Local Band to Play at Diesel Concerts Detroit

Two local bands are getting a lot of attention. The Midnight Hours and Bang Up Tape Job share the majority of their members and most are local from Harrison. Two of those members were in the Harrison Band program, and both bands play alternative hard rock.

When this interview was scheduled to feature the two up and coming bands, the headline was going to be much different. The Midnight Hours had been approached by a label with a good deal. Since they felt their current production was of good quality and they wanted to retain creative control they choose to stay independent, retain future profits, and rights to their music.

Jared Govitz, bass player for Bang Up Tape Job and guitar player for The Midnight Hours, explained the evolution of both bands began with jam sessions after the pandemic when the band loosely called themselves Oberlin, after the road in Gladwin where they were “just jamming.”

About the same time, Royce Beemer and Connor Ingalls started playing together which would eventually form the Midnight Hours.

The name of Bang Up Tape Job is about what you’d expect from some friends jamming. Someone taped up a broken mic stand and deemed it a “bang up tape job” and the name was coined.

The Midnight Hours is comprised of Steven Tyler of Mount Pleasant on bass, and from Harrison Conner Ingalls on drums, Jared Govitz on guitar, Kane Smith on lead guitar, and Royce Beemer on vocals. In Bang Up Tape Job there are just a few changes, Nate Mann plays guitar and Keith LeBlanc is on vocals.

Govitz, with his entrepreneur and business background, takes on the management and marketing role in the band.

“We are just out having fun and we appreciate everyone’s support. We just want to play music and never thought that we’d ever have a chance to be part of the scene to go on to play things like playing at the Diesel with Scotty Austin of Saving Abel, and hope to keep taking things from there,” said Govitz.

He also understands that to be a part of the scene you can’t just take from it.

“You get out there – it’s a lot of giving back to the scene,” he said. “Bruce LaFrance was the former bass player for Tantric. He needed help with a show, and Conner and I said we’d help. He said be there at 10:00 and we showed up at 4:00. You have to show up. Bruce then opened for us at the Bemo [Bemo’s Bar in Bay City] show with his band FaBaLa.”

While the Diesel Concerts Detroit show is not paid, it’s an opportunity to grow The Midnight Hours fan base and gain exposure to playing a larger venue. Diesel Concerts Detroit is the premier venue in the Metro Detroit area that features national and local bands of many genres.

The Midnight Hours will release its CD soon and the Cleaver received a preview. Our first thought after listening? We know rock stars.