View, an Ypsilanti band, will be performing at Frenchie’s in Depot Town for their first CD release party on Saturday. View is made of three members: BJ Walraven, the lead guitarist and vocalist; Erik Weber, the drummer and back up vocalist; and Justin Mastic, the bass player.
The band’s musical style can partly be defined by its musical influences, which encompass a wide range of music styles from Phil Collins to the drummer Manu Katche, even grunge and alternative rock.
“I listened to a lot of what they called in the year college rock in the late ‘80s because what was on the radio was not my style,” Walraven said.
Weber said he always loved Manu Katche because of the way he incorporated African and tribal patterns into his drumming and explained how he developed parts of his own style from Katche.
“I’d say we carried forth that indie slash alternative slash college rock sound and just updated it,” Weber said.
Mastic said, “I agree, a lot of alternative and punk rock more than anything.”
“Moving On,” View’s first album, is a combination of their life experiences and the current events in each of the band member’s lives, from people coming and going to the torturous days we all experience.
When it comes to View’s music content, they try to put a positive spin on whatever they are doing.
“ ‘All Things,’ which is the last track on our new CD, sums up the entire album by saying things aren’t always going to be bad. Things improve. It might take some work but this too shall pass,” Weber said.
Weber went on to say they try not to get too political because they don’t like to get bogged down in things like that.
“We write songs as a group collectively,” Walraven said. “As far as what the songs are about, in a nut shell our songs are about life. A lot of the times the song concepts are inspired by things we happen to be going through.”
As for the future aspirations of View, they do not seem to be all that complicated.
“We just want to play music and for people to enjoy it,” Walraven said.
“We are comfortable with being independent musicians, with recording our own works and over the years we’ve developed a following,” Weber said. “We just have fun being a local band representing the Ypsilanti, Ann Arbor area.”
