Schtum style defies soft pop image

Schtum style defies soft pop image

By Sona Stepanian

Daily Bruin Contributor

Do not accuse the members of the Irish band Schtum of always
walking around unhappy.

Although the songs off their new album, "Grow," come across as
very opinionated and powerful, the band tries to maintain a
distance not from happiness but from the soft, candy-coated pop
sound which seem to be working for so many current bands.

"We don’t think that people should just be unhappy," says
singer-songwriter Christian McNeill with a laugh. "There just are a
lot of bands out there that pretend to be happy pop bands and we
don’t like that."

The members of Schtum seem to like live performances quite a
bit. Along with McNeill, guitarist Ivan Birthistle, bassist James
Cunningham and drummer Rory McCarron are currently on a worldwide
tour in support of "Grow," and will be playing at Westwood Plaza
today at noon and at the Dragonfly this evening.

"It (touring) gets tiring and you basically have no private
life, but we’re definitely a touring band," says McNeill. Schtum’s
touring schedule has taken the band far away from their home in
Derry, Ireland. But McNeill admits that he enjoys performing in
America more. "There is a larger pool of fans to draw from in
America," he says.

Back home, Schtum’s relentless desire for playing live gigs
rallied a great deal of support for their 1994 independently
released EP, "Digging Holes," and their fan base has been steadily
growing ever since.

On "Grow," the band’s aggressive guitar-driven rage comes
through. The album’s title track has tinges of punk mixed in with
relentless guitar rhythms, and hints of rap are heard echoing
through "Space."

Whether or not Schtum shoots up the music charts does not seem
to be the first thing on McNeill’s mind. "That whole rock star
image is bullshit," he says. "We are just regular looking people
who want to make music."

CONCERT: Schtum plays at noon today at Westwood Plaza. Free food
will be provided.Comments to [email protected]