Pork
From The Extended Group
Pork is the most common name used to describe a rock band formed between group members while in high school.
Contents |
Band Members
Permanent Members
- Brett - (bass/keyboard/lyricist)
- Jeremy - (drums)
- Lukas - (lead guitar/rhythm guitar)
- Stuart - (lead vocals/guitar/lyricist)
Temps
- Michael Andrade - Test practiced for guitar part. Rejected because he alarmed Jeremy by not taking off his shoes
- Mark Moser - Sang for a Pork performance (see below)
- Sophia Sullam - Was invited to come practice with band, but this never panned out
- Andrew Carson - Was invited to come practice based on his skill with the guitar and the fact that he had a large technically advanced amplifier. He performed the recording "Blues Jam" with the band in early 2002, and then retired to playing videogames as Lukas used his amp to play an instrumental version of "You Gave Your Love To Me Softly". Didnt think the band was a good fit for him and never came back.
Groupies
- Gavin - Often showed up to band practices, expressed interest in playing tambourine
- Terry - Showed up to practices with the express purpose of disrupting them, band members theorized
Name Evolution
The earliest formation of the band occured in 2000, when Brett, Lukas and Stuart decided to put on a performance for their end-of-the-year project. A temporary band name was chosen to be "HYP" (pronounced "hype"), which in addition to being a mildly interesting homonym, is also an acronym for the three band members' surnames (Hilyer, Young, Peter). In 2001, the name, (along with Jeremy’s introduction to the group) was changed to Pork, referencing both Lukas' love of non-Kosher foods and Brett's new-found vegetarianism. (Brett's willingness to accept the title is regarded by some as an example of Brett being ironic. This name continued for the longest period of the band's tenure, but was changed in 2002 to Shoenar in ancitipation of the group's first and only show outside Mr. Kelly's class.
History
Formation
The earliest incarnation of the band was known as HYP , which formed in early 2000 for Mr. Kelly's English 9 class (see Mr. Kelly) by members Brett, Lukas and Stuart.
(An even earlier band consisting of Jeremy, Lukas and John Chang formed in the summer of 1998 or 1999 and lasted only one practice. They only played one original song with 3 chords and tried to cover "Whats My Age Again" by Blink 182. Their primary competition came from Chris Goiney's band and Mike Tilton's band.).
Other songs besides "Love Potion" were written during this time, but most were discarded and never performed. Among these were a punk song comprising of just four chords repeated fairly quickly and a keyboard drum machine. There was also a blues-driven song which lifted chord changes from a Duke Ellington song.
It is worth noting that these early practices took place at Stuart’s house and could only occur when his parents were absent. For example, when the "punk song" was being rehearsed, Stuart’s dad came up and asked who was doing “all the yelling,” Stuart responded erroneously that ‘’we’‘ had all been doing the yelling, even though he was the only vocalist. A similar example came up when "Love Potion" was being extensively rehearsed in preparation for the class performance. During this now legendary session, Stuart’s parents entered the room and began dancing to the reggae beat. Stuart physically forced his parents from the room in an embarrassed hurry.
Towards the end of Summer 2000, Jeremy joined the band as its permanent drummer, precipitating the group’s most creative phase. The band dropped the name HYP for the now obsoleteness of the acronym (although variations of “CHYP” were considered) and began rehearsing in Jeremy's recreation room, which at the time was carpeted.
The Pork Period
The Cho family was initially very accommodating to practice schedules, at one point even allowing Lukas to bring over a 350 Watt bass amplifier (which was played at around midnight). After a period of creative frustration, it was decided that the band should focus on covering songs before attempting to write their own (this was largely based on the perceived reasons for the success of Ozma, a fact which Brett bitterly protested at the time).
Over time, practicing slowly became less and less the focus of band assemblages. Practice sessions turned into hang outs, and much more time was taken up going on long walks, ordering Dominoes pizza's and dessert pizza's and eating them, watching movies, and even sleeping (there were actually several occasions in which practices turned into overnight sleep overs). The band only performed in small friends-only sessions or in front of Mr. Kelly’s class, and had little live experience.
At one point, Michael Andrade came to a practice, but due to some creative issues, was not asked to return. Andrew Carson also sat in on one practice, but that session never moved beyond a recording of "Blues Jam."
Shoenar and “The Performance”
The "big break" came one night when Jeremy contacted the band members telling them that there would be an opportunity to play at the Berean Bible Church opening for "Fremmen" an instrumental emo/math-metal band fronted by Nathan Sikov. The band had less than 24 hours to perform, triggering a massive practice session the next day after school. Several covers were chosen and rehearsed quickly. They included Goldfinger's "99 Red Balloons", Radiohead's "Creep", Weezer's "You Gave your Love to me Softly" and others. The band also changed their name inexplicably to Shoenar, which was a former nickname of Jamie. There are mixed reviews on this show. The performance ended with Lukas, Jeremy and Kevin on vocals playing butchered versions of several beloved Weezer songs. It was not long thereafter that the band went on "indefinite hiatus" as members split off to join other bands.
