Andrew English never had any aspirations of playing music in a band. He is the type of person who plays music for the love of playing it. Music to him is therapy, and he doesn't need the approval of others to give him motivation to play. Luckily for us he met Robby Cosenza. English's chance encounter with Cosenza turned into a musical partnership, which in turn, led to the formation of one of Lexington's most notable indie-pop bands, The Scourge of the Sea.
In the winter of 2003, English was living in an historic house on North Broadway that had been turned into a small apartment building, and Cosenza was staying in one of the apartments in the building. English recalls their unlikely meeting.
"Robbie happened to hear me playing one day in my apartment. There was a common hallway area, and I guess he was just walking out. My door was cracked open while I was recording a song, and he basically just knocked on my door and said 'Hey man.' Within the first week of us knowing each other, he suggested that we form a band. He's the main reason why I'm in a band at all. I never even thought of making my music public. He's my musical lucky charm."
Cosenza, who plays drums in popular local bands, The Apparitions and Pontius Co-Pilot, was not originally the drummer for The Scourge of the Sea. In fact, in the beginning, The Scourge of the Sea didn't even have a drummer. English and Cosenza shared the songwriting duties, and they also shared the instruments.
"Robbie was playing some guitar and keyboards," English explains. "He is also one of the songwriters so he was singing some of the songs as well. We started out as just a collective of a few people, and we didn't really confine ourselves to a specific instrument, and that's what really made me like it."
The Scourge of the Sea may have formed quickly, but it was a long time before they started performing in public. Eventually English asked his friend, Justin Craig, to join the band and the foundation was set. Craig, according to English, is the best musician of the three, so he fit in perfectly with Scourge's inclination to vary which member played what instrument.
"Everyone plays more than one instrument," said English. "Robbie plays drums part of the time, and guitar part of the time. He also sings backing vocals on almost every song and sings lead vocals on the songs he writes. Justin plays guitar, and keyboard, and I play guitar, keyboard, and sing the majority of the songs. It's a really eclectic mix, but we've found a good way to make it flow, so it's not like we're taking a five-minute break in between every song, it's very fluid when we perform on stage."
Dickie Haydon, who is also in the local band Petticoat Petticoat, joined the band about seven months ago and plays bass on most songs, but also gets into the instrument-swapping mix by playing keyboards as well.
With the tremendous amount of musicianship gathered together on stage, you might think that The Scourge of the Sea is one of those bands that throws songwriting to the wayside and just rests on its musical laurels, but nothing could be further from the truth. Songwriting is priority one for this band. English is the main songwriter, but Cosenza also does his share of composing, and all of the members contribute to the songwriting process. English said he feels songwriting is the most important aspect of the music.
"I wouldn't play music if it weren't for the songwriting. I don't see music as a means of financial gain, or even as a means of gaining notoriety. The only reason I care about music is purely for the creation, and that's what I want people to appreciate about what we do-the songs."
If enough people don't know about The Scourge of the Sea's songwriting prowess, it's not for lack of trying. After Scourge recorded its first album, Make Me Armored (released by Los Angeles-based indie label, Alias Records), in August of 2006, the group hit the road and toured for six months straight playing over 300 shows. They played everywhere from the southern tip of Florida to the Canadian border, and as far west as Kansas City. English recalls the band's tour with appreciation.
"It was a blast. We booked all the shows ourselves, which was stressful. We didn't have any money during that whole period of time. It was three guys confined to a used van for months. The label helped out a little bit, but we were pretty much on our own. It was one of those things where, by the time it's over, you're absolutely sick of doing it, but two months later you forget about all the bad parts and it's probably one of the most fond memories of your life."
Even though The Scourge of the Sea has not toured extensively since that whirlwind experience, the group still plays many shows in the area and can be seen with regularity at local venues The Dame and The Icehouse. They prefer smaller, intimate venues so they can connect with the crowd, and the only hope they have of their audience is a simple one.
"We really like to be in front of an audience that is listening," said English. "That's the most important thing for us in a live environment."
The Scourge of the Sea's CD is available on the band's Web site, www.thescourgeofthesea.com, at their shows, and at local music stores like CD Central. You can also get their two-song, 7-inch vinyl 45 at their performances. For more information, visit their site or www.myspace.com/thescourgeofthesea.