Music Nation is a Music Video Competition for Independent Artists

EMAIL: the_green_crayon@hotmail.com ---Lansing by way of St. Johns band The Darts enjoy taking the long, scenic route to arrive at their simple, effective brand of indie-tinged rock ‘n’ roll. As the band of nearly three years is set to release its first proper release, “Pay the Operator,” a five-song EP, the band explains the roundabout journey that brought them to their Aug. 10 CD release show at Lansing’s Replay Entertainment Exchange. The Darts are (from left) Jocelyn Klug, Darrin Higgins, Chris Minark and Wilmer Barber. Courtesy photo “In our three years of existence, this is the first time we’ve had enough money to record something like this,” says singer/guitarist Chris Minark, who, along with lead guitarist Wilmer Barber, drummer Darrin Higgins and bassist Jocelyn Klug, is just one year removed from High School. “We started out by getting together to play the High School talent shows.” Minark, Higgins, and Barber, who became friends while on the drum line for the marching band, formed the core of the band while using the school talent show to try out different potential line-ups. “Eventually we found Jocelyn and realized that it was a perfect fit with her and as a four piece,” Higgins says. With a core in place, the band set out to write music and get to the point where they had a set to play out regularly. “For a while there, we were mostly just sort of playing AC/DC covers at 4th of July parties,” Barber says. Taking the utmost time to craft a sound the band felt was unique, a set was eventually developed that gave hints to influences in rock, power-pop and indie rock alike. Christening themselves The Darts, the band played its first Lansing show in January 2006. “We all like a lot of different music,” Minark says. “We listen to stuff on the radio, classic rock and even more obscure stuff, but what comes out is definitely us.” “We all have parts in our own heads and we just try to put them together in a completely original way,” Barber adds. The finished product of the three years the band spent settling its membership and writing songs, “Pay the Operator” shows off a versatile rock band that achieves originality through character rather than high concept experimentation. “We didn’t have a lot of, like, orchestral aspirations or anything,” Minark says. “We’re not above any sort of simple, cheesy pop music, but we want to do it our own way.” The transition from opener, “The Great Break,” into “The Rose,” gives hint to this formula, kicking off the EP with a three-chord burner before giving way to “The Rose” which sways sweetly along with “ahhh-ahhh” chants that are palatable in their shamelessness. The following song, “Sweet November,” is a bittersweet love song that combines the elements of the aforementioned tracks and ups the ante with an adeptly executed guitar solo provided by Barber. “We like to pretend that our songs don’t necessarily mean anything but they are basically all about relationships,” Minark jokes. “We love to write about love.” “Pay the Operator” is concluded with “You and Me,” which teases with a low-key, acoustic intro sang over softly by Minark, before blasting into a full band jam that allows each member to show off their respective talents. The band hopes its Aug. 10 performance helps build them a larger fan base in Lansing, though they promise to keep playing even if it’s just to each other. “We’ll probably be playing each others’ weddings,” Higgins jokes.