‘Rebekah’s Tape’ plays for the music
By Janette Washington
IV Leader Staff, Nov. 13, 2003
Being a part of a band is all about playing for the music. In the case of Rebekah’s Tape, the four members play solely for just that.
IVCC student Mike Richards, 22, said, “Perhaps I see us going somewhere, but we’re not ever going to base how gratified we are on how much money we make or how people like us. Our love for music is innate, so we’ll do it for as long as we possibly can.
“It’s wonderful that some people like to listen to what we do. We won’t ever quit simply because we aren’t ‘getting somewhere,’ in the sense that a lot of groups feel as if they should ‘get somewhere’ — with that, I mean, fame, money, and all that kind of superficial garbage.”
Rebekah’s Tape consists of Cory Bengtsen, 20, Shawn Cummings, 22, Owen Cummings, 19, and Mike Richards. The band under the name “Rebekah’s Tape” has been in circulation since 1999.
“Originally, Shawn, Dustin Freeman, and myself were Rebekah’s Tape. Later on, Randy Sales joined in. Throughout time, Dustin and Randy weren’t a part of the band anymore and Cory and Owen joined,” Richards said. “Shawn and I have been best friends since we were 6-years-old. We started making art and recording music together when we were 15. Dustin and Randy were already mutual best friends of ours back then, so they ended up recording a bunch with us too. Shawn and I met Cory after we graduated from Fieldcrest High School,” Richards remembered.
As for instruments, Rebekah’s Tape is one of the few bands where every member can play every instrument. “What seems to work the best is having Shawn play bass, Cory on guitar, myself playing guitar and singing, and Owen on drums,” Richards stated.
Starting off, Rebekah’s Tape played both originals and cover songs.
“From 1999 to 2000, we did about 60 percent covers and 40 percent originals. We covered songs from bands such as Sebadoh, Nirvana, Old Flaming Lips, Beck, and Weezer. Eventually, we got sick of hearing other bands play covers and playing covers ourselves. We decided to stop wasting time learning other peoples’ songs when we could be spending time making up our own,” explained Richards.
When writing songs, Rebekah’s Tape works together. “Sometimes, one of us will have a preconceived idea and the others will build upon it in their own ways,” Richards said.
The band has about 150 originals, according to Richards.
“We have 10 self-released recordings on CD-R and 14 recordings on cassette tapes. We are slowly transferring all our old tapes to CD so people might be more inclined to listen to them,” Richards said.
“Our most recent and most difficult album to produce was ‘Rebekah’s Tape is Radiation Flowers/ Professionalism.’ The process of recording all the stuff included on the album was very scattered and fairly hastily enacted as well. We had a self-imposed deadline to have the album done before our ‘release’ date. Recording different components of different songs in four different places made the whole process a little more difficult. Along with having to get the album edited and mastered, Cory and I lost a bunch of sleep from being at the studios. I nearly failed a couple of my classes and our nutrition and hygiene was perhaps a bit below average. None of us died, though, so that’s nice,” Richards said jokingly.
When playing live, Rebekah’s Tape tries to do different kinds of spontaneous acts to surprise their audience. “In the past, we’ve worn ridiculous costumes, drawn things on our bodies, shown self-made videos, and played odd noises and sounds during our set,” said Richards.
Rebekah’s Tape also has been known to ask people to participate in silly and goofy “rituals” during their sets.
“Once, we handed out cigarettes and encouraged the people to fill the room with smoke. Another time, we had the audience do ‘spit takes’ in unison and then throw cups at us. We have even asked everyone to lie on the floor and close their eyes to listen,” Richards said.
One may wonder where the name “Rebekah’s Tape” came from.
Richards said, “In high school, we were known among our friends for making tapes. One day, our friend Rebekah asked Shawn, Dustin, and I to make a tape for her. We started recording it with the idea that we were just going to be as ridiculous and bizarre as possible; but it ended up becoming a bit more focused and serious. Not only did we end up presenting the tape to her, but also to all the regular people who had ever heard any other tapes we had made. When we decided we wanted to play a ‘show,’ we were forced to come up with a name. Since the three of us were the main people on ‘Rebekah’s tape,’ it was decided upon to be the most appropriate name for the job.”
Rebekah’s Tape’s next show is scheduled for Nov. 28 at the U.S. Beer Co. in Chicago at 9 p.m.
For more information, visit the Rebekah’s Tape Web site at www.intangiblecat.com.