By Sarah Ruholl
Assistant Verge Editor
Recent times have seen a lot of changes for Eli Jones & The Bare Bones.
The most notable being the addition of singer Stefanie Berecz.
Berecz brought a professional air to the band.
She was a finalist on MTV’s “Making the Band” and won the 2006 Bar 1 Big Break. She’s opened for Mary J. Blige and sang the national anthem at sporting events.
Although Eli Jones is the first live band she has ever been a part of, her arrival made the band finally get serious.
“Before, we were, musically and ambitions wise, ambling along,” guitarist and songwriter Brendan O’Connell said about the band in its earlier incarnation.
The band will play at 9 p.m. on Saturday at Friends and Co.
In the beginning, O’Connell was also the lead vocalist.
He said the music used to be more focused on complicated compositions and intricate guitar parts. Berecz’s voice gave them a new sense of pride in their work and changed the dynamic of the songs.
“We just sort of stripped everything down; we didn’t have to hide behind it,” he said.
Her vocals are big and well suited to a soulful groove. The voice is the main focus of the band’s sound.
During live shows, O’Connell says, “We’re just up there cheering Stefanie on.”
With their new, soulful sound and recently added horn section, the band is stepping up their game.
Guitarist Chris Corsale feels the band has more to offer than most.
“We’re more than your average bar band, you get a horn section,” Corsale said about why students should check out the band’s performance at Friend’s and Co. Saturday night.
Near the end of recording their first album “Make It Right”, the band decided to add a different element to the tracks.
A horn section was assembled with students from various state colleges. The tracks were arranged and mixed into the album, and that was supposed to be the end of the horn section.
Then, shortly before the album was set to be released, the Chicago-based band was invited to play a festival show. The band asked the musicians to join them for the show, as well as the record release show.
Baritone sax player Jon Edwards, tenor sax player Jim Schram and trombone player Eric Miller enjoyed playing live with the band. After the two gigs, they approached the rest of the band and asked to be a permanent part of the group.
As all the pieces begin to fall together, the band has earned a reputation across the Midwest for their fun live show and Berecz’s pitch-perfect vocals.
Fans often tell the band that they always appear to be having a lot of fun on stage, and it is because they are.
O’Connell hopes the band continues to gain popularity, with what he describes as their non-offensive sound winning over fans that simply enjoy good music, dancing and fantastic singing.
The band sees themselves moving up in the music scene.
During live shows, Corsale gets a certain funny feeling and thinks to himself, “Wow, I’m really part of something here.”
