Fighting a good fight

A year ago, Vince Scheuerman spent his afternoons at the National Institute of Standards and Technology studying atoms through a scanning tunneling microscope. Now, with a degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Maryland, he fronts one of the most popular underground bands in Washington, D.C., proving once again that the value of a liberal arts education is its flexibility.

Walking the thin line between indie and pop rock, Army of Me fills its songs with strong melodies, catchy lyrics and thoughtful arrangements. Its music is an eclectic mix of heavy, guitar-based rock and melodic jazz. It draws its unique sound from influences like Jeff Buckley and Radiohead.

When Scheuerman formed Army Of Me four years ago, he had no intentions of letting music interrupt his education, but he quickly became tired of science and decided it was time for a change.

'I thought it would be cool to have a mechanical engineering degree under my belt, but it wasn't what I was passionate about,' he said. 'The microprocessing industry is interesting, but it's not what I want to spend my life doing.'

It wasn't until the spring of 2001 that Scheuerman, along with bassist John Hutchins and drummer Dennis Manuel, got his big break. They entered a contest at radio station WHFS in Washington, D.C., and beat out more than 500 bands to land a spot playing a two-day festival with Green Day, Coldplay, Staind and other nationally known artists.

'All of a sudden everyone knew our name in D.C. We got to play in front of thousands of kids, and after the festival, they played us a lot on the radio,' Scheuerman said.

'It was unbelievable to me,' Hutchins said. 'It was something that I never thought would happen.'

At the time, the band was known as Cactus Patch, the band's third and final name change before Army Of Me.

'We've got this amazing goal to sell as much merchandise under as many different names as possible to the same people - to the same 50 kids,' joked Hutchins.

'Why don't we just come up with different T-shirt designs and not change our name?' suggested Scheuerman.

'Because that's not as much fun,' Hutchins replied.

Although the members of Army of Me seldom keep a straight face when talking about the band, Scheuerman becomes serious when asked about his childhood.

'I grew up in a very strict household,' he said. 'I wasn't even allowed to listen to U2, and they were Christians. That's how oppressed I was.'

'When I was 18, and I started to get out in the world, I felt so unadjusted to regular society, because [my siblings and I had] grown up in this really oppressive situation,' he said. 'When we got out we didn't know how to function, we didn't know how to talk to girls, we didn't know how to do simple things.'

Although religion is not explicitly mentioned in Scheuerman's lyrics, he believes that some of his childhood experiences and values are reflected in his songwriting.

'Some of the experiences of feeling out of place and feeling like you aren't that cool are touched on in our music,' he said.

Last year, as Army of Me began to tour more rigorously, Scheuerman left his job at the institute. The band added a second guitarist and became more serious about making music. In order to gain exposure, they frequently play shows in New York.

'When I first came to New York I was totally intimidated. It's such a big city with so many people and I got the feeling nobody cared,' said Scheuerman. 'Over time we slowly starting bringing more people out and made a lot of friends up here. The more I've gotten to know the city, the more comfortable it seems.'

Although the band won a contest earlier this year, earning $15,000 and a slot opening for the Goo Goo Dolls, its financial situation is still not ideal.

'The hardest thing is trying to survive,' Hutchins said. 'When you go out on the road for a month and two, you're not making a lot of money.'

The band members continue to record music and are talking to a number of record labels, although they become uncomfortable when asked to elaborate on these discussions.

'I'm just happy to be playing in a band with my friends, going all over the country and having fun,' Scheuerman said. 'It's really cool to be playing music that you like and to have such great fans supporting us and coming to our shows.'

Sounds like a lot more fun than mechanical engineering.