Independent Collegian - Arts & Life
Issue: 11/8/04

A musical 'Implosion'
By Sarah Alfaham & Annie Linder

Most bands define success by their ability to explode outward - across Billboard charts, into record stores and onstage - but Implosion, as its name suggests, works first from within.

"Musically, we've fallen in on each other and blended a mix of different styles," said singer/songwriter Matt Gerovac, who was a UT student, but transferred to and graduated from Cleveland State University with a degree in English.

They may not agree on favorite football teams, but when they're not practicing or performing, nothing gets this soul-groove group together like a game of Madden.

The band members' diversity, combined with their shared passion for music, has defined a sound that is quickly catching on.

"I would like to say that [football is] the only division in the band, like the only thing we really disagree about," said Cutty, the band's keyboardist, who described Implosion as a "Cleveland Browns-type of band," while Gerovac is a hard-core Stealers fan, born in Pittsburgh.

Ethnic differences define them as well.

Formed less than a year ago, Implosion consists of Gerovac, who is Croatian; bass player Deyampert Giles (aka Amp); drummer Phil Torres; and Cutty, the man behind the keyboard and background vocals.

Torres, an Orlando, Fla., native, is Irish and Puerto Rican, while Giles and keyboardist Cutty are African-American.

Much of the band's influence comes from Matt's childhood years spent on the St. Thomas Islands in the Caribbean, where soca and calypso music were popular.

Both his parents are musicians, and Gerovac said music was a part of him long before he uttered his first word.

"I was raised on my dad's bass amp" Gerovac said. "Like, they would literally put me in my car seat on top of it."

More than the fearless leader, Gerovac is also the mastermind behind the band's lyrics. Add the individual influences from each band member, and the result is a truly unique sound.

Torres started playing the drums with a jazz and contemporary rock background at the age of 13 or 14, he said.

"I got more oldies, pop/rock and whatnot," he said. "Then I met these guys, and they introduced me to a lot of reggae and a lot of funk. Since then, we've been a pretty solid funk rhythm section."

Cutty started out on the tuba and brings a bit of blues into the mix as a result.

Amp said he grew up listening to just about anything he saw on MTV and has been influenced by a bit of every genre.

Playing a mixture of soca, calypso, African and funk/hip hop sounds, Implosion's band members really love what they do.

"A lot of it has to do with reggae, dance hall," Gerovac said. "I think a lot of music is based on the rhythm of the heart, and the rhythm of life. When it gets manufactured, it's like manufacturing life."

Being pigeon-holed to one certain title or genre is also something band members want to avoid. Gerovac has chosen to define their music as "soul-groove" because he believes it's open to interpretation.

"When you sign with a label, they're gonna want you to look a certain way, they're gonna want you to act a certain way and honestly, it's something we don't want," he said. "We're definitely not ... some MTV knock-off band trying to look or act a certain way."

For a band that refuses to compromise musical standards to gain publicity, Gerovac said the response to Implosion has been pretty good, with listeners building up a small fan base. He attributes their success to the variety of songs they play and the fact that, with so many different styles, "there's something for everyone to hold on to."

"We'll do a reggae song, and then we'll go to, say something with hip-hop flavor, and a lot of times if people are not familiar with the music, they'll sort of stop and look at us kind of funny," Gerovac said. "Sometimes it takes us a minute, but you'll notice they keep on listening as the night progresses.

"I think it's just one of those things where it's a lot more integral and it's not particularly cerebral - something you need to think about and intellectualize like jazz or classical music. It's more intrinsic."

Gerovac said he hopes Implosion can make a difference through its music.

"I just want it to get as big as it possibly can. I have a lot of ideas - socially, culturally, politically - that I'd like to share with other people," he said. "I'd like to be given that opportunity on a larger scale."

Implosion has been hitting mostly East Coast states while on tour, including Pennsylvania, West Virginia, New York and Michigan.

The band just returned from a weekend show in Pittsburgh and look forward to visits in the Toledo area, where Implosion will play in December.

Gerovac said The Village Idiot is one of the band's favorite venues because he feels the regulars who come are there for the music.

"People have returned there when we come back, [and] that's the best indication that you're doing something right," he said.

Torres said he hopes to open up more on the college market, on which he feels Implosion will have a great influence.

"Anyone who is tired of consumerism, especially college students, will relate because our band is reality," Gerovac said.

The 26 year old said he hopes the band will soon see the results of its hard work, which, up to this point, has been "a labor of love."