It’s hard to find the right words to describe Botchii. They were one of those bands that meant something different to everyone who heard them. Also, Botchii’s guitarist, Tom Skowronski, is one of my best friends, and I’ve been intimately involved with the band’s ins and outs for some time. To that end, I could probably write a book about Botchii.
Botchii is noisy and chaotic, but maintains a beat and rhythm, so that the band never completely dissolves into noise and chaos. In fact, the music is technically impressive and somewhat tight, however, the avant gaurde nature of the music, along with Botchii’s notorious absurd stage presence, made the music’s worth lost on many. Others were utterly impressed both with the aesthetic of the music, and the nonchalant manner of the band, and Botchii developed a serious cult following in sections of the noise/experimental music community.
The band went through many phases before breaking up in 2006. Skowronski originally envisioned the project as a marketing scheme for this professional wrestling aspirations. After sort of learning how to play the guitar, he formed a poppy, formulaic Botchii with a drummer named Chris. Chris named the band after a friend of his, who would bail him out in times of trouble. After the band acquired, and subsequently lost, a flaky bassist, Chris parted ways with Tom, and Tom discovered Matthew Grabiel.
Grabiel himself learned drumming on his own. After his church group needed a drummer to play for their praise music band, he lied about knowing how to play, and found himself performing in front of his entire congregation the following Sunday. The two managed to practice frequently and work out a catalog of music. Being as unique as they were, Botchii had trouble finding appropriate places to play and bands to play with, however their reputation finally made it’s way to the Chico punk scene, where they were welcome with semi-open arms. The band was able to organize a Japanese tour shortly before Matthew and Tom parted ways.
Matthew Grabiel quit, deciding he was tired of working with other musicians (and simultaniously tendering his resegnation of Sleepyhead). Tom hired Alex Coffin as Botchii’s drummer. An impeccable performer, but perhaps less independent minded than Matthew, Coffin’s allowed Tom to usher Botchii into a band with a single vision. After a short, and stressful, Pacific Northwest tour, Botchii began playing less and less, until Tom Skowronski officially gave up on music, and pursued a career in videography. He has discussed plans to get back into music, and has been jamming with his current girlfrined, Brandi Benson, who used to drum for a punk band called Social Conern. Matthew Grabiel is, to the best of my knowledge, not involved in any musical project right now, but he has moved out of his parent’s house since quitting Botchii, and he runs his own blog that tends to focus on MST3K. Alex Coffin, being eager to drum for anybody, is doing just that, as he plays in about ten different bands, including Teeph, who Ve mentioned earlier.
The Greatest Album Ever Made… EVER!!! was made with Matthew in the band, and is an engaging, lively, and interesting record, also, it doesn’t take itself very seriously.
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