The Band No One Had a Chance to Love:

Slower Dollars

In times like these, when anyone can play guitar, we are subject to bands that start in our own backyard. It's hard to tell which ones you should actually keep an eye out for, but one band I would say that deserved the public's eye is Slower Dollars.

            It took time for a band like this to grow into adulthood before they started anything serious, and if you haven't noticed, hardly any bands have that much potential at the early ages between 15 and 19. Consisting of members from various downriver acts, such as Nick Zomparelli from the power-pop outfit Allison's Hope, Slower Dollars looks like your average college band; a couple of dudes with the long hair, sideburns, and beat up guitars.

            More than that, they're a bunch of sweaty (and shirtless) young studs that are looking to melt some faces, and if you had the chance to see them live, you weren't wondering where that last $8 went. Their shows were full of such a cosmic energy that the crowd couldn't help but to indulge themselves with the groove.

            If you're wondering why I am speaking in past tense, it's because you're too late to join the excitement. After a small gig at the Elbow Room in their hometown of Ypsilanti, the band dispersed when singer/guitarist Shane Firek decided to put more focus on his side effort, the Ferdy Mayne.

            "We all saw it coming," said Zomparelli during a phone conversation held a few days after the show. "Shane wanted to do his own thing. He didn't really like the idea of two front men."

            Any band will tell you that it's hard to find the right people to jam with when everyone has their own preference on what to play musically. Luckily, for the remaining members of Slower Dollars, there was still hope. Drummer Kalin Percha and bassist Johnathon Gallias were more than willing to keep pushing forward with or without Firek.

            "Nick had some songs that he was kicking around for a while," says Gallias. "We listened to some of them, practiced and were really happy with what we had."

            Slower Dollars then took a turn for a new direction with their music. Without a second guitar player, they felt that the only thing to do was add more instruments and change their name. Scheduled to play a set at the Modern Exchange in downriver, a rather important show for the band, they had to act fast. Bringing on Benjamin Marth to play hand drums, Slower Dollars transformed into what is now Buffalo Kids.

            "We only practiced a couple times, but I think you're going to like this," said Percha just before he and the other Buffalo Kids took the stage that evening at the Modern.

            The crowd was bolted to their seats waiting for something special to happen.

            "Hello," Zomparelli says to the crowd. "We are Slower Dollars…Well, we were."

            After a moment of clarification from the Z, the set starts with "Rapid Quest", a song that appeared on Slower Dollars' Happy Birthday, Mr. Beehive.

            Heads were bobbing to the beat, and people were talking – already, the band had stolen the show. Everything seemed surreal at this point while people were making their way to the stage, and the band could do nothing but continue the rock. Percha kept the beats heavy, Gallias grooved bass licks, and Harth wailed on a set of bongos and a high-hat with a glove full of loose change. Nothing was going to keep them down.

            "Music is a difficult mistress," Zomparelli tells me after the show. "You just have to take what she deals you and make the most of it."

            So who were Slower Dollars? They were an indie-rock band that tied twangy guitars to psychedelic melodies, and kept it real at the same time. Their sound was opening to the eyes that overlooked them, but with conflicting views on the inside. Don't feel left out for not being able to get a glimpse of their good vibrations. According to the band known as Slower Dollars, they aren't sure whether they're done or not, but for now their focus is directed towards the new projects.

            Break ups from bands such as Blink-182 and At the Drive-In gave fans double the music after their demise, and with departure from members in Slower Dollars, we are left with two different, yet appealing, acts. You can catch Firek's the Ferdy Mayne on MySpace, now, but you'll have to wait a minute to hear anything from Buffalo Kids. Their MySpace is non-existent at this time, so just head over to the old Slower Dollars profile to find out what's happening.