an•tic n. a playful, silly or ludicrous act, trick, prank, caper.
an•tik n. four guys, mostly Golden High School graduates, who may sell a million records.
Sean Hakes was brainstorming for a band name last year when he heard the word antic.
“I thought the word sounded cool,” he said with a laugh.
In the dictionary, he read a definition that described the goofy diversions of his group, four guys in their early 20s jamming in their friend’s basement.
Hakes unwittingly stumbled into a perfect band name. Likewise, the band has unwittingly stumbled into large gigs and local success, seemingly without effort.
Hakes and his three band mates would tell you they are just having fun playing pop-punk tunes about girls. Local promoters and even a major label talent scout might tell you otherwise.
After forming in its current incarnation in August of 2003, the band played just 20 gigs before landing a coveted January headlining slot at the Gothic Theater and a February opening gig for MTV darlings Story of the Year.
Hakes, singer and guitarist for Antik, has been playing since early 2003 with bassist CJ Latham and drummer Adam Hansen, both 2000 Golden High School graduates.
They had been performing and rehearsing with singer Conor Coughlin, but “everyone hated us and thought we were the worst band in the world,” according to a band biography on www.randy-candy.com.
In August, Coughlin was replaced with guitarist Cody Durham, also a 2000 GHS grad who had been playing in bands with Latham since they were in eighth grade at Bell Middle School in Golden.
Since then, the band has focused on tightening its pop-punk sound and writing catchy tunes about relationships and life as a twentysomething.
“It’s like Finch without the screaming,” said Hakes. The sound would fit snugly into the KTCL 93.3 lineup or onto MTV’s Total Request Live alongside the All-American Rejects and the Used.
Clearly, the edgy pop sound is filling theaters and selling records right now. At the band’s first gig, they received accolades and a business card from a promoter at Clear Channel, the multinational entertainment giant that books tours and venues nationwide.
At a later show, a representative of Colorado’s major independent promoter, Nobody in Particular Presents, invited the group to headline a show at the Gothic Theater, a refurbished Englewood venue that regularly hosts major-label national acts and local bands who have proven themselves worthy through years of smaller bar gigs.
Latham said 900 fans came to the show, the largest crowd yet for the band.
“We walked out and there were just swarms of people,” he said.
The band is generating buzz and attracting fans, partly by not being very visible.
“If you play every weekend, your fan base drops off,” Latham said.
He said the band is focusing on major gigs, even forfeiting the exposure of a Soiled Dove show for a later date with a bigger headliner.
The group was slated to play a late-afternoon January show with nearly a dozen other local bands. Instead, Antik will keep rehearsing for a Feb. 3 show at the Dove with Story of the Year, a pop-punk band signed to Madonna’s Maverick label.
The group is on an arena tour with Linkin Park, but will take a night off to play a smaller venue. The Antik guys are hoping SOTY will bring a major-label scout with them for the show, which is already nearly sold out.
Latham said he is still negotiating with a major national band for a supporting tour slot. However, he said the deal was still tentative and secretive.
The band is getting a record together for when the labels come knocking. Antik recently began recording a full-length debut at a Denver studio. The guys aren’t looking to headline stadium shows. They just hope to make a living playing music.
“My goal is to not have to have a day job,” said Latham, who is a shuttle driver at Planet Honda in Lakewood.
“I could care less about making millions,” Hakes said. “I just want to make enough to pay the bills.”
For information on the Feb. 3 gig, visit www.soileddove.com. For more about Antik, visit www.antiksucks.com, which includes an MP3 from the band’s demo EP.