Some describe local group the Profits as being smooth as butter or even like a succulent piece of tiramisu, but drummer Matt Johnson compares the group to a fresh pair of boxer-briefs. “We are just tight enough to hold the pieces where they should be,” Johnson stated.
The Profits provide a unique collaboration of two guitarists, Jean Paul Roney and Mike Drohomyreky, who split the duty of lead vocals; an upright-bass player, Scott Lamps; and a drummer, Matt Johnson. Like the boxer-briefs, the sound the group creates is very light and comfortable. The contrast of the snugly fit vocals and guitar melodies and the loosely felt backbeats provides a professional-yet-fun atmosphere.
Lamps describes the sound as being “homegrown and versatile.”
“We strive to incorporate all of our instruments and talents into an acoustic-pop style of music,” Drohomyreky said.
As the group attempts to create a high-spirited and airy environment, members look to inspirations such as David Gray and Jack Johnson. These two popular songwriters can be heard in the styling of the Profits and help the group develop a sound it can call its own.
Just as the band relates to the figures that inspire it, the guys also cater to their own fans. With an abundance of ladies at each show, the guys let it be known that they are quite available on the dating market. They also make it known that they are more than willing to play at a sorority pajama party, if there is such a thing. But, above all they advertise that they love playing anywhere that they can, whether at house parties or at a high school dance.
When the band comes together to create what members like to call a good contrast of professionalism and freedom, the two defining traits of the underwear metaphor become noticeable. Lamps and Johnson hang back, keeping the group loose while they maintain a smooth atmosphere whether on the stage or in practice. The two leaders, Drohomyreky and Roney, tighten up by taking true ownership of the band as they feed off of the spotlight.
With the new additions of Lamps and Johnson, the Profits are just starting to fit into a group-style of practicing and playing. After Drohomyreky and Roney started the group a couple years ago, they began playing on State Street, singing about the woes of being poor and lonely musicians. As the two began to progress together, they felt constricted by their resources, so they decided to add Lamps on bass and later found Johnson to steady out the beat.
The band gets by playing, on average, one show a week. The two guitarists write most of the music and enjoy playing songs in which they can belt out their vocal skills. Roney, in fact, planned on being an opera singer for quite sometime until he hooked up with the group. While those two enjoy putting on a show, Johnson and Lamps thrive in the background especially when they play favorite songs, “If” and “In Between.”
Right now, the band is attempting to pick up the pace.
“We just don’t want to be slow anymore,” Roney said. With a faster tempo and a little more drive the group hopes to get recognized and maybe even get a development deal, Drohomyreky said.
For now, though, the group is having fun for all the right reasons, Lamps said. Working hard and playing harder, the group seems focused on the goals it set for itself. With a taut hold on the essentials and room for a warm summer breeze to carry them into this school year, the band members hope to progress as a group and keep the passion alive.
After all, nobody can go wrong with a fresh pair of underwear. Especially when it can both hold everything together and let it all hang out — just as the Profits’ music does.
