T

N

of sophomores from West Bloomfield Hig
15, guitar; and Adam
Alex Levine,
made up
ds;
keyboar
The band Deadbeat,
includes Steve Kanter, 15, on

Jano

Sta ll p ho to by Ang ie

h School,

... and Dan Iwrey, 15, on bass and lead vocals;
and drummer Eric Busch, 15.

er, 16, on guitar ...

►

Lively Beat

Aspiring teen band Deadbeat records first songs.

Sammi Haber
Special to the Jewish News

ive Jewish guys from West
Bloomfield High School
are deadbeats. Not the
kind who ignore their responsi-
bilities, but the kind who have
formed a rock group by that
name and believe they are going
places.
Dan Iwrey, Alex Levine, Eric
Busch and Steve Kanter, all 15,
and Adam Janower, 16, all sopho-
mores from West Bloomfield,
make up Deadbeat. Late last year,
they won a five-hour recording
session through Battle of the
Bands at Clutch Cargo's in
Pontiac.
"We spent 10 hours, total, in
the recording studio and recorded
two full songs. It really was one of

F

the greatest experiences of my
life," Adam said.
The band paid for the five
additional hours.
Deadbeat started in 2004 with
four members playing guitar, but
soon they realized their music
sounded a little empty. So they
went in search of a drummer.
"One day in April, we found
Eric and everything just clicked,"
said Dan. "It felt right. We've had
the same roster ever since."
Adding Eric later in the year
proved to be extremely helpful,
especially because they practice
once or twice a week in his base-
ment, where he keeps all the
equipment. Their practices are
definitely loud and messy, yet the
strong bond between them is
apparent. Any arguments usually
begin from constructive criti-

cism, and usually end a few min-
utes later.
Although everything runs
seemingly smoothly within the
group, problems do arise. Gigs
and other performances not only
require much work from band'
members, but also from their
parents. Up until Dec.15, when
Adam finally got his driver's
license, parents were needed to
drive the boys everywhere. And
parents are constantly loaning
them money.
"It's a lot of work, but our par-
ents love that we're being cre-
ative Eric said. "My parents don't
mind noisy practices and car
rides because they just love the
guys in the band as people."
Said Alex, "We're not just a
band — we're family"
The amount of work and effort

That go into the making of this
band yields powerful rock music
based on the boys' everyday life.
Songs include topics such as rela-
tionships, love and even free
speech. Songs such as "No Second
Chances,""A Couple of Days" and
"Lose Me" all discuss relation-
ships specific to each teen.
At school, some students know
they are in a band, but some have
yet to hear about Deadbeat. The
guys don't act like rock stars;
instead, they are involved in
school and just hang out like nor-
mal teenagers.
As five Jewish boys, they find it
easier to write music because of
their shared values and morals.
Dan and Eric just returned from
Israel. They went with their fami-
lies as part of Jewish Federation
of Metropolitan Detroit's Family

aN

Miracle Mission. During the trip,
the two spent a lot of time togeth-
er, allowing them to bond even
more and get even closer. The trip
to Israel even influenced their
music quite a bit.
"In the market one day, Eric
bought an Arabian drum that we
hope to incorporate into our
music," Dan said. "We heard some
a lot of Israeli music that we're
trying to incorporate as well."
What's next for Deadbeat?
They'll perform at the Token
Lounge in Westland on Saturday
Feb. 4; at the Farmington Hills Ice
Arena on Friday, Feb. 24, and at
the Jewish Community Center in
West Bloomfield on Saturday,
March 4.

❑

Sammi Haber is a junior at West

Bloomfield High School.

February 2 • 2006

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