Music is a part of daily life for the boys of On The Cinder, a Buffalo, NY based punk-rock band. While only forming in the spring of 2012, the trio has each been playing their individual instruments for the better part of a decade. With Jason Wright on guitar, Mike Jacobs on bass, and Tyler Rzemek on drums, On The Cinder has spent the past two years amassing a strong following both locally and throughout the Northeast.
On many weekends On The Cinder can be found loading up their “tour van,” a cramped, early 2000s Subaru Outback, and hitting the road to play shows in places like Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, and New York City. It’s a grueling pace that involves all night car drives, makeshift beds on the living room floors of friends in other cities, and the more than occasional missed shower. But according to Wight, “We wouldn’t have it any other way.”
When not on the road for out of town shows, On The Cinder hosts other bands in the basement concert setup of their home, affectionately known as The Flower House. Since opening the “venues” doors in 2013, the band has booked approximately two to three shows per month, mainly bringing in punk and acoustic acts. The basement is small but fully stocked with a proper sound system, high-powered stage lighting, and a bar, thanks to Wright’s interest in computer electronics and the desire of the entire band to have a proper practice space.
Recently, On The Cinder found themselves opening for one of the very bands that inspires their music, Authority Zero. Booked at Waiting Room in Buffalo, NY it was one of the largest venues On The Cinder had played in to date. The night of, the band arrived at 4:30 p.m. to setup their gear, hand in ticket money, and pick a place at the merchandise table. What was supposed to take two hours took only one, leaving the guys time to hang out and joke around as their friends began to arrive.
After a lackluster opener, On The Cinder took the stage in front of dozens of friends and people who had never heard their music before. By the band’s second song, any fears about how the crowd would react could be seen disappearing from the trio’s faces as a mosh pit formed right in front of the stage, one of the highest honors for a punk band. They played a full 30-minute set before walking off stage to the sounds of an energized crowd screaming for more.
As Rzemek began packing up his drums by the stage stairs, he looked from his band mates to the guys in Authority Zero giving him a thumbs up, and smiled before saying, “That was awesome.” By the end of the night, On The Cinder had sold ten CDs, and seven t-shirts, including one to the lead singer of the very band they hope to be like someday.
“I’d say tonight was a success,” said Jacobs as he walked out the venue’s doors.