“My brother got this dog named Midnight from a drug dealer,” bassist Justin Shuster (CAS ‘05) said, “and renamed it Roger. We put ‘em together.” And thus was born Midnite Roger, a motley collection of Georgetown student rock stars, formed as part of Cabaret, a project that puts together bands to showcase Georgetown talent and raise money for the D.C. schools project. Midnite Roger has progressed from a cover band to a cohesive blues/funk/rock/jam unit.
The group combines the strengths of the two lead vocalists, Alexis George (CAS ‘04) and Chaz Huber (NHS ‘05), with an all-star backing group. Drummer Greg Capone (MSB ‘06) whales out some spine-tingling solos and even takes the mic for a few songs. Bassist Justin Shuster (CAS ‘05), who has written some of the group ’s original songs, whips out stomach-pulsing solos for select numbers. George Hwang (SFS ‘04) has rock star written all over him, and has perfected the art of writhing with his guitar through his solos like one possessed. Aaron Shneyer (CAS ‘05) soulfully croons out his original compositions while accompanying Hwang on guitar. Frank Nagle (CAS ‘04) rounds out the recipe like frosting on the cake with a spirited saxaphone.
“The best thing about this band is it just looks like they ‘re having a great time up there,” said fan Lauren Eyler (CAS ‘05). “They make you feel like you ‘ve been invited to a jam session at a private party.”
The band ’s energy on-stage is palpable. George sings “Piece of My Heart” well enough to make Janis smile in her grave and Huber is a dead ringer for Jim Morrison on the Doors’ covers, right down to the slight glint of insanity in his eyes.
“We ‘re trying to get away from sounding like other bands,” said Shneyer, who has written two of Midnite Roger ’s latest originals. “It ’s all about compromise. We ‘ll bring in a song and then everyone will give their two cents, we ‘ll make it so everyone likes it, and eventually it turns out for the better. Seven heads are better than one.” The band is set to release an explosion of new sound due out later this semester with its debut CD.
“Midnite Roger gives people something new to do on a weekend night,” Shuster said.
The band creates a good scene wherever it goes and has amassed a loyal and steadily growing following. The band is planning to rent buses to get its fans up to a show it ’s playing on Oct. 1 at The Vault, a prestigious Baltimore venue. Tickets for the show will be available in Red Square. They will also be making an appearance at Hoyapalooza, a showcase of Georgetown ’s a cappela groups and bands on the Esplanade on Sept. 10.
For more information on the band visit their website: www.midniteroger.com where you can hear samples of original songs, sign up for mailing lists, look at pictures, find out about upcoming gigs and fine-tune your groupie skills
