Holy Smokes heats up music scene

Rob Morris '03, Justin Garretson '03, Caleb Bonilla '03 and Brad Flora '04 of the Holy Smokes are not only respectable, studious Princeton men by day but righteous rockers by night. Like Jabberjaw or Josie and the Pussycats, they're also a dashing crime fighting team, protecting the Street from trespassers, burglars and public fornicators.

After a show at Cloister Inn one night last spring, Flora said he found an amorous couple occupied in his car, and after forcing them out dan noticing damage, he and his bandmates engaged the villains in a high-speed chase, culminating in arrests.

"On one hand, it was totally awesome," Pérez-Daple said, "but I also felt really bad."

The band didn't want to see anyone go to jail, but they had a duty to ensure that justice was served. It's all in a day's work, when you're one of the most popular bands on campus.

"[The two] still come to Holy Smokes shows," Flora said, "I've heard that the guy has actually told people that we're his favorite band. The Holy Smokes, keeping time, fighting crime."

That's just the kind of band they are. Sure, they may send you to jail, but their concerts are so fun that even the most hardened criminal will come back begging for more.

The band played its first riotous show in 2001. Pérez-Daple and Morris lived in the same hall in Forbes freshman year, and after discovering a common interest in music, they proceeded to begin playing together, jamming in their rooms in "The Jungle" during sophomore year hall parties that would eventually become legendary.

Flora, then not a member, quickly became a fan. When the band needed someone to run their newly-purchased equipment, Flora took the job.

"We really hit it off with [Flora] and kind of became friends, and later we found out that he played the guitar and keyboards and had a really good voice," Garretson. said.

"We were really in need of keyboards and background vocals and a sound technician on top of that, and since we were friends with him, we decided to make him the fifth Holy Smoke."

"[Flora] expands the repertoire. We can do so much more stuff with Brad than we could without," Pérez-Daple added.

No more than two or three songs in their repertoire are from the same band. The Holy Smokes aim to entertain, and on the Street, that means playing mostly upbeat covers that everyone can sing along to.

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This past weekend, the Holy Smokes played their first gig at Cap and Gown. At first, the room was sparsely populated, but as the band progressed through their set from nostalgic mellow grunge songs to more upbeat Beatles tunes, the room grew denser, and by the time they played mandatory Bon Jovi, the room was packed, and the crowd was shouting along at the top of their lungs.

The set dipped and peaked, controlling the energy of the crowd. During their trademark cover of the "Ducktails" theme, the crowd jumped up and down, causing the floor to rumble. During "Fight for Your Right," everyone's hands were in the air and they yelled along, "Party!"

Bonilla's bass was clear and booming, and Garretson's drums provided the framework. Flora played a little bit of everything, from the keyboards to what appeared to be a black cowbell and an egg, as well as providing backup vocals.

"Caleb, Brad and I just try to form a solid rhythm section and let the men up front work the crowd," Garretson said.

Lead singer, Pérez-Daple did an admirable job of changing qualities to fit the wide range of music played. He screamed out the politically-charged lyrics of "Killing in the Name Of" and gently sang the tortured poetry of "Creep."

During the set, Pérez-Daple and Morris switched guitars a couple of times. Morris's flashiest guitar featured orange tiger stripes on a black body, a striped whammy bar, and a bright orange feather boa attached to the strap. After all, a rock band wouldn't be complete without faux fur or feathers.

In fact, feather boas seemed to be everywhere, as several audience members were decked out in flashy costumes, dancing like crazy. A few girls completed the scene by writhing around on the monitors. One daring girl took the stage at one point to dance with Pérez-Daple, who was forced to pause mid-song and quip, "You messed me up."

Providing the simple, yet dramatically effective lighting was Beth Bonilla, Caleb Bonilla's wife of two years. The two went to high school together in Montana, and after a year apart, she transferred to Rutgers where she is currently a junior. The entire band is reverent of Beth, who holds the show together from offstage.

The Holy Smokes pulled a double whammy by ending their set with a one-two power punch of ACDC's "You Shook Me" and finishing with Lynard Skynard's "Freebird," which inspired many audience members to stand in awe in front of lead guitarist, Morris who played air guitar or point in the air, up and down, with the undisputed greatest guitar solo in rock history.

"Freebird" is one of those songs that evokes intense emotion, and the entire audience was drawn into the song. Some people held up Zippos, one girl held up a lit-up toy gun, several couples made out during the entire song, and almost everybody sang along. One enthusiastic audience member even bowed to the stage during the famous guitar duel when Morris played his guitar behind his head.

At the end of the concert, a few people chanted, "Rock and roll! Rock and roll," and one intoxicated fan screamed, "This is obviously the best band on campus. And when they rock like this, that's the way it is."

The band was pleased with their performance at the end of the night. "Most of the fun for us is watching the crowd enjoy themselves," Pérez-Daple said, "It's very flattering and gratifying."