related items
For the past two years, Fifth Way have rocked its radio-friendly post-grunge songs to a plethora of diverse Detroit crowds, opening up for the likes of Bret Michaels, Alter Bridge and Saliva. Fifth Way have recently finished work on their debut album “No Boundaries” at Rustbelt Studios in Royal Oak with engineer extraordinaire Eric Hoegemeyer, and are primed and ready to launch their musical careers to another level in 2010.
The band, consisting of Adam Traham (guitar), Nicholas Cole-Klaes (bass), Zak Stelmasek (lead guitar), Dave Reingardt (drums) and Tim Gossman (vocals), play their CD-release party at the Magic Bag in Ferndale on Saturday, an event which Traham promises will feature a “few surprises” though he hesitates to provide the dirty details. In the meantime, the guitarist told Metromix why the first, second, third and fourth ways all failed and why this one is going to be different.
How and when did Fifth Way form?
We started back in August of 2007. We just wanted to go into the studio to record a couple of songs, not thinking that anything would come of it. We did that, recorded four songs, and just started to put this together.
In November 2007, we started to take it more seriously and book some shows, so we recruited a permanent drummer and played our first show at the Machine Shop in Flint. We did well and they invited us back. We just took it from there.
Did you all grow up in the Detroit area?
No. I’m from Essexville, Bay City. Tim’s from Port Huron, Zak’s from the U.P., Dave’s from Hartland and Nick is from Garden City so he’s the only one that grew up close to Detroit.
You have an obvious Seattle influence. Is that generational?
I’m 31, so Pearl Jam is a large influence with regards to my guitar playing. By default, Tim falls into that category because of his baritone singing style. I’m not as influenced by local music, but I wouldn’t pigeonhole us with the Seattle thing either.
We all grew up with a lot of hair metal, and prog rock, too. As far as newer local bands, we try to stay away from that and take from what we all grew up with.
You’ve been called post-grunge. Are you happy to be lumped in with bands like Creed?
No matter what happens, we’re going to get labeled. I don’t care what people say we sound like, as long as they like what we sound like.
You recorded at Rustbelt Studios in Royal Oak with Eric Hoegemeyer. How was that?
Eric had a lot of influence on what we did. He engineered it, and helped with the producing and mixing. We enjoyed working with Eric, no question. We had a great time with him, we learned a lot from him, he contributed ideas to the songs, and we would definitely work with Eric again.
Where does the name come from?
First of all, there are five of us. The "fifth" is the dominant note in the scale, and "way" is form by definition. If you take those together, you get a "dominant form." The "dominant form of music" expresses what our goal is, as far as being musicians. People ask us if it’s a three-way, plus two. Absolutely not.
Are you happy with the way 'No Boundaries' turned out?
Definitely. It took a long time. It took two and a half years to get everything together. We still don’t have the product in our hands but we know what it’s going to look and sound like.
Are you looking forward to the show at the Magic Bag?
That’s one of our favorite places to play. Every time we go there, we try to do something a little bit special, something that deviates from our normal show. It’s a special place to play and we’re appreciative that they allow us to play there regularly. This time, we have a couple of things lined up that we haven’t done before, but I’m keeping it a secret.
Do you know anything about the bands that you’re playing with (Core Effect, Forest Wade)?
We’ve played with Core Effect a couple of times in the past and they’re great. Zak is friends with some of the guys in Forest Wade so that’s how we hooked up with them.
What do you have planned for the next 12 months?
The next step for us after getting the CD out is to try to promote it as much as possible. We want to try to take what we’re doing to the next level. We draw very well in the Detroit area, but that doesn’t help us in St. Louis.
We’re trying to put a business plan together. We want to go on tour, but if nobody’s heard of us in Columbus, what’s the point of going to Columbus and playing to seven people.
Where do you see yourselves in 10 years time?
Headlining at (new York's) Madison Square Gardens and the DTE (Energy Music) Theatre. That’s the ultimate goal.
