Jeff Trainor
This is the story of a lovely, happy family of Floater fans from the town of Bend-- a brief tale of their wonderful adventures in Floater fandom.
The story begins with the formation of the band, which eventually led to the joining of two families into one. Floater was born out of the artistic talents and ambitions of three brave and angry men: Robert Wynia (who would play the bass guitar and act as the principal singer of lyrics), Peter Cornett (who would play the drums), and Dave Amador (who would play lead guitar). The three men united in their anger and love for musical expression in 1993, in the magical city of Eugene. It was there that they began to perform a unique variety of artistic heavy metal music at places like house parties and the garden of beer that is known as University of Oregon. Hordes of young drunkards began to sing the praises of their beauteous music (even when they weren’t intoxicated), and before long a great Oregon company named Elemental Records helped Floater to release their first record album, Sink, in 1994.
By this time, the members of Floater were traveling across the great land of Oregon and beyond, playing their fine songs through loud amplifiers for frightened and ecstatic audiences. In Bend, Jesús Josephson Jr. and Lucy Fernholder had never met, but they’d both heard accounts of the fantastic exploits of the traveling Floater boys from different sets of enthusiastic, dreadlocked friends who lived in Eugene and had witnessed some of Floaters’ rapturous performances. So when the time came for the great annual Volcanic Rock Festival to commence in the summer of 1995, and a performance by Floater was to be a part of the festivities, both Jesús and Lucy decided they should certainly attend.
In separate cars and unaware even of one another’s existence, Jesús and Lucy traveled to the forest, purchased passage into the festival, and ascended the red cinder cone where many bands, including Floater, would play. Both had decided to leave their children in the city with caretakers--Lucy’s daughter Lillia stayed with her grandmother and Jesús’ son Trimothy with his aunt and cousins.
And bands did play that fateful weekend, all day long and into the night. But no performance was quite as special as that of Floater, as that is where Jesús and Lucy finally met. Floater took the stage as darkness descended upon the festival, and their music rang loudly into the mountain air. The chemistry between the three musicians was palpable, and their performance was flawless. Floater told stories of pain and of beauty, and of good and of evil.
Jesús was entranced by the wondrous music and by the flashing colored lights that bathed Floater on the small stage. He began to dance—something he was not often apt to do—and, besides dancing, he sometimes banged his hands on the plywood siding next to the stage, in time with the hammerings of Amador on his electrical guitar, the thumpings of Wynia on his bass, and the crashings of Cornett on his drums.
Suddenly, Lucy emerged from the darkness of the crowd. With wild eyes, she floated toward Jesús, her bare, sunburned feet an inch from the red gravel. Their eyes met in an instant of near-recognition, and Lucy tilted her head to bite Jesús’ shoulder quite forcefully. Jesús gasped with horror and pleasure, and their eyes met again. They embraced and began to dance, and never stopped until the dawn, the music of Floater still ringing in their ears.
And so it was that Jesús and Lucy came together as one. Soon, their children Lillia and Trimothy met, and saw that they had never been quite so happy as when they were together, and they loved to see their parents happy together as well.
Years passed, and the family made pilgrimage to scores of Floater shows across the Pacific Northwest. They never missed a concert in Bend, and these were especially pleasant events for them as they reminded Jesús and Lucy of the wonderful day in July when they’d met. Lillia and Trimothy attended the concerts as well, and it seemed as if they had been born in the mosh pit. They banged their heads and lighted their lighters, roiling happily alongside their parents in the dark beauty and the bright terror of Floater’s fantastic musical stories.
To this day, the Josephson and Fernholder family members remain united in their love for Floater and one another. They delight rather than despair in the evolution and maturation of Floater, including their diversification and exploration of quieter acoustic music. The family grows along with the band, sheltered by their chill arms and booming amplifiers in a world of uncertainty and ’N Sync. Floater is the family; the family is Floater.
Floater will be playing an all-ages show 7 pm Saturday, August 24. Midtown Rock Rink N Roll, 51 NW Greenwood. 388-1106. $10 at Ranch Records, $11.50 at Safeway Fastixx.