Don’t call Codename your usual college garage band. Scoring gigs in New York City and Philadelphia and getting some radio play, Codename’s members manage to also juggle busy class schedules and full-time jobs. In fact, lead guitarist Jon Joffe is a sophomore letters and sciences major at the university.
The four men who comprise Codename hail from just outside Philadelphia, but scattered over the past two years, each at a different university.
Sal Galati, Adam Nash and Greg Halbkram are the other three members – playing drums, keyboard and bass guitar respectively.
Codename began in 2004 after Joffe’s high school band, The Duco Project, split up. The original name of the band was Codename:Groove, but when the members dropped their old bass player, they dropped the second part of the name as well.
“Our sound is combination of tightly composed progressive-rock arrangements with jazz, blues and some soul-wrenching rock and roll,” Joffe said.
Known as a highly improvisational, instrumental jam band, their fan base is compromised of classic rock lovers and “prog-rock” devotees. The band is inspired by Phish and The Grateful Dead, Joffe said. Codename’s first album, Tornado Warning, was released in August 2005. It’s available to buy on iTunes.
To promote their upcoming shows, the band passes out flyers. “It’s really cool when people recognize me when I’m out there promoting,” Joffe said.
Adam Cohen, a junior international business major at the university who sang with the band a year ago at the Santa Fe Cafe, occasionally sits in with Codename to play the keyboard and add vocals. He will play some songs with them this Saturday.
Since their last Santa Fe performance, the band has developed a different sound.
“We’re a new band, so that extra year makes a huge difference,” said Joffe.
Codename will be playing at Santa Fe Cafe on Saturday night. Tickets are $5.
