`Churn' Goes Beyond Just Thrashing Around

Who is Churn? Barrett Jones, 28, guitar and vocals Jim Lunquist, 29, drums Christine Rhinehart, 24, harmony Nicholas Rhinehart, 27, bass

How they got together: Jones: I started the band with a different lineup in Washington, D.C., but I moved out to Seattle three years ago. The music scene was bad in D.C., and my landlady found out about my studio in the basement and gave me 10 days notice. This lineup has been together about a year. Nick: I met Barrett at RKCNDY. I was in another band (Bam-Bam) before that. Lunquist: I used to live with Nick and heard about Barrett's band. I tried out and haven't got the boot yet. Christine: Before I was Nick's fiancee (they married last October), I saw their first concert at RKCANDY and told Barrett I thought their group needed more harmony. Here I am. Early influences: Jones: I like the moods and melodies of Neil Young, the guitars of Aerosmith, drumming in Led Zeppelin . . .basically there are parts of a lot of bands. Nick: The Who, especially the drummer. The grooves of Led Zeppelin, too. Lunquist: Devo, Joe Jackson, Elvis Costello, KISS - I was really into KISS - lots of bluesy-rock sort of stuff. Christine: Anything my dad listened to, I listened to. Steely Dan, Earth Wind and Fire, the Dooby Brothers, Pat Matheny. I think I saw four Pat Matheny concerts.Day jobs: Jones dedicates all of his time to Churn. Lunquist is a commercial carpenter, Nick makes boat propellers and his wife, Christine, works

for a real estate courier service. What's their sound? Jones: It's more of a mood than a sound. We don't really sound like other Seattle bands. Lunquist: We're more user-friendly than other bands, more involved. We're not just thrashing around on stage. You have to pay attention to get it. Nick: None of our lyrics go, "hhhheeeyyy, hheeyy, hey, hey..."

What does the band's name mean?Jones:... I hate naming things. The name of the band has stayed the same since D.C. because I didn't want to think of a new one.

And, "Titus," the new CD title? Jones: Titus is my cat. I've had him since he was a kitten, about five years. I get a lot of inspiration from Titus.

What inspires the lyrics? Jones: I write the lyrics. I guess they come mostly from personal experience. What I'm feeling or thinking about . . . Lunquist: Titus.

Christine: Titus.

What do your parents think about your music? Jones: They're proud of me . . . at this point. But I was 25 before they conceded that I might just be serious about this band. Nick: I think they don't understand what's going on with music. They see these big bands and ask, "when are you going to get big? Lunquist: Ditto. My parents are in their 70s. My mom was pretty excited when she heard one of our songs on the radio, but she complained that she had to listen to a bunch of other songs before ours, and then had to turn off the rudio after our song because the music was "annoying." Their worst musical nightmares: Jones: Losing your voice. Nick: Or when you can't hear yourself and you're not in tune. Christine: That's nothing new . . . Lunquist: Or breaking your last stick and you don't have another one . . . Nick: Or breaking your last string . . . hasn't that happened to us? Where to hear them:

Churn will play the University Sports Bar and Grill Saturday night. For booking information, call Barrett Jones at 283-3770.

UFinfo,11p11Hearing test For a sound check of Churn call InfoLine, a telephone information service at The Seattle Times free in the Greater Seattle area. From any touch-tone phone, call 464-2000 and enter category BAND (2263).