You Have to Start Somewhere
The Rolling Stone article recognized local acts Birth of Tragedy, the German Art Students, and Phat Phunktion as bands on the rise in Madison. If nothing else, Birth of Tragedy drummer Ryan Peterson '99 and singer/guitarist Cory Divine credit the magazine with helping to give a name to up-and-coming musicians.
“As a result, we signed a management deal with a company called Anger Management,” says Divine. “Through that, we're working on a new demo and have generated some interest throughout the industry.”
But Jason Braatz x'05, bass guitarist for Phat Phunktion, had a slightly different reaction to being referenced in the music mag. “The Rolling Stone thing is cool because we can say we've been mentioned, but as far as opening any doors that hadn't already been open ... it kind of happened at a bad time,” he says. The band, which has performed with Rick James, The Temptations, and Earth, Wind, and Fire, has slowed its booking schedule while keyboardist Tim Whalen '01 attends graduate school at the prestigious Manhattan School of Music. That, in essence, gives Braatz the freedom to explore a different style of music with his latest group, Bon Pantalon.