MCHS junior likes 'shock rock'

Since it had been promoted as a punk and alternative music concert, Madison County High School junior Adam Stergis was unsure of how his group’s music would be received.

The 17 year old provides vocals for Stitched Together, a four-person “shock rock/industrial” band made up of members from Madison, Culpeper and Orange schools.

“It was advertised as a punk and alternative show – we’re not that…So we just went with the impression we would get our name out there,” Adam said of the band’s Feb. 15 performance at the 9:30 Club in Washington, D.C.

Stitched Together was invited to perform as part of the venue’s The Next Big Thing event – an invitation-only battle of alternative, metal and punk bands from Virginia, Maryland and Washington, D.C.

“A woman called us and asked us if we would like to perform,” the MCHS junior told The Eagle. “We just assumed she had looked at our Myspace [Web site page].”

Once the group arrived at the venue – which has hosted a variety of internationally famous musicians, including Bob Dylan, the Beastie Boys and Red Hot Chili Peppers – they were nervous.

All of the other 30-something bands that performed during the day “all sounded the same,” according to Adam. “They were alternative, boring, emotional,” he said.

Stitched Together – made up of Adam, guitarist Austin Bennett of Culpeper, drummer Austin O’Rourke of Culpeper and bass guitarist John Irby of Orange – falls into a different category. They play original songs with dark lyrics whose heavy drums and screaming vocals give off an angry mood.

Most of the members – one of whom goes by a pseudonym that would be inappropriate to print in The Eagle – wear “goth”-style heavy makeup, including black eyeliner, ripped clothing and spiked jewelry. (In its contemporary meaning, goth refers to a post-punk subculture that originated in England in the early 1980s.)

So when the group, resembling rock band Marilyn Manson, one of their main inspirations, approached the stage, they were expecting the crowd to either hate them or love them.

“As soon as we got up there, everybody cheered,” Adam said. “People kept coming up to us [after the show], we never really got that before…there were people following us afterwards, asking for our numbers.” The next day the band received about 30 friend requests and tons of messages on their Myspace.com Web site page, he said.

Adam thinks the crowd was drawn to the band’s intensely visual performance.

“When we perform we want to give people their money’s worth. We want to be active on stage and do cool stuff. We put a lot into our visuals,” he said.
Adam – who grew up, and continues to live, in Culpeper County with his parents George and Dee Dee Stergis and brother Evan, 10 – has been playing music since he was 10. The 17 year old – who chose to attend Madison County High School for its strong academics and safe environment – was never interested in sports and outdoor activities. Instead his fascination lay with video games.

Over the years, Adam started paying more attention to the music playing in the background of his favorite games, downloading the soundtracks onto his computer so he could enjoy the songs even when he wasn’t playing.

Video game soundtracks include songs created using computer programs and electronic instruments as well as orchestral pieces of music, according to Adam.

When Adam and his fellow band mates initially joined together to create their band – which was previously known by the name Morgue Rats – the MCHS junior had never sung in public before.

“First it was so nerve wrecking getting in front of people, it was just horrible,” recalls Adam, who also plays guitar, bass and keyboard. But after singing a few shows in front of friends – who provided positive feedback no matter what the quality of the performance may have been at first, according to Adam – his confidence grew.

The band writes its own music and currently has an entire album of songs written and ready to be recorded. The only problem is finding a studio that has an opening and decent prices.

“Getting a hold of a studio is such as hard task,” he said.

But the MCHS junior isn’t willing to give up – music is his biggest focus at the moment.

“I want to be a musician for my career…I want to play in a band, make CDs and tour,” he said. “It’s the only thing I’m really interested in pursuing.”
For information about Stitched Together, visit www.myspace.com/officialstitchedtogether.