Chapin High may not be known for its rock and roll dominance but Against the Will could change that.
First envisioned in early 2005, the band finally began to take shape late last year when its founding members, Noah Ginsburg and Robin Lee, began to actively recruit new members. The lineup includes Lee on lead guitar, Ginsburg on Rhythm guitar and violin, Will Duggan on bass and keyboard, Spencer Marsh on drums, and recent addition August Potts on lead vocals.
Ginsburg and Duggan are the band’s main lyricists, but Lee usually comes up with the song melodies.
“When I write, the music just comes to me. Noah and Will always handle the lyrics,” says Lee.
So far, the group’s work has been a combination of cover songs from bands like the Ramones and Lifehouse. However, they have some originals like “Paint a Picture” and “Hey Bangladesh,” a political commentary on the struggle for independence of this small south Asian country.
Duggan and Ginsburg have an interesting method for producing song lyrics. “Whenever we get a spark of creativity we both write our own versions of a song, then combine them to make something that sort of makes sense,” says Ginsburg.
Against the Will models themselves after such great bands as Three Days Grace, Foo Fighters, Disturbed, and System of a Down but at the same time they have a sound all their own.
They’re emerging trademark style is a collaboration of their influences styles. They take the best parts of each band and incorporate them into their music.
Against the Will has had a bit of a rough start to their musical career. One of their first performances was a Battle of the Bands competition last summer.
“I got lost on my way to the show,” says Ginsburg. “I thought I knew where the place was, and just to make sure, I Map-quested it and it told me to just go straight down Broad River. It should have been on my left, but it wasn’t. So, I was fifteen minutes late to the start of the battle. I, of course, had most of the equipment.”
After the promoter of the show stopped laughing, the band set up. But that was only the beginning. Equipment malfunctions and a train rumbling by disrupted their performance.
If this sounds like your musical cup of tea, the boys have an upcoming show at the University of South Carolina on December 13th. They can also be found on Myspace Music.
Against the Will may have had a slow beginning but there is high anticipation for future success.