They do it for the song, for the sound, for the love of music.
Penguin delivers truly sophisticated rock ’n’ roll, each song packed with engaging progressions, an interesting journey, without straying too far from traditional structure.
“We’re not getting into a movement,” says Andy Metz, vocalist, guitarist and primary songwriter for Penguin.
He can be considered the lead Penguin, not only because he supplies the band with most its tunes (and Chef Wang’s customers with Penguin CDs), but also because he is the band’s namesake?“Penguin” is Metz’s longtime nickname.
The band’s music sounds oddly familiar, but certainly fresh, many passages just sound so right you’d swear you heard them before.
Rather than trying to fit into mainstream Nashville, the jam scene, or any other “movements,” Penguin seems focused on simply making good music.
“It’s not contrived at all. It’s from the heart,” said Ryan Jerzak, a dance partner of sorts for Metz as Jerzak’s Stratocaster and Metz’s Epiphone match rhythms and lock together perfectly on many instrumental sections.
Focusing energy on producing pleasing, catchy music instead of becoming involved trends and cliques could actually earn a band more listeners in the long run.
“I’ve never been in a band (before Penguin) where young kids like it and their parents like it too,” Jerzak said.
Bassist Chris Goebel said the wide variety of music the band listens to?a healthy foundation of classic rock and blues ranging to more progressive groups such as Mars Volta and Feathers (“If the Smurfs played music, it’s what they would sound like,” Jerzak said of Feathers)?adds to Penguin’s wide appeal.
“We all really like each other too,” said Goebel, drawn to Murfreesboro because MTSU offered the only campus NSAI chapter. While he credits Metz as being a great songwriter and able to present ready-to-go songs to the group, Goebel said he is eager to become more involved in the writing process. While Metz first brought his catalogue of songs to the band, writing is now more of a collaboration between Jerzak, Goebel, Metz, his brother and keyboard player, Chris, and drummer Charlie Blevins.
To hear Penguin’s latest material, grab Burton Street Session, a five-song EP available at Cat’s and Hastings or visit penguinrocks.com for more information.
