Corridor Business Journal Article

gigi@corridorbiznews.com

Smile and have fun.

That’s what the members of rock group Aeroroot tell each other before they go on stage. It helps them relax before gigs at charity events like Relay for Life or venues such as Concert in the Park in the Czech Village. Staying relaxed for their upcoming performance June 20 will be another matter.

“We’re not playing to be critiqued, we’re not playing for the music critics of the world who say, ‘You’ve got to hear this band, they’re phenomenal,’” said Brett Karminski, lead guitarist of Aeroroot. “We’re just doing it for fun, for people who want to dance and have a good time.”

Aeroroot is a four-member rock group of current and former employees of Frontier Natural Products Co-op. For those who have not heard of the international business based in Norway, north of the Amana Colonies and southwest of Cedar Rapids, it is a company that produces and distributes natural and organic products, such as herbs, spices and teas. The band is named after arrowroot, one of the herbs with which the company makes products. They changed the spelling as a tribute to rock group Aerosmith.

“The company really got behind us and it’s really brought everybody together,” said Mr. Karminski, who is also Frontier’s brand manager. “Frontier is about having a good time, working hard, playing hard and they encourage us to try new things beyond just work.”

The band has played about 25 performances together during the past five years. Last weekend, the band was slated to play at Floodstock in Cedar Rapids. Next up, California.

Aeroroot was chosen as one of 16 finalists to compete in one of Fortune’s Battle of the Corporate Bands regional semi-final events. The battle encourages friendly competition between companies that recognize how music helps build teamwork, discipline, creativity, passion, harmony and commitment. The competition also encourages workers to learn musical instruments, a hobby that can be stress-relieving, according to Fortune.
Corporate bands will play at three regional competitions next week. The field will be narrowed to eight bands, which will compete at the finals at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony Oct. 3 in Cleveland.

Aeroroot will perform at the Key Club on Sunset Boulevard in West Hollywood, Calif., the site where legendary acts such as the Doors, Tina Turner and Van Halen earned notoriety. And for the first time, they will be critiqued by a panel of judges.

A former colleague tipped them off about the contest, so they submitted a CD and applied.

“We said, ‘Let’s try this,’” said Curt Landis, lead vocalist and chief marketing officer for Frontier.

They went to Iowa City, where they recorded a CD of three songs at Inner Light Recording Studio.

“We recorded four songs and picked the best three and we really tried to polish them like we hadn’t ever done before,” Mr. Landis said. “We thought, ‘This is a long shot, but let’s at least try.’”

They were expecting a rejection letter.

“There were these giant corporations, with lots of talent, like Procter & Gamble,” Mr. Karminski said of Procter & Gamble’s band from Geneva, Switzerland, which won the 2008 battle. “We’re thinking there’s no way we’re going to make it.”

Then one day, an e-mail appeared in Mr. Landis’ inbox from the competition organizers.

“I didn’t look at the e-mail, I called (band members) all in because I thought we’d all look at it together,” he said.

“Everybody (in the company) knew we had gotten the e-mail, so everybody was waiting to see what was going to happen,” Mr. Karminski said.

“So we’re just scrolling through and there’s Johnson & Johnson and Symantec and I think we were like the fourth band, we scrolled down and it said Frontier Natural Products Co-op,” Mr. Landis said. “I don’t think we could have been in any more complete shock to see our name there. And I think people knew that we made it right away, based on the clamor.”

Although they are typically laid back, the band members are ready to compete. Vocals and musicianship are the criteria upon which bands will be judged, according to Fortune.

“You think about playing, you’re playing to please yourself; now there’s somebody watching you and judging you,” Mr. Landis said. “We’re also competitors, we want to do as well as we’re capable of doing. We’re not going to go out there and wing it; we’re going to be prepared.”

Meanwhile, they are deciding what to wear when they perform in Los Angeles. Many times they will perform locally wearing their company logo shirts. They bought designer jeans and shirts to wear.

“Don’t worry, we have gone shopping,” he said. “You can’t wear these shoes or this shirt tucked in, they’re not L.A.-worthy. But when you’re 47 and balding and from the Midwest, there’s only so far you can go. My hope is my clothes will go unnoticed.”

When they compete, they will play six songs in 20 minutes with no sound check. They will take their guitars but will play on the drums provided.

“For me that’s most difficult part,” he said. “Usually you get a sound check and get to dial everything in and get to play a little bit.”

Aeroroot formed in December 2004 and played its first gig at Frontier’s holiday party. Only the drummer, Steve Krusie, Frontier’s director of public relations, had previously played with a band.

They play mostly covers of recorded songs, although they have written two originals. Their playlist includes songs by artists such as Tab Benoit and Gary Moore. They also play tunes by the Beach Boys, John Lee Hooker and The Who, but not the typical numbers other cover bands play.

“We try not to do what everyone else covers, we try to pick songs people like that aren’t like ‘Stairway to Heaven,’ which is just so embedded in people’s minds,” Mr. Landis said. “When we do The Who, we don’t do ‘Won’t Get Fooled Again,’ and ‘Baba O’Reilly.’ We do ‘I Can’t Explain’ and ‘The Kids Are Alright’ from the early ’60s. We stay away from the big anthems.”

They also pick songs that are easy to play, usually with three chords.

“If we find a new song we like, we try it and we know immediately if we enjoy playing it and see if we can pull it off, and if we can’t we just move on,” he said. “We’re always looking for stuff that’s fun with kind of a catchy rhythm to it that’s not Top 40 kind of stuff.”

Tracy Tunwall, a former Frontier employee who plays bass guitar and sings back-up, will also travel to California for the competition. If the band makes it the next round, a trip to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame will be reward enough for Aeroroot.

“We surpassed our expectations just by being able to go out (to L.A.),” Mr. Landis said. “And I think if we play well, it’s like a sport, if you play well and do your best, then whatever happens, happens. I don’t think we could be disappointed no matter what.” CBJ

Send To Friend