Busekrus

Melissa Moniz
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Friday - February 15, 2008
| Del.icio.us

The 411

On The Rocks
On The Rocks

It’s pronounced: boo-zee-cruz.

No, it’s not some phonetic spelling for drinking (booze) and driving (cruise). Band members LJ, Mike and Marcus would never stand for that. It’s actually LJ and Marcus’ last name.

Yup, catchy name - at least that’s one of the reasons why they chose it.

“There’s a lot of people who take on their band name as their stage last name, but with us it’s the other way around,” says Marcus. “We took our real last name and made it into our band name.”

For the high school buddies and brothers, playing music began as an outlet for their spirituality. Their musical beginning was about 10 years ago, when the trio started a praise and worship band at their high school (Hawaii Baptist Academy).


“From there, we did a Christian rock band, and then we all took a break right after high school,” says LJ.“We only got back as Busekrus about two years ago.”

This month marks the culmination of many years of friendship and a lot of practice, with the release of their first album, On The Rocks. It’s a full-length, all original album that dabbles in a plethora of music styles, true to the musical tastes of the band members themselves.

“We listen to every single style of music, and it’s not that we’re opposed to being categorized in a genre, but we just don’t fit in just one,” says Marcus. “We’re influenced by so many different styles of music.”

As Mike Jones explains creatively, “Our music sounds like you went to a big house party on the beach and you’re just having a lot of fun. The first music that would come to mind would be our music.”

Busekrus: LJ, Marcus and Mike
Busekrus: LJ, Marcus and Mike

The album features 12 tracks written by Marcus that are the handpicked favorites of the group.

“I’ve got a list of maybe 30 or 40 throwaways (songs) because sometimes you write stuff and it’s just not good enough,” says Marcus. “It just doesn’t have the feeling, or doesn’t have the hook, or the lyrics just don’t link up perfectly with the music. Once we had enough songs that we loved, we made an album.”

A blend of indie, rock and punk pop, the Kailua-based band really credits the closeness of the music scene in Hawaii as one of the pluses of doing music in Hawaii. The camaraderie is something that they also value within their own band.

“We love hanging out and seeing the scene do well and see new bands come in,” says Marcus. “It’s totally about the music and hanging out and having a good time. Most of the other bands on the scene are like that, but we definitely like to make that a huge priority.”

To experience Busekrus, catch them at one of their live gigs at Red Lion University, Red Lion Waikiki, Anna Bannana’s, Boardriders and Kemoo Farms. Coming up: Feb. 16 at Kemoo, Feb. 22 at Red Lion Waikiki and Feb. 29 at Pipeline Cafe. To find out more about their gigs or the band, visit www.myspace.com/busekrustheband

 

 

 

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Most Recent Comment(s):

This band is a very talented group of musicians, I would love to read more about them in the near future, Their music sounds great. I believe if any band is going to make it from Hawaii, this is the one to keep your eyes on!


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