OurStage

By John Benson< Correspondent@News-Herald.com One look at Mentor-based rock act The Thrifters and it's easy to see why this isn't your average local rock act. Not only did the band make it to the High School Rock Off final round in both 2006 and 2007, but now, nearly two years after graduation and a lineup change — drummer Steve Orlando, guitarist Frank Frazza, bassist Chris Henke and guitarist Colin Stacy added singer-keyboardist Sergio McCollam — the quintet appears to be on quite a rise. In addition to landing opening slots over recent years in Cleveland for major acts such as 311, Matisyahu, Senses Fail, From Autumn to Ashes, All Time Low and more, the band is on its first tour of the Midwest and South. "Our drummer, Steve, keeps in contact with a lot of people and when he sees a show we want to get on, he calls the venue and contacts the bands," said 2007 Lake Catholic High School graduate Stacy, calling from Omaha, Neb. "And this tour we're now on is actually all set up D.I.Y. with (Steve) and our booking agent. They've been working hard for the past several months to get these shows set up. So we're actually playing two shows a day. We worked it out with Hot Topic at malls in each city where we go in and play an acoustic set at the store during the day, and then we go play a full band set every night at a different venue in that city." He added, "To me, personally, it shows we have the capability of going really far just D.I.Y. We're an unsigned band, we self-promote and just we do everything for ourselves. I think that really shows that we have a good drive and we all want it so bad to make it in this industry. We're willing to work hard to get it." Such initiative has paid off again with the band winning an online competition to play on the Kevin Says stage at the July 9 Vans Warped Tour date in Cleveland at the Time Warner Cable Amphitheater at Tower City. Stacy said the addition of McCollam provided the band the spark it was seeking. Stylistically speaking, he likes where the group is headed on its recently released sophomore effort "It's Going Down," which is the group's first with McCollam. "It still has a unique sound," Stacy said. "It's hard to place us in a single category. It's a little bit more mature sounding, and we still hit on a few of our roots. Our old comparison was a little bit of 311, Blink-182, some Weezer and a little bit of grunge. I'd say this new album is a more edgy, alternative, hard rock with some poppy lyrics and hooks and catchy melodies. We've been compared to bands like Hoobastank, 30 Seconds to Mars and Alien Ant Farm." Among the tracks Stacy and company are excited about are the popish "And They Call Her Misleading" and the driving alt-rock anthem "Footprints." While The Thrifters, which plays tonight at The Enclave in Willoughby, continues to expand its fan base, it appears as though the act feels less like a Cleveland-area band. And for any musical group hoping to make it big, that's probably a good thing. "We all personally love Cleveland, and we represent the city the best we can when on the road, but we don't want to be just in the Cleveland music scene," Stacy said, "I think we all as a band really do believe in ourselves and our music and the message, and we want to spread that across the country and across the globe, if possible. "We want people to know who we are and what we're about, and hopefully they enjoy our music." Details Artist name: The Thrifters. Members: Drummer Steve Orlando (Mentor), guitarist Frank Frazza (Concord Township), bassist Chris Henke (Concord), guitarist Colin Stacy (Cleveland Heights) and singer-keyboardist Sergio McCollam (Willoughby). Influences: 311, Blink-182, Weezer, Hoobastank, 30 Seconds to Mars and Alien Ant Farm. Web site: www.thethrifters.com. Upcoming gig: 7 p.m. today at The Enclave, 4124 Erie St., Willoughby. Opening is Searching Streetlights. For more information, call 440-953-0666.