Grubbie Ernie, sewn together with music
by Kevin Hosbond
Daily Staff Writer

To witness the early beginnings of a band is an exciting thing. To be the band is even better.

However, many unrealized factors are involved when starting a new band.

Nerves, pressure and insecurity are just a few of the obstacles the Ames band Grubbie Ernie has come
to terms with.

The foursome, which formed last fall, consists of singer/guitarist Brad Thoen, drummer Joel Nott,
guitarist/singer Matt McClurg and bassist Yuta Naganuma.

According to Thoen the band met "through connections."

Beginning in a dorm room in Friley, the members of Grubbie Ernie had to relocate their rehearsal space
because they were too loud and got into trouble often.

Moving off campus gave the band the freedom to turn up its amps and blast tunes at full power, the
volume needed for the ska/punk influenced power pop Grubbie Ernie plays.

"We like to play the kind of music we grew up listening to," Thoen said. "I especially liked the Ramones,
Operation Ivy and the Buzzcocks."

Listening to those bands is what got Thoen started in music.

"I always liked their sound. It seemed that it would be easy to play guitar, and it really was," Thoen said.

Even though some of the band members are just beginning to play, they are already able to write and
play original music.

"We don't play cover songs; we've always written our own stuff," Thoen said. "A song usually starts out
as simple chord progressions, and then we add the words to it. The lyrics are mostly about old
girlfriends, or have hidden meanings that only we know about."

Thoen also spoke of what it's like to be in a band that is just starting out.

"It's hard to handle the pressure this early," he said. "Especially with playing at a place like People's. It
doesn't seem that there's much room in Ames for our music. We'll probably end up playing a lot of
out-of-town shows."

Grubbie Ernie's show at People's Bar and Grill will only be the band's third show, which will add to the
excitement of opening for 35" Mudder.

"They seem to rock pretty hard," Thoen said.

Grubbie Ernie's first gig was at the Design Center playing for an art exhibit. The band's second show, at
the Longshot, was a bit bigger and surprised the members.

"All I did was hang up flyers the day before, and I wasn't expecting much, but the crowd surprised us. It
seemed that the more they drank the more they liked us, though," Thoen said.

Besides playing music, the band really likes crowd participation and loves to see everyone having fun.

"We love it when the crowd gets into it. If you get up on stage don't let Matt kick you in the face. He
and Yuta tend to get a little wild," Thoen said.

It's no wonder the band likes a bit of craziness. After all, it was McClurg's own craziness that helped the
band come up with a name.

"At first we fiddled around with Spank and Kate's Moss. Then I remembered my Bert and Ernie dolls
from when I was a kid," McClurg said. "Ernie was the worst because I played with him a lot. He got
really dirty, and my mom had to sew his arms back on a lot. We all thought that it would make a good
name."

After playing only a couple of gigs, Grubbie Ernie is planning on recording its first demo tape soon.

"We've got our own studio so we're pretty lucky. Since we've got kind of a ska sound, we're gonna be
mixing some horns in to make it more fun for the people," Thoen said.

But Thoen is unsure about making a career out of playing music.

"We'll just have to see. It'd be nice to just get the publicity," he said. "I just hope everyone that comes
out to the show will like us. They may not expect us to blow them away, but we will."

Grubbie Ernie will be opening for Deadfront and 35" Mudder Sunday at People's Bar and Grill. Doors
open at 6 p.m., and Grubbie Ernie will take the stage at 7 p.m. Tickets are $5 at the door.