Students attending recent Mississippi State events or even just certain classes may recognize members of The Persians, a Starkville-based rock band that has been performing together in one form or another since August 2001.
The Persians, though it has had its roster changes, is currently composed of four members. John Brocato sings lead and plays guitar.
Todd Hunt handles the drums and further vocals. Lee Graham imbues the songs with his bass line. Steve Chrestman rounds out the group, also playing guitar and vocalizing.
The group started when Hunt called Brocato out of nowhere and suggested starting a band.
“Todd and I had known each other for many, many years,” Brocato said. “He called and said ‘let’s jam,’ and we did. We got together with a bass player, not Lee at that time, and started playing. That was August of 2001, and we’ve been going ever since.”
As a three-man band, Hunt, Brocato and former bassist Rob Snell soon began playing shows in the Starkville area and around Mississippi.
After a few years the band cut its first album, A Thing Like Any Other, which was released in September 2003.
“For me, [the band] was just kind of a creative outlet,” Hunt said. “My day job doesn’t allow for a lot of creativity. I’ve been playing in bands for a long time. Drumming is good stress release, too.”
Neither Brocato nor Hunt was new to the music scene. Hunt had been in several bands, including Jonestown Survivors and Identity Crisis. Brocato had gotten his start in a Los Angeles band called Skeleton Crew before moving on to the Starkville band Men from Nantucket, of which Chrestman was also a member.
Chrestman, an experienced musician, joined The Persians in June 2005 after terms of service with the band Molly Gish from 1995 to 1997 and the John Black Attack, which still occasionally plays shows in Starkville.
Graham joined the band shortly before him in April 2005 with years of experience under his belt. He first began his music career in high school playing with a band called Grounded Pilots before coming to Starkville and joining several groups. Before The Persians, Graham played bass for the Puerto Rican Rum Drunks until the untimely passing of the band’s lead singer, Del Rendon. Now Graham splits time between The Persians, solo acoustic sets and other Starkville-based bands Hogleg and Joe Whaley and the Benders.
The rock style performed by the group is drawn from many influences, though after mixing them together the band retains its own sound.
“We have a lot of influences,” Brocato said. “Nirvana, The Pixies and Weezer. Can’t forget The Foo Fighters or Green Day. As far as our sound goes, though, it’s kind of hard to just name someone we sound like since all of us have our own individual influences.”
These influences can be heard at local venues and as far as Mobile and Huntsville, Ala.
“I think our favorite place to play is Dave’s [Dark Horse Tavern],” Brocato said. “We also play at the Boar’s Head, and we’ll be playing at Rick’s soon.”
The Persians have been asked by Law of Nature to be the opening act at Rick’s on Oct. 14 at 9 p.m. This will be the band’s next show in Starkville.
Before that, the band will be traveling to Huntsville on Sept. 23 to play at Big Spring Jam, which is named for the park where the festival is located and not the season of the year.
“We’re opening up for 38 Special and Bo Bice,” Hunt said. “It should be interesting.”
Brocato added that Joan Jett will also follow the band in the festival lineup.
“We’ll probably be able to see her biceps from the stage,” he said. “That woman is cut.”
The members of the band are more accepting of this situation than the one given them at a previous Big Spring Jam in which they opened for Jewel.
“She yodeled,” Brocato said. “Her encore was her coming out on stage and yodeling for like five minutes. It was like old timey, folk music yodeling. It was awful. Bo Bice’ll yodel if you hit him in the right spot, but I don’t expect that to happen.”
When not traveling or playing locally, Graham spends almost all of his time surrounded by music, since during the day he works at Bebop Record Shop, making him the only member of The Persians that does not work for MSU in some manner.
Chrestman and Brocato both teach for the university, while Hunt acts as director of Humphrey Coliseum.
The day jobs of the band members receive much of their focus, but the band is foremost on their minds.
“I spend about 75 percent of my time doing band stuff, and about the other 25 being a responsible adult,” Brocato said.
Lately, MSU has hosted two events in which the band has played: a Hurricane Katrina-relief concert in the amphitheater and the grand opening of Barnes & Noble.
“We did the Katrina concert because we thought it was a good cause,” Hunt said. “As far as the Barnes & Noble thing, I’m not really sure how that happened. They just called us up and asked us to do it, and we said yes.”
The band is preparing to record its second album, which will be produced by Mike Yeager of Young Agent Jones.
“We have enough material for two albums,” Brocato said. “Right now we’re trying to whittle it down. It’s all new and it’s all much better [than the previous album].”
As for a full-fledged tour, the occupations of the band members keep them from traveling too far from home. Given the proper circumstances and funding, though, a tour could surface in the future, they said.
To learn more about The Persians, visit www.thepersians.net or www.myspace.com/thepersiansms.