In '92, Estar was born. Four years later, she received her first Ben Folds Five album. A year after that, her first piano lessons. Unfortunately, that wasn't really her style. So she did what any five year old would;she quit. But, that didn't mean she'd quit forever. In 95, her brother, Joe was born. The same year as Ben Folds Five came out with their first album. The two grew up together in a family of seven and a house full of music. The second eldest child, Ben, formed a band called Drive in high school. The band grew popular in the Toledo area and the whole family would attend shows at local bars and venues to support Ben. "I remember being at these bars as a little kid and having all these "older kids" ambushing me and being all, "Oh she's so adorable." and all that. But I always kind of resented it. I was there for the music, just like everyone else." says Estar. In fact, her brother became one of her biggest musical influences. "I became infatuated with how chords were formed on the guitar and the piano. It amazed me that what sounded just like noise when I banged around on these instruments could become such pleasing sounds when others played them. My brother would sit me down at the piano and teach me simple chords to songs like "Emaline" and "Boxing" by Ben Folds. Before I knew it, I was playing "mini shows" for my family and their friends. Anyway, I got a taste for it."
With their children showing an obvious passion for music, the Cohen parents supported wholeheartedly, letting the kids play wherever they needed to to get their music heard. But, they were uneasy, with their teenagers surrounded by alcohol and smoke all the time. Thus began the start of a new endeavor called "The Happy Badger." It started out as a natural clothing store in the upstairs of a plaza near Westgate. The couple, Alan and Donna, began to rent out the vacant downstairs for local bands to play. It was a safe, alcohol free environment for kids to just hang out and have a good time. "I was only a little kid, but I can at least remember that it was a happening joint. I was there every weekend, listening to bands like Catchpole, Drive, and Chopzilla play. I even met Patch Adams one night. That place served as a good place to grow up." says Estar. The Badger soon outgrew it's location and moved itself to a full sized venue on Reynolds Road. They opened up a natural foods cafe along with their clothing store and concert hall. This became a challenge for the family. Without the income of alcohol purchases like other venues, money was an issue. After a year or so, the Badger had to close its doors for good. "We went bankrupt." Says Estar, "And I remember being angry and embarrassed at first. But looking back, it really made me who I am today. The music, the people, the extreme lack of cash, it was all part of it. And I'm grateful for everything." Around this time, Estar received her first guitar. She began to take all of her frustration and put it into her music. "I still have my old song journals," Estar says, "In the first few pages, it's all just kind of poppy shit, G chords, followed by A chords, etc. But further down the road, my writing got kind of darker. I was always really fascinated with human nature. I started developing characters in my head, and stories to go with them. These were my best songs, because they were an escape to another life for me." This was also the year she met Yianni Papadimos. "He was this popular, sort of spazzy kid really into broadway musicals. We clicked. I would play him my songs, and I would read his plays. He had this cheap little keyboard and he used it to record synth parts for his musicals. He also had this little microphone that hooked up to his dad's computer. We used this same equipment to start recording my songs. All of a sudden, I had this little demo we called "Rush." And I used it to start booking local shows. Yianni called himself my manager. And I let him, because well, I liked the idea of having one."
Estar had her first real show in the eighth grade. Her brother Ben had recorded a couple of her acoustic songs, and she passed it along to the owner of Rick's Cafe. He let her play on a Thursday night. "I don't know why I booked that show,"Estar says, It was really far out and on a school night, too. Anyway, Yianni was there. And that was it. At first, I was really disappointed. But, I played anyway. There was a small stage, a microphone, and blinding lights. I pretended I was playing for a huge crowd." While all this was going on, Joe was getting his first drum lessons from Drive's drummer, Sam. Shortly after, Joe and Estar began playing together. Estar writing the songs, playing her sister Sarah's Taylor, while Joe kept a somewhat steady beat. Estar described this time as, "exciting" and "mostly just fun." Soon, Estar began to expand her musical capabilities and started to write things on the piano. "It was different on the piano. I loved the guitar. It was fun to play. But, exploring the black and white keys was a whole new adventure. And this is when I really began to write."
The duo began playing shows at school events and their parents new location of the Happy Badger in Bowling Green. They made their real debut in the summer of '07 at the Toledo Indie Pop Fest held at Mickey Finns. By this time, the two were serious about being taken seriously. Estar says, "Sure, I was 14 and Joe was like, 11, but we didn't want that to matter. We wanted people to like us, really like us. And ultimately, we wanted them to want more of us." After the indie pop fest, the band started jamming with their friends in effort to expand their music. "It was like, I had all these elaborate layers going through my head," Estar says, "Tracks of violin, guitar, bass...I wrote them all out, I just needed people to execute them." But, no one seemed as serious about the band as Estar and Joe were. Estar says, "Whenever we had a good show coming up, no one could ever play it because they were "busy" or their parents wouldn't let them play at a bar. I was frustrated and I felt limited by my age group." This is when Yianni came back into play. The two had always discussed his joining the band, but had never really followed through. That is, until their freshman year at Northview High School. Yianni began to come to rehearsals. He would bring his mac (fully equipped with garage band synths) and hook it up to the keyboard. The band now had every instrument at their disposal. And things soared from there. Songs started to become more elaborate, lyrics more engaging. "The band became what I always pictured it to be," says Estar. "A duet between a guy and a girl using catchy keyboard melodies, orchestral synths, and dreamy vocal harmonies." The newly formed band made their debut at their school's Battle of the Bands. No one took them seriously. Two pianos and a twelve year old drummer? This was a rock show and many showed their disapproval. But, they played nonetheless. And to their not so much surprise, had a great response. Estar says, "People were genuinely blown away. And I have to admit we were a little smug about it."
The trio is, as of right now, continuing to write songs that they prefer to describe as "epic" in the Cohen's living room. They plan to record a short live demo and use it to start booking shows around Toledo. "We want to start playing some good shows with some respected artists. We wish to do this in hopes of earning a little respect for ourselves," Estar says. At the end of the summer, RFR will be holding a show as a debut for their new name, which will not be disclosed until then. For now, they plan on continuing to explore their black and white keys.
for booking information please contact estar
AIM
estar cantdance
EMAIL
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