EMISIS

By Stephanie Vega

Who would have thought that a bunch of childhood friends from Crown Point jammin' in the 6th grade would still be together 16 years later? Well, Emisis, of course. Brian Giacomin, Brian Price, Russ St. Myers and Patrick Noland are the four guys behind Emisis and for them being in a band has been a lifelong dream. "I started piano in the 3rd grade," said Brian Giacomin, the leader of the Band as well as drummer and singer. "Then when we were in high school we started playing in a cover band with one of our teachers and it's evolved from there."

The guys have been playing at bars like Buddy and Pals in Crown Point for quite some time and while they play covers they also perform their own original music. The two Brian's are the songwriters in the group and write songs about what's going on in their everyday lives. "When we were younger we wrote about the partying and the girls," explained Giacomin. "Then as the years went on we wrote about the relationships and just life in general."

In 2008, the guys released their first original album "Binge Drinkin'." This album gave the guys some great exposure, and it was the start of much more to come. This past March, Emisis took to the road to perform at the biggest independent musical festival in the world, South by Southwest. "We rented a van and drove 20 hours to play at South by Southwest in Austin, Texas," Giacomin told me. "There was a line of about a half of mile with bands playing their own original music. It was awesome; everyone was there to listen to original music. We even played at the Thirsty Nickel so that was big."

Emisis is an energy driven, loud rock band that pulls inspiration from 90's rock bands like Metallica, Pantera, and Alice in Chains. This month the guys are looking forward to opening for the platinum selling hard rock band Seether in Milwaukee on May 14th. "It's a tremendous opportunity that we are opening for them," Giacomin said.

But what the band may be looking forward to most is the release of their new album "Corporate Renegade," which will be released on May 28th. "These songs are a little more mature, we put different influences together," Giacomin said. "This one feels different. We know what we like and want, what works and what doesn't so that's the kind of album we put together. We are hoping this new CD will launch us even more. The music speaks for itself."

The seven song sampler can be bought on itunes or heard on their new website that was launched in Novemberwww.emisismusic.com. The site has already received 8,000 hits and they hope that number will continue to rise with the release of their new album and with all the other work they have going on. "We signed with Tinderbox Music in October and they are helping us with radio campaigns and music licensing. We had a college radio campaign in December" explained Giacomin. "We also signed a six show music licensing contract with MTV. So our original music will be in the background of any of these six shows throughout summer 2011. It'll be for shows like 'Nitro Circus', 'Warren the Ape' and 'Parental Control."

So where does Giacomin see his career going in the next 5 years? While he is a rockstar by night, by day he does have a banking career so he hopes down the road his part-time band gig can go fulltime. "It's going to be a hard road, tedious, but we have the stamina for it," he said. "I'd love to see us playing somewhere, going around the country, playing original music, just making a living out of doing what we love. Life passes by very quickly and we are on the verge of doing exactly what we've wanted to do since we started."

To learn more about Emisis, visit them on the web at emisismusic.com. You can also follow them on Facebook and twitter.

Look for Emisis Band at these locations this month:

• Sunday, May 15th -- Hub Run 2011 in Crown Point
• Saturday, May 21st --Mayfest at the Lake County Fairgrounds
• Wednesday, May 25th --Reggie's Music Joint, 2105 State Street, Chicago

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