By Diana Galban
Watching Band Marino perform is like being stuck in a time capsule and being shipped somewhere into the Wild West for a jamming session and lemonade; talking to Band Marino, however, is more like talking to the neighbor as you pick up your mail.
Nathan Bond (lead singer, guitarist and composer of the Orlando group) and Chris Adams, (banjo, guitar, piano player and "Mysterious Stranger") are as down-to-earth and friendly as your closest buddy, quickly agreeing to meet with us despite the hectic fan-meeting and merch-selling duties the band has to perform too.
Nathan Bond lead singer, guitarist and composer of
Band Marino.
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"I don’t know if I ever decided I wanted to be in a band," Bond said. "I started playing music with my friend Jonathan [under the Band Marino moniker]." The rest is history.
The band has traded members in and out since its unofficial start five years ago when Bond was only 18. "We're actually trying out band members next week!" Bond said excitedly. The band is searching for a fifth permanent member to the group.
Chris Adams, rightfully named "The Mysterious Stranger," is one of the wandering members who take part in the band only at times. Finding committed potential members to join the folk party that is Band Marino, and learning the ropes of touring, recording, and how to be a better band every day, may be part of the struggles to sustain a music group, but as they slowly figure it out, we only see the fruit of their efforts.
Independently released, The Sea and the Beast, is the band’s debut record, which is re-releasing nation-wide on March 4 due to a distribution deal. Prior to the deal, The Sea found its way to fans through the guys themselves, selling it after shows in local Orlando venues such as BackBooth.
"BackBooth is a very cool venue," says Bond. "BackBooth is a very... cool... venue," Adams said slowly into my recorder making sure I got that.
"The thing that’s exiting about [music] is that you connect with people on a personal level."
Tonight, Band Marino opened for Dear and the Headlights and As Tall as Lions, and though they performed unsigned, their show is no less passionate and professional than their label- housed tour mates.
"We’re working on some music, talking to some labels," says Bond. "[The songs] are really different from anything we've done or anything that I've been hearing… not that it’s this bizarre, art music that’s so difficult you could never understand. We’re using all the elements of music that I love, like rag time music, spaghetti western."
Band Marino's very different taste and style of music is a contrast from what the SoFla music scene is currently about. And their motives behind playing that music are very old fashioned yet refreshing. "The thing that’s exiting about [music] is that you connect with people on a personal level. I think that if it’s good music, then it’s really exciting," says Bond.
In the medley of topics involved in our conversation, from Morrissey to Joaquin Phoenix, and from talking to fans and press to album reviews and the changes involved in the growth of the band, Bond leaves us with, "It’s a personal part of you. I put so much into it, do my best. That’s all I’ve got. What I give is what I have. So what more can I give?" And we smile because we like what he gives.
Check out full Band Marino concert coverage with As Tall As Lions here
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