David Butler (left), Patrick Schlafer, Stephen Kainec and Andrew Forrai of Columbus band Basic Cable Preachers. The band is set to play at Kafe Kerouac Jan. 18 at 9 p.m.
Credit: Courtesy of Mike Gray
Whether the pop-rock band Basic Cable Preachers is traveling to Dayton or to Cincinnati to play, the Columbus-based band is willing to play anywhere for people who want to listen to their music. Even if it seems like it’s playing on the world’s smallest stage, said lead singer and guitarist Patrick Schlafer.
On a trip in April, the band traveled from a show in Dayton to do a second performance at a friend’s house party in Cincinnati the next night. The band’s party show took place in a friend’s garage, on a plywood stage. It was the tiniest stage the band had ever seen, Schlafer said.
“We called it ‘the smallest stage on Earth tour,’ but it was such a great experience. No matter how small the stage, there’s always a chance to connect with an audience. So whether we’re playing on a huge stage or a small stage, we should always try to make it the most intimate experience as possible,” Schlafer said.
Schlafer and lead guitarist Steve Kainec met at Capital University and found they shared a fondness of music. Kainec is a jazz music major while Schlafer is a music and technology major. After playing music with each other, they decided to form a band. They reached out to Andrew Forrai, a third-year in communication and English at Ohio State and a high school friend of Kainec’s, who is now the drummer of Basic Cable Preachers. Finally, the band added bassist David Butler to the mix, who was Kainec’s freshman-year roommate and music major at Capital.
Basic Cable Preachers has plans in store for 2014. Members are tentatively planning to record the group’s first full-length album, “Ma.” They are also planning to have their own merchandise apparel and to tour more in the Midwest during the spring and the East Coast during the summer, Schlafer said.
“I’m most excited for the recording of the album in February. It will be the accumulation of what we have worked for so far,” Kainec said.
Forrai said the album the band plans to record is something that is substantial and concrete.
“It’s a personal accomplishment to the band and it’s something we can give out to our listeners,” Forrai said.
Schlafer said the other members of Basic Cable Preachers are more than just his bandmates.
“It’s like they’re all my brothers. They trust me with a lot of things and I also trust them. Being in a band is like a business. They’re also my business partners. I have to be open and be able to communicate with them because we have a lot at stake, too,” Schlafer said, who is currently taking a semester off from his education at Capital to work on the band’s first album.
Kainec and Butler still attend school at Capital.
The band uses a collaborative manner of writing songs, Forrai said.
“It’s a good method. Once (Schlafer) has the skeleton of the song, we take it to practice. It helps to have everyone to be involved, and that’s why songs get written. Songs start to sound good because everyone has input,” Forrai said.
Schlafer said the theme of the band’s songs centers on the ideas of happiness and the stresses that young adults experience in life.
Matthew LaGanke, a third-year in agribusiness and applied economics, is a fan of Basic Cable Preachers.
“I think they’re catchy and creative. Their lyrics just flow. Sometimes people just try and force certain words to rhyme, but they don’t do that. It’s just naturally good music.”
So far, the band has only released one EP called “Friends, Family, and Significant Others.” The songs are free to download.
“We want everyone to walk away feeling like they were accepted and a part of (our music). I don’t believe that there is anyone who isn’t cool enough to listen to our music, it’s all inclusive. Hell, if you listen to our music, you’re like the coolest person in my book,” Schlafer said.
Basic Cable Preachers is set to perform at Kafe Kerouac, located at 2250 N. High St., on Saturday at 9 p.m. Admittance costs $5 at the door.
