniors in high school. Geisen plays the bass, his older brother, Adam, plays lead guitar and Fernandez sings and strums as well. Jake Burton, the most recent and possibly temporary member of the band is on drums.
So what is a Stoked Mobius? The guys groaned at the prospect of explaining the band’s name. After some good-natured grumbling Geisen said, “It’s pretty much just made up. It doesn’t mean anything deeply..”
“It means Pete making fun of me,” Fernandez said.
Geisen explained that Fernandez was obsessed with wakeboarding when they were in high school. He used to bring the magazines to school to talk about “this Mobius, which was this groove on the wakeboard.” Fernandez was, however, hopelessly landlocked in Missouri. Their first gig was a high school talent show, an event that forced them to make a quick decision about the band name, and then it stuck.
The band used to play the Reinert coffee house and are excited about all the Open Mic Nights lately, and especially about Spring Fever. “It was pretty huge,” said Geisen. They also expressed a desire for more musicians hiding on campus to get bands together, peek their heads out and play.
As for the Spring Fever line up, Geisen had positive feedback about the Gin Blossoms. “I actually liked them. When I went and saw them, it brought me back to 7th grade, (when) I was a fan. We all were.”
When asked about their similarities with Canadian rock stars Bare Naked Ladies (their styles and goofiness make comparison inevitable), Geisen laughed. “We hear that a lot. Our first song that we played together was `Brian Wilson.'” Fernandez cited the new Ben Folds album Rockin’ the Suburbs as a favorite.
When asked if he played the piano like his man Folds, Fernandez laughed. Geisen, who is also Fernandez’s roommate, said, “He plays kazoo . he plays `Let It Be’ constantly on his little 12-note key keyboard, it drives me up the wall.”
Good thing Fernandez leaves the kazoo and keyboard in his apartment; Stoked Mobius fans might not be ready for that.
Expect more cartoon theme songs, however. “We almost did “\Fraggle Rock,” but it’s a pretty complicated song.”
That would be entertaining. Look for Stoked Mobius around campus and at local bars during the upcoming year.
