Sibling Band The Council Set To Play Citi Field On September 27th

For years, the mantra of the Mets and their fans has been “Ya Gotta Believe.”  This season, die-hard Mets fan, actress and songwriter Lori Martini wrote the song “Believe” in order to capture this spirit.  The track has been ever present at Citi Field in 2011, serving as Justin Turner‘s walkup music as well as being performed in an pregame concert by Nick Javas and Kassy K.  On Tuesday, September 27th, Believe will get a new twist when the three-piece rock band The Council performs the track prior to the game vs. the Cincinnati Reds. 

Consisting of brothers Doug, Pat and Andy Reeves (Doug and Pat are twins, Andy is a year younger), The Council began in Syracuse, New York, home to the siblings.  After some initial struggles (or as Doug notes, “commitment, arguing, perseverance, arguing, sacrifice, a little more arguing and here we are), the band has toured with such acts as The All American Rejects, The Kooks and The Toadies.  One thing that the brothers have taken with them on the road no matter where they travel is their Mets fandom.  The Council was kind enough to engage in a Q&A with Rising Apple regarding the band, their music, and of course, the Mets.

Rising Apple: How did you get together with Lori Martini? What attracts you to her song “Believe” and her other music?
The Council: We met Lori at a show of ours in March at Sullivan Hall. We talked after the show and had alot of things in common, one being our love for the New York Mets. We’ve stayed in touch ever since. Lori’s song “Believe” attracted us because it’s a universal theme. Everyone can relate to believing in something, whether themselves, another person, a team, etc. In this case especially, Mets fans have really defined the word “believe” embracing it through good and bad times alike. Lori’s other music has the same qualities. The songs are genuine and you sense that when you hear them.

RA: What projects are you currently working on?
C: We currently are finishing up a re-make of Nirvana’s song “Lithium” for an anniversary album being put out by music industry people in Toronto, Canada. The album marks 20 years since the release of “Nevermind” and spans five continents. We are the only American band on the album, which we are truly humbled by. It’s due out in late September. We also have been demoing new songs in preparation for recording later this fall.

RA: How does Syracuse influence your music?
C: It’s not necessarily Syracuse as a city that influences our music, it’s more our situation in life and the experiences we’ve gone through in Syracuse. We grew up working on our family farm. As fulfilling as it was to help our family out, we had a different passion. The work ethic we learned on the farm has been valuable to us while trying to achieve all of our musical goals. In a lot of our songs there is a sense of urgency that comes from wanting to make the transition from farmers to full time musicians.

RA: How did you guys become Mets fans?
C: We have been Mets fans since we were kids. Our grandparents bought Doug and I Mets jerseys and hats for I think our fourth birthday. As custom on our birthday, Andy received the same gift. We wore them every day and of course began watching Mets games. Every time we were at our grandparents’ house we’d talk Mets and the rest is history.

RA: Who are your favorite Mets of all time? Currently on the team?
C: Favorite Mets. Hmmmm… We could say the 86’ Mets team for obvious reasons. They are all legends. But definitely, Gary Carter (God bless Gary Carter’s health), Keith Hernandez, Dwight Gooden, Darryl Strawberry, Howard Johnson, Lenny Dykstra, Mookie Wilson, Rey Ordonez, Nolan Ryan, Carlos Delgado. Currently, well of course all of them, but we do like the hustle and grittiness of David Wright, Jose Reyes, Johan Santana, Ike Davis and Justin Turner.

Q: Who are your musical influences?
C: Musically we are influenced by U2, The Who, Pearl Jam, Nirvana, Foo Fighters and anything else that sparks our creativity.

RA: What do you want to accomplish with your music?
C: We hope our music inspires people and maybe gives them an escape from whatever reality they need escaping from. But, at the end of the day we just want people to enjoy our music. As for our band, we are striving to become the biggest band in the world. We would also love to be able to play a full set at a sold out Citi Field.

RA: Do you prefer Citi or Shea?
C: We love the nostalgia of Shea. Obviously, Citi Field is just amazin (spelling is a nod to Mets fans).  You know the Mets home is the Mets home. It’s more the team and fans than it is the stadium.

RA: What connection do you see between the Mets and your music? Music in general?
C: We actually grew up playing baseball. We have always had a passion for it and the Mets. Now that we are in a band, playing Citi Field makes it that much more rewarding. It’s the best of both worlds for us. As the Mets mantra is, “You Gotta Believe,” similarly we as a band have always embraced that anything can happen as long as you believe.

For more information about The Council, please visit their website at http://www.councilband.com/ or their Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/councilband3