Influences
Influences were wide ranging among alternative rock and pop. A few favorites were Weezer, Ozma, Green Day, Blink 182, Radiohead, Smashing Pumpkins, and various stage-band songs. Brett also had interest in Procul Harem, and the Presidents of the USA, but it is unclear if they influenced the band.
Songs
Love Potion
Background
Love Potion was a significant hit for Pork and earned them status of one-hit wonder. Written when the band was still known as HYP, it earns the distinction of being the only song that lasted into the two subsequent incarnations of HYP. The tune itself is centered around a funk bassline, which was rewritten from a song the initial threesome had played in Stage Band. The lyrics dealt with many of the romantic themes from Romeo and Juliet, with the title itself refering to the sleeping potion that Juliet ingested. The song was performed twice and was eventually abandoned following the break up of Shoenar.
Performances
The song was first performed by HYP as part of a Romeo and Juliet presentation in Mr. Kelly's 9th grade english class. During the performance, Stuart donned a Jamaican wig and sang with a sterotypical Jamaican accent. Having not yet purchased a bass, Brett was relegated to the keyboard. The performance was met with favorable reviews, particularly with Mr. Kelly, who would continually reference the event as the months and years bore on, even going so far as to casually refer to Lukas as "Elvis".
The final performance of Love Potion took place at the Berean Bible Church as part of a larger set of covers. By this time, Brett was fitted with his headless bass. The performance was met with sporadic applause from an apathetic youth group.
Key Lyrics
- "Sometimes, it seems that things work out for me. Sometimes, they work out not so pleasantly..."
Mrs. Bailey's Room
Background
Mrs. Bailey's Room was a song written in part by Stuart during the early practices of Pork (late 2000). It was a very simple song since there was simple a spastically played clean guitar chord with limited drumming and no bass (Brett wouldnt buy a bass until later that year). The lyrical content regarded Mrs. Bailey's Classroom of which Stuart and Brett were a part. The song was never performed or recorded.
Jeremy's Spanish Song
Background
Jeremy's Spanish Song was written and recorded to fulfill a Spanish IV project. The lyrical content on the song was intended to teach the listener as to the differences between "ser" and "estar". Brett and Stuart performed their respective bass and piano lines on the same keyboard, which made recording the song particularly cumbersome. Jeremy sang the primary melody line, to which Brett and Lukas would occasionally chime in with faux-Spanish squeals and other gibberish. The song terminated with Lukas performing one of his traditionally orgasmic guitar solos, causing the band to lose the tempo entirely. The song was later resurrected as "The Elevator Song", which was practiced for one night and then abandoned completely.
Key Lyrics
- "Yo voy a Espana, la comida es muy buena."
El Topo
Background
The two-note alternating bassline for this strange tune was accidently discovered by Brett while messing around on Jeremy's keyboard. Brett never really cared for the song that developed out of this riff, but Stuart, concerned that the band's set list was noticeably thin, insisted that it be transformed into a song, and wrote out most of the lyrics after Brett refused to.
Key Lyrics
- "Things are getting strange... nothing's as it used to be..."
Segue Tavern
Background
Came nearly as close as "Love Potion" to reaching the level of single, this song came about during the band's most creative period (Summer of 2001). The smooth, but rock hard flavor and poetic lyrics made it a band favorite, although Stuart often complained that too many words were being crammed into the opening beats. The chord structure was derived heavily from a Duke Ellington song as well as "Zero" by Smashing Pumpkins. The song was recorded, but never released onto the public.
Key Lyrics
- "Fifty thousand cars a day, a hundred million miles away."
Masters of Our Fate
Background
This song was a poem written by Brett Junior Year that Pork decided to turn into a song for their Creative Writing project (see Mr. Kelly). Because Lukas was not in the class, and the group had to include everyone in their table, Mark Moser was temporarily inducted into the band. It was thought that he could play tambourine, cow bell, or some other insignificant instrument, but eventually it was decided that he would have to become the pro tempore vocalist. During the subsequent performance, band members had to restrain themselves from laughing as Mark gleefully recited the song's lyrics in the lounge style of William Shatner. One segment of the song required Brett to run a quarter up and down the "E" bass string to produce a sound that mimicked a whale singing.
Key Lyrics
- "We are the masters of our fate, We are the Caesars of our time"
Trivia
- For the first six months as the band's bassist, Brett did not actually own a bass guitar but played a keyboard rendition of given basslines. The bass he eventually ended up purchasing was a rare Steinberger Spirit Bass (with no head) that was partially made of kevlar.
