By Anjelica Michael
A smooth voice and advanced guitar skills have made waves through audiences across Virginia and Maryland, emanating from an unlikely band that still has school dances, final exams and college applications ahead of them.
Fuse Box is made up of a group of high schoolers centered in the Alexandria area, the oldest being 18. The group of five is made up of Ian Lloyd, Kent Jenkins, Augustus Koch, Luis Milburn and Perry Connor. Recently, they released their first album “The Fusebox EP.” The album (which is now available on their website) consists of six original songs. The band has performed at popular venues such as Rams Head Live! in Baltimore, and The State Theatre in Falls Church. Also, this past Sunday the band walked away with the “Fan Favorite” award at the Washington Area Music Awards or WAMMIES. With these venues under their belts, this group is becoming veterans of the club scene. Inspired by Led Zeppelin and Jimi Hendrix, this group rocks beyond their ages. We caught up with Fuse Box to talk about their beginnings, local fame and their new CD.
NVM: So how did the band come together?
Ian Lloyd (lead guitar): “Most of us went to elementary and middle school together. One day I was with Auggie and we were listening to Zeppelin and it just hit us. We started off as a group of three and added people from there.”
Q: What was it like to win the WAMMIE award for fan favorite?
Kent Jenkins (Lead singer and drummer): “It was extremely surprising. We thought that if we won, it would be in the category we were originally nominated for (Best New Artist.) When we didn’t win that, it was a bummer. It didn’t even cross my mind as a possibility to win the other award, but when they announced our name I was like wait…we actually won something here.”
Q: What is your favorite song off of your new EP and why?
Augustus Koch (Bass): “I would have to say “Too Much Groove,” which is the third track on the EP. I normally enjoy longer songs, but this one is very concise. It’s catchy and funky, and fresher than the classic rock songs we usually cover.”
Q: What do your families think of your band having so much success when you all are so young?
Luis Milburn (guitar, drums, singer): “My parents are incredibly proud of me. They have been behind the band the whole way and encourage me to do whatever I want with my life, so I’m doing that.”
Q: What sets you apart from other young bands?
Perry Connor (keyboards): “We’re pretty organized, we have a lot of luck, and really supportive family members. We make an itinerary for each practice and say what we are going to do, and I think we have a level of seriousness that other bands don’t have. And we want to be respectful, as we should be.”
Q: So what does Fuse Box have planned for the future?
Ian: “We had a conversation about this last week. We want to add songs to our repertoire and record one or two more albums, and hopefully we can find a way to release them.”
Kent: “We can’t give a super concrete answer I think, because the band isn’t the only thing we do. It depends on each person, but I absolutely want to continue. And having just won the WAMMIE, the sky’s the limit.”
To learn more about the band and listen to a preview of their EP, visit fuseboxband.net
