Boombasnap on tap

By: Elise Hugus, August 10, 2011

Elise Hugus - Boombasnap is: John Redden on drums, Dennis Christiano on guitar, Aaron Dupont, on vocals, sax, and trumpet, and Brian Sances on bass. (Not pictured: Cory Schechtman on keys and sax)

What do you call a band that plays funk overlaid with hip hop rhymes, that can rock out for 10 minutes with awe-inspiring saxophone, guitar and keyboard solos, and finish up with a slap-happy Stevie Wonder cover?

That was a dilemma the members of Boombasnap had last summer as they formed what is now one of the tightest bands on the Cape Cod scene. After googling every cool band name they could think of, they turned to onomatopoeia for inspiration. BOOM-BA-SNAP!

With founding members Dennis Christiano (of the Shotgun Bandits) on screaming guitar, John Redden, (formerly of Contraband/Contruda) the groovin' "pocket drummer," and Aaron Dupont, the "secret weapon" on vocals, sax, and trumpet, Boombasnap became a sound unto its own with the addition of Brian Sances, (of Triple3Crown and the Adam Hoffman Revival) on bass and Cory Schechtman (of Shango Axe) on keys and sax.

Watch out—with their talent and contagious love for music, they might just blow your mind.

InsideOUT: So how did Boombasnap come together?

Dennis: It was fate, I think. We had all watched each other play in different bands and got to assess our favorites: who would I dream about playing with, who's got my values? We tested some people out— I couldn't ask for a better lineup now.

John: We kind of handpicked each other. We're all into the same stuff, but we bring different things to the band.

I/O: How would you describe your sound?

Dennis: A little bit of everything from the top shelf. Rhythm bass, funk music, with some hip hop and a little jam rock, too.

John: We do a lot of originals in different genres. Gigging on the Cape, we're lucky because we get to do our own thing.

I/O: What's the message in your songs?

Dennis: We've got a rap song now called "Boom Biography." It's not about "shoot 'em up," it's talking about our story as a band. In "Onionhead," the lyrics are about "peeling back the layers." It's about a person who always has their guard up, and you have to peel back the layers, whether it's in love or friendship. Our songs come from situations in our lives, whether it's something that we're all dealing with or just finding the inspiration to write the next line.

I/O: What do you listen to? How does that translate into your own music?

Aaron: I had US3's "Flip Fantasia" single on cassette since age 14. I started playing horn then, and it was the only pop song with a horn. The lyics just kind of stuck in my head, almost by osmosis. But I'll listen to anything from Sinatra to Biggy Smalls to barbershop and Garth Brooks. There's only two kinds of music: good and bad. It it's good, I'll listen to it.

Brian: The music you write is a combination of any music that's evoked a feeling in you. For me, it's The Beatles and Stevie Ray Vaughn. But it's not just the big names, it's the people you play with that have a huge impact.

John: One of the best jam sessions we had was after listening to Frank Zappa and Pink Floyd. We came up with "The Dawn" after that.

I/O: What's your secret to making people dance?

John: We're happy to be doing what we're doing. That probably comes out in the music.

Aaron: If you can get a whole room on their feet, it's what we do it for. When people go out, they want to have fun, not just sit in a bar.

Brian: Honestly, there's no place I'd rather be.

I/O: What do you think about the music scene on Cape Cod?

John: We're trying to build up the scene. It can be challenging. But for us, being successful means playing music and challenging ourselves.

Brian: We're living in a beautiful place, playing music three or four nights a week, making a living. We're living the success right now.

Dennis: If you're a musician, this is the best place to be in the winter. You hit the lab and then play it out all summer.