Band surrounds USU crowd

By Jina Tedmori
Daily Forty-Niner

A crowd of about 50 gathered in the South Plaza of the Union Student Union Wednesday afternoon to watch the band H.B Surround Sound.

With all the trees around South Plaza, the sun made a natural spotlight for the stage. A spotlight that that Surround Sound shined in despite the heat.

"I wish there were a tree right in the middle," said Matt Denne, the lead vocalist. "It is so damn hot."

They started the performance with the timeless reggae classic, "Smoke Two Joints."

From there, Surround Sound moved into a harder, faster sound with their song "Four Man Fight," which got the guys in the band rowdy.

There are so many kinds of music that often bands tend to get categorized quickly, but Surround Sound causes a double take, with the addition of bongos.

"I think they are good at mixing up their style," said Jeff Huber, a senior communication major.

Students pulled up their chairs to get a closer listen to Surround Sound, an atypical site for a noon time band performance.

"It's nice to see something younger and more my style," said Elsja Lundquist, a junior psychology major. "At least compared to all the rap bands that have been playing lately."

A change of pace from most drummers, Jake Bushnell took over lead vocal duties for a number of songs, usually for the band's mellow moments.

Mike Broberg, the bassist has to vary his style for the different sounds and Jon Olazabal on the bongos has to sit out on the faster songs.

"They sound a lot like Homegrown, but they have their own style," said Muhammad Rafi, freshman criminal justice major.
As a joke, Surround Sound sang a song with a country twang, while waiting for singer Matt Denne to fix his guitar string. Bushnell was quickly interrupted.

"If anyone has a large shoe please throw it at him so he will stop," said Cal State Long Beach junior and guitar player, Doug Cooper.

Surround Sound brought the show to a close with "Doug Can't Sing." This song started as a joke about how bad guitar player Cooper's voice is, but now the song is a favorite of their fans.

Cal State Long Beach junior Doug  Cooper, guitarist for H.B. Surround Sound, gets down and dirty, above, during the band's noontime performance.

Above, bassist Mike Broberg and  lead vocalist Matt Denne, left to right.

Drummer Jake Bushnell takes over on lead vocals for a couple of the  band's mellower moments.

Photos by Caroline Limuti