An Interview with NotchoMa

by Ed Yashinsky

Question: What do you get when you meet a bus driver, a woodworker, an environmental educator, a fiber optic salesman and three teachers in the same place?

Answer: A good conversation, I guess.

But, if you combine these individuals and their interests in blues, funk, reggae, folk, jazz, ska and world music, you get NotchoMa, a Harrisburg-area ska band that may possibly be one of the best-kept secrets in Central Pennsylvania.

If you’re not familiar with ska, you may want to sneak a quick peak over your shoulder, because if the ska scene continues to explode here, the way it has in many metropolitan areas, you will soon be run over by one of these hyperactive bands that meld caffeine-infused reggae with a kicking horn section.

Ska is in the midst of it’s third, and possibly, largest incarnation. The first wave began in the late 1950s and ‘60s as Jamaican natives, the Skatalites, combined reggae with rhythm-and-blues. This hybrid sound made it to England, and in the ‘70s collided with punk rock, to create an intense sound popular with working-class youth. In the ‘80s, a second wave of interracial ska bands including The Specials, Madness and The English Beat appeared on the ground-breaking Two-Tone label and sparked some chart success in America. The third wave is quickly spreading across the country and the world; show up at a ska show and you will be inundated by a dedicated cross-section of society that includes skinheads, frat boys, professionals and punks who will "skank" (dance) for hours.

NotchoMa has been cultivating a traditional ska sound (the band jokingly refers to its style as "Skamish," ska music from a Central Pennsylvania perspective) for more than two and one-half years. And, if you haven’t seen their name in local clubs, it’s probably because they’ve been traveling across the mid-Atlantic region playing with ska giants like The Toasters, Fighting Gravity and The Skatalites. Recently, however, NotchoMa has been making a concerted effort to play more shows in Central Pennsylvania. "We’ve been booking more shows in Harrisburg, Lancaster, and York for two reasons," says drummer and manager Keith Barnes. "The scene is exploding in larger cities and it’s getting increasingly difficult to get those gigs, and we all have jobs and lives outside of the band, so it’s nice to spend some weekends at home."

The band’s name is slang for "not your mother." It took a while for all the members to agree on a spelling, but they found quick agreement on the term’s meaning. "To us, it represents taking responsibility for yourself, which is important to everyone in the band," says singer and guitarist Deb Grafus.

Grafus, along with Jon Hand (guitar) and Steve Oliphant (sax/keyboard), formed NotchoMa’s roots more than ten years ago in Perry County. Grafus’ songs, which combined new age philosophies with a rural musical background, meshed well with Hand’s blues-influenced guitar and Oliphant’s funk roots. "At the time, Deb was writing these great lyrics, and we were playing what I would consider more folk tunes," says Hand, "but we were all into this heavy rhythmic music."

In 1994, Barnes, a veteran of El Kabong and Eureka Bone, met Grafus, Hand, and Oliphant through an ad in Pennsylvania Musician magazine. He liked the lyrics and music, but was dedicated to starting a ska band. "I’ve always loved ska’s intensity and groove, and luckily, these guys were interested," says Barnes.

"I think it was more like we were forced into it," jokes Oliphant. "But seriously, the three of us were playing these strong rhythm and funk pieces, so it really wasn’t that much of a jump to ska."

The band immediately concentrated on writing original songs and rounding out the band. Bassist Art Martino joined in 1995, but after seeing a ska show, Barnes convinced the others that a full horn section was the vital link to a true ska sound. Trombonist Chris Klimchak and trumpeter Mike Fox, music majors at Lebanon Valley College and Millersville University, respectively, were brought in to bolster the band’s live sound.

With the current lineup solidly in place, NotchoMa has been preparing for their first CD release (scheduled for fall 1997). (A cassette entitled, "I’m Just Sayin" was released in 1996.) "We’ve completed three tracks and are traveling to New York looking for mixing facilities and potential distribution avenues," explains Barnes.

But NotchoMa’s true ability is best exposed at their live shows. On a recent evening at Scott’s Bar and Grille, the large, appreciative crowd grooved to a largely original set that, by the end of the night, had people dancing throughout the bar and all around the band. NotchoMa works as a unit, creating a great party atmosphere, but the music allows for individual members to show-off their abilities. The horn players all take solos, but their key role is to punctuate the music with sonic blasts that would be at home on any big-band stage. The bass and drums create a solid beat for the music but also incorporate jazz and blues into the mix.

"One of the nicest things about ska is that a wide age-group can enjoy it," says Oliphant. "We have played shows where the regulars will be there, but the dinner crowd will stick around because they simply enjoy the music. That’s the most appealing thing about this music—the crowd enjoys it as much as we do."