The Burning Bushes

The Burning Bushes are a band based out of Mt. Pleasant, Michigan. Seen as either a two-piece acoustic band or a five-piece rock band, they are known locally for their wildly energetic live performances which simultaneously parody and embody the clichés of the stadium-rock genera. Their music is also an unusual outlet for the trombone, an instrument which is stereotypically used more for jazz, concert band/orchestra, ska, and marches.

Origin

The band started out as an inside joke between Dan Louisell and Carey Hammel. Frequent attenders of campfires the summer of 2003, Louisell often brought an acoustic guitar so he could play and sing with the other friends gathered. When Hammel expressed to Louisell that he felt left out of the circle, the two came up with the idea to secretly prepare trombone sheet music for some of the music that was regularly played at these campfires. They then hid the trombone behind a log before others arrived. When Hammel whipped his trombone to play along, the others there we immediately amused. The two decided to put some more songs together and perform at a local coffee shop, mainly to confuse attendees. A duo that was comprised of a trombone and an acoustic guitar was not common. One aspect that added to the unusual nature of the performance was that Hammel and Louisell each had distinctively orange hair; Hammel's in the form of a sizable tightly-curled afro, and Louisell's in the form of glorious copper locks. Another aspect was the range of content and style. One song would be a slow bittersweet love song, and the next would be a fast-paced vulgar punk song.

The two did not expect to be well-received, and subsequently were very surprised by the applause and laughter, as well as the invite back to play the next week. They became regulars of the open-mic scene in mid-Michigan and eventually took over as hosts of open mic in a venue, where they held that title until they resigned two-years later to pursue other advancements.

Going Electric

Ever since Hammel and Louisell started playing together and writing songs, they'd always toyed around with the idea of adding a rhythm section to the band. In spring of 2005, they decided it was time. They enlisted high-school friends Andy Stahlman to play bass and Steve Blaxton to play drums. For their debut performance as a "full band," the show started with just Hammel and Louisell playing a few songs by themselves. Then while performing Also sprach Zarathustra, they were joined on stage by Blaxton and Stahlman, who were forced to wear space-suits and helmets. This concert was wildly successful and it was then decided that the full-band would not be a one-time stunt. The band continued in this fashion until Blaxton moved to Ohio to pursue his college career. It was at this time that they enlisted friend Chris McNicol as their lead-guitar player and childhood friend Michael "Brude" Bruder as their new drummer. In the fall of 2006, Bruder left the group to concentrate on his academics. Todd Treece, who was a regular fill-in drummer for when college activities prevented Bruder from being able to make a show, became permanent drummer.

Recordings

The Burning Bushes have released two full-length albums to date. The first, titled Playing With Matches, was a collection of original music and covers the band performed at coffee houses as a duo. It was recorded in Louisell's parents basement using one microphone and plenty of reverb. The second, titled Trial By Fury, was a concept album about Hammel and Louisell being arrested and put on trial for the questionable content of their music. This recording featured all-original music and a full cast to perform the courtroom segments. It was recorded in Hammel and Louisell's basement on their home-made pro-tools studio with many microphones. Aside from these two albums, many of their live concerts have been recorded and posted on the internet.