Bizarro Will Records Album, Drinks Heavily
By Michelle Vijverberg
Staff Writer

"Whiskey-rock" is what Charlie Ittner '03 likes to call it. Ittner, along with Chad Naso '03, Sam Gaines '03, and Chas Preston '03 have been making music together since they started the popular on-campus band Bizarro Will at the beginning of their sophomore year. It all began when Gaines, now the guitarist, and Naso, the vocalist and keyboardist (roommates freshmen year) decided that they enjoyed music so much that they would like to start a band. Eventually, the two drew in Ittner also from their sponsor group, who had played drums casually in high school, and Preston, who plays the bass in the group. As for the name, the four were inspired by an episode of Seinfeld in which Elaine meets people she dubs Bizarro Jerry, Bizarro George, and Bizarro Kramer because they look and act just like her three friends. At Pomona, the group discovered a student that looked just like their friend Will, "but a little strange." They named him Bizarro Will, and "the name just kind of stuck," as Ittner likes to say.

The band is admittedly influenced by Phish, the original jam band, but Bizarro Will likes to "rock a little harder" than they do. Naso suggests that the group has a "very vast musical background and influence … it's different from what's really out there right now," more of a "hodge podge of a lot of different genres." And if only one word could be used to describe the band? "Fun."

The band performs a show on campus about once every three weeks at on of the typical on-campus locations-The Boot, Grooveline, Smith Campus Center basement, and Walton Commons. To start this semester off, Bizarro Will took a month-long break in order to record a new album, with six tracks on it. Each of these songs is, like all of their music, written by the band and inspired by the ageless muses, "booze and women." With forty long hours of recording at downtown Pomona's Studio 9 and the printing of the CD labels behind them, the group was able to debut the album at their first performance this semester at the SCIAC party this past Saturday.

Upon receiving a copy of this album for review, I should confess that I had not previously heard of Phish, jam bands, or even, um, Bizarro Will. Nevertheless, after popping the CD into my stereo, I was immediately impressed with the professional sound quality of the recording. As for the music itself, it was exactly how band members Ittner and Naso had described it to me: "A little bluesy, definitely improvisational, and generally, just overall rock and roll." Featuring several upbeat songs, but containing nothing too heavy for more mellow folks, the album features a good mix of music that would appeal to almost anyone. My personal favorite was "Tequila Shots at Noon," but I would definitely recommend that everyone pick up their own copy and see for him or herself. The CD costs $8 and will be available at any of Bizarro Will's shows or through any of the band members.

Because all of the band members are seniors, the future of the group is a bit uncertain. While the general feeling is that it would be sad for all of the fun to end after graduating, staying together would be very hard to do. Until then, however, the group members have nothing but love to share: Ittner says that his ideal desert island mate would be Mrs. Gaines, Sam's mom. And, in a separate interview, Chad's answer? Mrs. Ittner, Charlie's mom. Hmm… Well, with only three short months left in the year, we can definitely expect a lot of high-quality music, fun, and lovin' from Bizarro Will.