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Just Be

A conversation with The Be Colony

By John Hubner

Fort Wayne Reader

2016-01-22

The Be Colony may be a young-ish group of guys, but they don't sound it. If you see them live, or check out their Bandcamp page and listen to the two tracks they have on there, these Fort Wayne dudes sound like a group of well-seasoned rock and rollers. Epic jams and psychedelic flourishes permeate the noise these guys create. Just close your eyes and get lost in a track like "A Vacant Sea,” a track that buzzes and squeals like a cross between Blue Cheer, Band of Gypsies, and even early My Morning Jacket. The Be Colony have been dabbling in the good stuff and want to share.

The band consists of Jacob Terhune (vocals, guitar, keys), Atticus Sorrell (vocals, guitar), Zach Terhune (guitar, keys), Wes Johnson (bass), and Bray Coughlin (drums). The guys took some time to answer a few questions, and here's what they had to say.

J. Hubner: So how did The Be Colony get together?

The Be Colony: The band initially began as a recording project started by Zach Terhune and shared with brothers, Jacob Terhune and Christopher Lee Ruble. Friend/fellow musician, Wes Johnson, later joined the project and the lineup was completed with the addition of Atticus Sorrell and Bray Coughlin. Atticus and Bray were prior bandmates and are still currently in Soft N’ Heavy. The Be Colony is the first noteworthy band for Jacob, Zach, and Wes. We have been together as The Be Colony since February 2015.

J. Hubner: Who or what influences The Be Colony's sound?

The Be Colony: We have explored a common interest in jam bands and songwriter-oriented rock n’ roll both old and new. Some of our favorites include Santana, David Crosby, Cymande, Circulatory System, and Jimi Hendrix’s Band of Gypsies. Everything from modern psychedelia to the oldest jazz emerges in our sound.

J. Hubner: How did the tracks on your Bandcamp page come about?

The Be Colony: These recordings came from a live studio session recorded at the University of St. Francis. Being influenced by the sounds of the late-60s psych era, we went into the recording process of these tracks with a very minimalistic approach, much like they would in that time. The tracks were rooted on a full band live recording and only the most necessary overdubs and mixing were used in the final products.

J. Hubner: What's the songwriting process like in the band?

The Be Colony: We don’t really have a specific songwriting process, songs come in a variety of ways. Some have stemmed from a section of a band jam or were developed around a riff/chord progression, while others were written tunes by Jacob or Atticus brought to and completed by the band. Jacob and Zach’s older brother, Chris, is still very much involved in the songwriting process and makes great contributions to the creation of our song’s melodies/lyrics.

J. Hubner: How many songs have you guys written so far?

The Be Colony: We have 13 rehearsed songs in our live catalog at the moment, along with a vast back catalog of demos and song fragments.

J. Hubner: Are you guys working on putting an LP together?

The Be Colony: Not quite yet. We are currently in the pre-production stage of our debut EP.

J. Hubner: Jacob did the artwork for your 'Live' ep on Bandcamp. Will that continue on further releases?

The Be Colony: We haven’t decided, though we are fond of the organic/DIY approach in design. Jacob’s art skills can be seen on many of our flyers, along with work by Atticus and Zach.

J. Hubner: Are there any upcoming shows folks need to know about?

The Be Colony: We’ll be at Calhoun Street Soups, Salads, and Spirits with our friends Heaven’s Gateway Drugs and Detroit's Sisters of Your Sunshine Vapor on January 29th. More details are coming soon and can be found, along with all other show information at facebook.com/thebecolony

J. Hubner: What's the plan for 2016?

The Be Colony: To begin the golden age.

Don't miss The Be Colony at CS3 on January 29th with Heaven's Gateway Drugs and the always mind-melting Sisters of Your Sunshine Vapor. And keep up with all things The Be Colony at facebook.com/thebecolony.

Check out their music at thebecolony.bandcamp.com