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"Steven Tyler would dip into sacks of blow by his mic-stand," says lead guitarist Justin Peterson.
Amid bottles of Super Chill, whiskey and bags of Starburst jelly beans, Mankato rockers SueCity affectionately volley Aerosmith tidbits like they are teaching a music class.
"They're definitely No. 1 on our list," says Nick Dahl, the other half of the dual guitar team that makes up the band's classic rock riffs and parading allure.
Four of the five band members sit in a distant corner of their labyrinthine Mankato residence - a standard college paradise by any means, complete with beer and pizza boxes and midday Cartoon Network fare. Lead vocalist Symon Polley and bassist Kelly Hammerschmidt round out the rest of the original band members present. The group has been playing together since January 2008.
There's a giddy buzz in the room: Saturday marks the first time SueCity will step onto the What's Up Lounge stage for its self-titled CD release concert, along with Soviet Machines (also releasing their CD), The Engagement and Josh Hoaby Band.
"Within four hours of us being in Mankato, me and Nick jammed," says Peterson, noting that within two days of becoming MSU freshmen, the duo crafted two of their six EP songs.
"We were sick of the mainstream music scene and still are," Hammerschmidt says.
The band's EP holds true to the roots of '70s and '80s formulas, laying kin with AC/DC, The Doors and Guns N' Roses. Polley's lyrics waver seamless and simple through scores of lengthy, dueling string whines and slides - a trait seldom seen within the rock of today.
"We're just singing about having fun," says Polley. "Everybody's singing so depressed these days."
The instrumental opener "Tick" revs like the start of a motorcycle rally, announcing (and showcasing) SueCity's musicianship, foreshadowing a raucous energy that could only be part of a soda-slugging, scraggly-haired outfit such as these guys.
The thunder emerges on cuts "Ignite" and "Diesel Train," the latter a sing-along jaunt down Party Lane, with its recurring chorus and punch-in-the-mouth percussion.
But the band's prowess comes with the finale, "Everytime," a bluesy mess of howling guitars, lonesome bass lines and Polley's Axl Rose-ish cries.
The album was created with the help of Peterson's friend Bryan Mengy, whom he met at The Institute of Production & Recording (IPR) in Minneapolis. Mengy's credits include albums with local funk-hoppers Parallax, as well as filling in slots as a sound technician for area shows.
"He was progressing faster than other students," Peterson says. "We noticed he was a hard-worker and his projects always turned out exceptional. Now, when we perform songs, I ask myself, 'Would I like this if it wasn't me?'"
Asked what the future holds for SueCity, Dahl says the band has about 10 more tracks for a full-length record due out this summer.
"That and an international tour," Hammerschmidt adds jokingly.
As the conversation inevitably leads back to the topic of Tyler, it's evident they won't sacrifice their sound for anyone.
"He once said 'anything worth doing was worth overdoing.' I think that's something we go for all the time," Peterson says.
Drew Nelson is a Reporter staff writer
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