Zillion

Aaron Wolinski takes aim in every direction
A select few musicians in Northern Michigan generate a constant charge of reinvention -- morphing into new bands, new sounds and new identities in hopes of keeping one step ahead of the staleness of the Same Old Thing, and of course, to keep playing every night of the week.
Bassist Aaron Wolinski aims to join that club with a lightning skein of projects and bands, the foremost of which is Zillion, a power-pop trio that opens for Smell of Magnus this weekend at the Loading Dock in TC.
Zillion includes Matt Hathaway on guitar and Steve Lord on drums and backing vocals. Wolinski is the frontman on vocals in addition to playing bass and serving as the primary songwriter for the band.
What’s in a name?
“We named it Zillion because we go in a zillion different directions,” Wolinski says. “It’s the largest number, it’s literally undefinable -- more than a googleplex.”
In musical terms, that means experimenting with every sound that’s possible for a three-man band to create. “We’re a power trio with an emphasis on power, but we play jazz, blues, harder rock and reggae to shimmering ballads; and to me that’s the way music should be because we’re fearless about what we choose to play.”
A real estate agent with Forward North by day, Wolinski, 30, began playing bass when he was 15. Like a lot of kids, he started out on guitar, but was won over to the fat four-string. “That resonance -- that deep, resounding pulse -- really struck me as a child. I saw a bass in a pawn shop one day and grabbed it and the rest was history.”
He attended Northwestern Michigan College and earned a degree in electronic communications at the Specs Howard School of Broadcasting, but his heart remained planted in music.

NOT A NANOSECOND
Just about any guitarist can strum chords and sing to the rhythm, but picking out bass lines and singing lead requires an exceptional level of mental and physical coordination achieved by very few artists; think of Paul McCartney. “There’s not a nanosecond to rest if you’re playing with a trio,” Wolinski says. “Playing bass and singing lead leaves no room for error.”
Fortunately, he has some crack bandmates.
When he’s not playing rock guitar, for instance, Matt Hathaway is a music instructor at Northwestern Michigan College who was classically trained at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. Steve Lord came out of the Saginaw music scene where he was a drummer with a number of bands. “He’s a groove pocket player who’s really solid,” Wolinski notes.
In short, the band can play anything, but they prefer to concentrate on their list of 20-25 original tunes. And on that score, Wolinski also has a passion for lyrics. In person, he has a gift for gab, and that translates well to songwriting.
“I’m really proud of my lyrics,” he says. “They’re personal as well as social statements and I spend a lot of time refining them because I find that regardless of what genre I’m playing, there are things that resonate with me.
“I let the song dictate what it needs,” he adds, regarding the instrumental side of songwriting. “Music for musicians is overly complex: what we strive for is honesty. We achieve freshness through dynamics, texture, tone and rhythmic changes so that a song retains its honesty. Having played in so many bands, I’m a firm believer that you can’t fool an audience.”
Speaking of which, Wolinski estimates that he’s played with 10 or so local bands through the years, but declines to mention any; nor does he wish to publicize other musical projects in the works.
So, call him a mystery man. What he does want to get across is that he’d like to be more of a player on Northern Michigan’s music scene through his intense interest in home recording as well as various band projects.
“I’d like my home to be a creative epicenter for music in Northern Michigan,” he says. That might include recording local artists, performing as a studio musician on their discs, and generating new acts. Stay tuned.

Check out Zillion at the Loading Dock Friday-Saturday, Nov. 18-19, warming up for Smell of Magnus.

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