By Amanda Dyslin
Free Press Features Editor
MANKATO —
Tripping Icarus is new. Less than two years old. Still establishing itself in the Midwest alternative rock scene. Still trying to get a record contract.
That’s why bass player Chris Kluwe doesn’t mind, at this point, anyway, that he tends to be a big draw when the band plays a show. Surely that will be the case today at Red Sky Lounge in Mankato when the band performs.
“Yeah, I’d say a third of our fans know me from the Vikings,” said Kluwe, 28, who is the Vikings punter.
While the band could use the added exposure at this point in its career, the guys — Andrew Reiner, guitar, Matthew Marshall, drums, Jesse Damien Revel, vocals, and Kluwe on bass — hope the music becomes the main draw. They’re proud of the fact they play almost all original material, despite being such a young band.
“We think the music’s actually fairly good,” Kluwe said, describing the sound on their upcoming debut album as a cross between Audioslave, Tool and Rage Against the Machine. Despite being known for football, Kluwe has a long history in music. His mom made him play a musical instrument in school, so he chose the violin. He played violin for eight years until he became interested in football in high school and had to choose which to focus on. Football won.
Kluwe played three years of varsity ball at Los Alamitos High School in California. He made the USA Today first-team All-American as a punter. In college at UCLA, he became one of the top punters in the Pac-10.
Shortly after, he was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Seattle Seahawks but was released for the final roster cutdown. He was picked up the next day by the Vikings. In 2007, Kluwe signed an $8.3-million contract extension with the Vikings through 2013, which put him in the top 10 highest-paid punters in the NFL.
“It worked out,” he said with a laugh.
These days, however, if his band were to take off, Kluwe said he wouldn’t make the same choice. It would be music all the way. Playing a gig is similar to being on the field with fans watching and cheering, he said. But there’s more of a personal connection when performing music, he said.
“And it’s easier on the body,” he said.
The video game Guitar Hero got Kluwe interested in music again. After he mastered it, he wanted to see if he could handle the real thing.
“It was definitely different,” he said.
Kluwe plays guitar fairly well, he said, but he found the bass to be similar to the violin because the musician plays one string at a time. So he picked it up more quickly.
Tripping Icarus — a name which kind of just sounded cool to the band — has released an EP and has been working on its full-length release, which the band recently recorded at Pachyderm Studio in Cannon Falls. Kluwe thinks it will be out this summer. The band will be shopping it around to record labels to see if they get any bites.
“We’d like to know whether we’re good enough to make it,” he said.
The band plans to play a show in Mankato during Vikings Training Camp in August, which could be the last show Tripping Icarus performs before Kluwe becomes immersed in football season. Most of their performing schedule is in the summer due to the busy Vikings schedule.
That’s why Kluwe hopes a lot of people show up tonight to catch the show. People will be in for a lot of energy, he said. They might also help Mankato’s cause to get Brett Favre to come to Training Camp.
“If you come to the show, then Brett will come with the team (to camp),” Kluwe joked.
If You Go
What
Tripping Icarus, featuring Vikings punter Chris Kluwe. Angry Waters opens the show.
When
Today. Angry Waters goes on at 9 p.m. and Tripping Icarus will follow at about 11 p.m.
Where
Red Sky Lounge, 520 S. Front St.
Admission
Free. For more information, call 625-8131, visit http://www.trippingicarus.com/ or search for Tripping Icarus’ Facebook page at facebook.com to hear music samples.
