Signal

SIGNAL

FEATURE

This…SIGNAL

Is Coming In Loud & Clear

from the Heartland

Text & Photo by Corine Jurgerson

Many bands get together with the ultimate goal of getting signed and sharing their music with the masses. Few have the drive or talent to support that goal. South Bend’s Signal could very well be the next regional band to achieve star status.

While no label has had the fortunate experience of stumbling across their talent as of yet, it’s only a matter of time before their name leaks to the big guys.

Signal are Jammie Bosstel on vocals, Josh Czuk on bass, Dave Gleser on drums and Steve Dickson on guitar.

The guys began playing together live in 2004 after Dickson and Gleser parted ways with their former band and founded Signal.

Since forming, they’ve won the 2004 Woodwind & Brasswinds Battle of the Bands, recorded three CD’s and landed a sponsorship from Jagermeister. They’ve also managed to accumulate an impressive tour resume, spanning much of the Midwest.

Influenced by bands such as Tool and Disturbed, Signal’s sound is best described as modern hard rock. Lyrics are influenced by everyday situations. “Every song is wrote as a band,” explained Bosstel. Such a collaborative effort can sometimes lead to conflict, which the band admits, “happens all the time.”

“That kind of conflict fuels the fire,” continued Bosstel. “I think the reason why we do get into conflict is because we want to be that good. When we write a song, for me, personally, it’s not just a song for us. We want to express something different from the last song. I know that we’re going to have to do something different to get noticed. So I focus on writing the next song, hoping that the next song will be better than the last. We really just want to get better and better.”

“As far as the conflict goes, Pink Floyd wrote their best album when they all hated each other,” laughed Dickson.

“When you get four guys together, it’s like a girl fight,” agreed Czuk.

Yet despite the supposed conflict that occurs during the songwriting process, the camaraderie of the band members is evident as they finish one another’s sentences during the interview without even realizing it.

They are relaxed and humble and offer jokes at every opportunity. While they seem to be quite the jokesters, they also exude confidence in their musical abilities (which isn’t the least bit arrogant) and possess an amazing sense of focus that is a rare find amongst the stereotypical “local band”.

Signal recently celebrated the release of their third album, Between the Switch and Fade at McCool’s nightclub in South Haven.

The album was recorded at T. Bush Record Plant in Syracuse, Indiana and took roughly two days to complete. While the band has not had the fortune of being supported by a label as of yet, they do everything in their power to spread the word about their music on their own.

“We really want to get signed,” stated Czuk. “We send stuff out to all kinds of leads,” added Dickson. “We’ve got stuff on Taxi. We’ve played with Local H, Lucky Boys Confusion, American Motherload. We just call and call and call [to get on the bill]. We’re relentless.”

Relentless is certainly a good description; since they haven’t officially hit it big just yet, they work even harder to push toward success.

All four guys work full time jobs in addition to gigging at night. Bosstel is also a father. The talented foursome have been known to play back to back shows, working in between, and running on little-to-no sleep. The band continues to play as many shows as possible in the Midwest while “shopping” their CD to labels and other musical connections.

“We’ll do whatever it takes to make it,” concluded Dickson.

They’re probably closer than they realize.

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