Rums and Bumbletons

Scribbled down after a “rambunctious” evening by Dick Syn, one of the founding members of the band, the name, Rums and Bumbletons, is open for interpretation: “Basically there are two types of people, there’s the Rums and there’s the Bumbletons.” Smiling, Syn asked me: “Which one are you?” He assured me this was something I would just know, a gut feeling. After having settled into their collective dry sense of humor, I laughed and told them my gut was telling me this was some kind of trick.

I met the members of Rums and Bumbletons in the dimly lit bar at Torrington’s Yankee Pedlar Inn one Wednesday evening. We ordered our pints and gathered in close as I asked the group to explain exactly how they came to be.

The band began in 1993 with singer Stone Catcherye and guitarist Dick Syn playing open mics and coffeehouses. After jamming together for some time, the pair parted ways for a few years: “Syn was living on the other side of the state, doing his own thing and I was doing my own thing,” remembered Stone. Syn and Delphi then reminisced about the night, three years ago, when they bumped into Stone at a Tool show, reconnecting the original Rums duo after their brief hiatus: “We realized that our own things were incomplete without each other,” Stone recalled, producing an all around “awww” from the table. After some debate, it was decided that the group took on its current amalgamation “Spring-ish 2007,” this time including both drummer Delphi Finn (whom Syn played with in B-Side) and bassist Kramwell Ellavalled (Stone’s cousin and former Zamboni bandmate).

When asked to describe their music, Delphi explained it as “definitely original, but if you had to add some flavors to it, probably Blind Melon-ish, Led Zepplin-ish.” Kramwell noted that people have told him the band “should’ve started way back in the nineties.” One can definitely hear these influences while listening to such songs as The Perfect Oz, Rats and Head Tax. Heavy on the electric guitar, one track you might involuntarily bang your head to the beat, while the next produces a swaying motion of the shoulders and neck. Syn explained that their music is “hard to define. One week we might write a song that’s like one thing and the next week it will be something totally different.” Stone then said half kidding that between the four of them, their tastes are so different, “sometimes we write like, a polka song.” Syn concurred, “Yeah, we’ll do a free form polka.” All jokes aside, the group listed influences such as Tool, Muse, The Beatles, Mars Volta, Rush, Sound Garden, Jay Z, Primus, ACDC, Guns and Roses and Alice and Chains. In fact, Rums and Bumbletons is to be featured in a book coming out about the recording history of Alice and Chains.

While influenced by many, Rums and Bumbletons write their own music and describe it as a collaborative effort. Syn explained: “I don’t think you can write a complete song by yourself; I don’t think it can really come alive until everyone puts their two cents in.” Kramwell noted that there is never any shortage of material as “Stone’s got like years of lyrics written down.” Stone then shrugged humbly and admitted to being a “wannabe poet.”

In fact, their lyrics are often quite poetic and on several tracks, strong imagery is enhanced by the accompanying music. For instance, in Rats, the music and lyrics work together to create an overall feeling of being lost at sea. As the lyrics in each verse repeat with subtle changes, the music plays in circular patterns. Stone’s haunting voice pulls us in, “Rats can’t swim the sea that you swam for me,” and the track itself seems to build like the gradually rising swells of a misty ocean tide.

While discussing how they write their songs, Syn noted, “You never know where you can pull inspiration from”:
“One time I was gonna be late for practice… I had car trouble, let’s put it that way. I called Dave and I was giving him an excuse for why I wasn’t showing up and Chris ended up recording it and putting it into a song.”
Stone then added, “That’s actually called The Sinner’s Excuse.” Their songs touch on a variety of themes, including, but not limited to, love and apocalypse, friendship and violence.

After having recently finished their first EP, the self produced Ahrenbe, the band plans to start booking gigs soon. While Stone bemoaned Connecticut’s lack of enthusiasm for its musicians, the band has nonetheless already played at several local venues such as New Haven’s Toad’s Place, Hartford’s Webster and Webster Underground, Cheshire’s CJ Sparrows and more. Rums has also been featured on WCCC Homegrown, 106.9 The Rock. Syn announced with a smile: “2010 is gonna be a big year for the Rums and Bumbletons!”

As I sat around the table with this charismatic foursome, it was impossible to miss the brotherly kind of friendships shared between them. Syn put it well: “The bottom line is we have a great time. We love to make the music and we love hanging out with each other,” which sent up a teasing chorus of “I love you mans,” joking hugs and loud back pats. Keep your eyes open Connecticut, for we will surely see more of both the Rums and the Bumbletons this year!

To find learn, see and hear more, please visit: www.rumsandbumbletons.com