Post Classifieds
Local band looks to make people dance with big sound
By Colleen Young
On March 6, 2013
Lancer, a three-man band named after a pop machine, proclaims itself an energetic punk-rock
band with a big sound, and it hopes to rock with students from area schools at 6 p.m. Saturday at
Xtreme Wheels on Hertel Avenue.
The gig is the band's second at Xtreme Wheels and their third as a group since coming together
in August 2010.
Lead singer and guitarist Victor Castillo, drummer Adam Cwynar and bassist Michael Rakiecki
are communication studies major at Buffalo State, and started out playing private shows in their
friend Kevin Rood's basement at Canisius. Playing for a private crowd helped them develop.
Rood said the band played at his house on three consecutive Thursdays this summer and even
over that short time, they had improved.
"They're comfortable with the crowd," Rood said. "They're very crowd-oriented and enjoyable
to listen to. They're at the beginning stages, however they're a lot more developed than other
punk bands at that stage."
Rakiecki is known for dancing and engaging the crowd to keep fans interested at their
performances.
"I love the atmosphere of live shows," Rakiecki said. "I like playing around and we want people
to like us. ... (Lancer) is easy to listen to and engaging. We're entertaining to watch."
The band's unique name comes from an inside joke between Castillo and Rakiecki. While
working together at The Legion Post in Eden, they noticed that Lancer was the name on the side
of the pop machine at the restaurant, so when it came time to name the band, that stuck.
The quirky name provides just a taste of what to expect when attending a show.
"We're a good time," Castillo said. "We're loud and we want to entertain. We take music
seriously so that everyone can have a good time and dance. ... Forget about what happened that
week and go crazy."
Rood said plenty of college-aged people come to Lancer's shows, as their lyrics are relatable for
people that age. Some are even humorous.
"Their performances are hilarious," Rood said. "They're a really fun band and you can see that
when they're up on stage playing. They have an interesting sense of humor and they tell jokes in
between songs."
College kids can relate to one song in particular.
"(It's) called 'Accidentally Drunk,' Rood said. "It's one of their songs that's kind of a joke, but
speaks to reality."
Though Lancer went through some growing pains, they always knew they wanted to make music
to dance to.
"We started as a jam band and now's we're punk rock," Castillo said. "Those are opposites and
that was just one of our growing pains."
Each of the current band members bring something different to the band.
"[Cwynar] is the musical genius," Rakiecki said. "He's the most proficient on all instruments.
[Castillo] is the heart, soul, spirit and energy. I'm the technology manager. I do our online
profiling and I research instruments."
Each member has a different personality, but they all come together to make music.
"It's great working with (them)," Cwynar said of his bandmates. "They're the most compatible
people to write with. We each have our separate musical influences, but they all mesh together."
Lancer defines itself as a mesh of loud, non-traditional pop/punk, edgy hardcore and rock and
roll. Although these characteristics create an interesting dynamic, the band still just wants to
make people dance.
"There's no message in our music," Castillo said. "We take it seriously but we are as laid-back
as possible. We look at it as work but we still try to have fun."
Cwynar said the group is just trying to set themselves apart from other bands and be able to get
their name out in the Buffalo region.
"We're all from the same high school (Eden) and we all are great friends," Cwynar said.
"We have a connection and we make good music together. We try to make music [fans] can
appreciate that's catchy and lets them enjoy the show."
As for the band's future, the members understand that there are many bands in the market with
fame as their goal.
"There are a lot of good local bands in the area. We don't promise to be one of them," Rakiecki
said. "Our goal is to get out there and have fun. Fame would be nice, but we're not aiming for
that."
Jokingly, Castillo said it'd be easier financially for the band to be famous.
"We want to tour and be signed so someone can pay for our studio time," Castillo said.
Lancer believes students would benefit from attending their shows and listening to their music.
"Music is personal," Rakiecki said. "Each piece of music has its own meanings. It's emotional,
inspirational and influential. Listeners can forget about everything. We like when people like
(our) songs or associate meaning to them."
For more information, visit Lancer's Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/LancerMusic
or their SoundCloud page at http://soundcloud.com/bartquoter.
Colleen Young can be reached by email at young.record@live.com.
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