Local band 'Focusin' delivers stong performance at Hotung

With his humorous introduction, "Hi, we're the Beelzebubs," Focusin guitarist Bennett Kolasinski, set the laid-back and at-home tone that marked his band's performance Thursday night at Hotung Caf?©.

For a crowd of less than ten, the small audience made for a more intimate, highly energized performance "We really enjoy small crowds," vocalist Mark Kalivas said.

With Tufts graduates Yuri Grinshteyn ('02) on bass, and guitarist/vocalist Bennett Kolasinski ('01), the band's set included covers by the Beatles and The Who, along with about a dozen original songs.

The young band has recently received first place at Hard Rock Caf?©'s "Boston Battle of the Bands." Focusin's win at the competition meant they were the opening act at the 2003 Town Fair IV. The group played a twenty minute set at Heinz Field, home of the Pittsburgh Steelers, and got to rub elbows with the likes of Def Lepard and Blink 182. "Playing in front of a crowd of 30,000 people was so nerve-racking," Bennett said, "we played our songs like we were on crack."

In that same comical attitude, Focusin, takes its name from an episode of The Simpsons which parodies the drug Ritalin.

Focusin most resembles a cross between Huey Lewis and the News and the more modern group Train. The band has an upbeat sound which combines elements of blues, jazz, and rock and roll. Kalivas' tone is fluid, and he is adept at capturing the various levels of intensity that occur throughout any given song.

Tough the band fluidly blends different musical styles in their work, choosing a favorite original song proved to be a harder task. "Picking your favorite song is like picking your favorite son," says Kalivas. Kalivas did comment, however, that he and his band mates had an affinity for the recently written song "Hypnotize." Focusin writes almost entirely from personal experience and "Hypnotize" is about coping with the mistakes people make through self-hypnosis.

The Tufts grads did note that they are not yet capable of fully indulging in the "rock star lifestyle," as they are now faced with real world struggles. Focusin's core supporters are still the band's family and friends. "It's a lot more expensive when you graduate and you have to pay for rent and food. Who would have thought?" says Grinshteyn whose frequent business trips often force Focusin to go on hiatus.

"At this point, the jobs are what feed us. When Yuri's gone, we just don't play for a couple weeks. He gets back. We suck for a while. Lather, rinse, repeat," Kolasinski said.

Still, the beat goes on because their love for music remains strong "The band helps balance my life between the sterile day job and everything else," Kolasinski said.

Focusin's short term goal is to develop a major following outside of family and friends. Thinking farther into the future, Grinshteyn says, "We want to be known as the best band ever to come out of Tufts."