In a world of indie, punk, garage, and southern rock, there hasn’t been much emphasis on creating “new” classic rock. But five former high school friends from Pickerington are doing just that. The George Elliot Underground, named after a misfit Vietnam vet, formed last fall with Matt Zaborniak on vocals, Jeremy Browning and Marlin Kornegay on guitar, Derek Ultican on bass, and Brian Mayes on drums. They’ll perform their first New Year’s Eve show on Thursday night at Circus with Burglar, Chelsea Automatic, and The Compressions.
Expectations for New Year’s Eve rock shows are typically high, so The George Elliot Underground has been preparing to deliver a raucous performance. “On New Year’s Eve, you want to dance, you want to party… you want to do whatever they were doing in the movie Footloose,” Marlin laughed. “We’re going to give people everything they’re expecting and maybe a little bit more.” Their set will feature a Beatles cover, a rendition of their original blues song “January 1,” and Matt’s prized white microphone. As with most New Year’s Eve revelers, members of the band have been reflecting upon the past year. “My favorite part of 2009 was coming to grips with wanting to play music for the rest of my life,” Matt said. He recently left Ohio for six months to train with the Air National Guard. The band waited and practiced without him. They’ll begin recording their second EP in January and hope to have the opportunity to play at Comfest next summer. “We’re finally starting to create our own sound,” Derek said. “We know our instruments better and are becoming more comfortable together now.”
Tickets to the New Year’s Eve show at Circus cost $10 and doors open at 9:00 p.m. The George Elliot Underground also will perform on February 13 at The Basement and on February 27 at Skully’s. For more information, visit myspace.com/thegeorgeelliotunderground.
Alexandra Kelley writes about music for Columbus Underground and can be reached at alexandra477.com.