Eastman Showcase 2005
As Best As They Can!
If the future of indie rock is not pronounced “SNMNMNM,” it won’t be for lack of trying. Three-fourths of this group, formed at Eastman in 1997, has a Eastman pedigree: it consists of Seamus Kenney BM ’98 (vocals, accordion, trombone), his brother Matthew (electric guitar, vocals, trumpet), Mark Dauman ’99 (amplified tuba, vocals), and Matt Vooris ’98 (drums, percussion, vocals). SNMNMNM’s songs – self-described as “libertine liberalism” - have been compared to the Beach Boys, Ben Folds Five, and They Might Be Giants, so the word “quirky” comes up a lot in press coverage of them – but so does mention of their use of an amplified tuba in place of the customary bass guitar player.
SNMNMNM formed at Eastman in 1997, and has stayed together through relocations to Los Angeles and Chapel Hill, North Carolina, as well as three albums. The most recent, As Best As We Can!, was released on February 1 and reached No. 65 on the CMJ (college radio) charts. In addition, SNMNMNM is giving many people across the country the chance to hear their music live: the group has been touring widely in 2005 to build up its fan base and in support of As Best As We Can! Along the way, SNMNMNM (and their tuba) recently picked up some potent favorable mention in Entertainment Weekly and in the New York Times.
And the name? Matt Vooris revealed the meaning in an Albuquerque Tribune interview earlier this year: S and M are the first letters of the guys’ first names; the Ns are as in rock ‘N’ roll. So now you know.
SNMNMNM is touring the south during the month of June. For more information on the group, its music, and each member, visit www.snmnmnm.com.