Challenger.

AL BURIAN AND DAVE LANEY, both of Milemarker fame, have such a tight musical relationship that it seems one cannot escape the other--even when attempting to segue into the occasionally murky world of side projects. Challenger, Burian and Laney's spankin' new up-tempo primo-era and SST-influenced sonic experiment, is proof positive that when these two start fanning the flames of creativity, the results are often so voluminous that they have to be transported into another dynamic musical entity all its own.

"(Last year) Dave started bringing fast punk songs into Milemarker practice, and it wasn't really working for that band," Burian recalls of Challenger's conception. "At the same time he got a Pro Tools set-up and wanted to try doing some recording with it. He and I decided that we'd record the stray songs. I ended up adding a lot of guitar and vocal parts and by the end it sounded different enough, we thought, from Milemarker that it warranted its own name. We sent the recorded demo to Jade Tree, they liked it, and all of a sudden we had started a new band."

Instead of relying on other musicians to spark riffs of a different nature, Burian maintains his rock-and-roll brotherhood with Laney was all he needed to rocket into fresh territory, the results of which coalesced into one of the finest indie records of early 2004, Give People What They Want in Lethal Doses. "I feel comfortable with Dave's motivations," the vocalist/guitarist states. "We have the same attitude, ethics and pace of productivity. Also, it helps me a lot that Dave has good organizational abilities and a rudimentary understanding of finances, as I have neither."

Burian's scheduling and fiscal shortcomings, however, are not the only forces driving his artistic libido. With the acclaim Milemarker has managed to harness, one would think the only satisfaction this dynamic duo would need was already in full-swing As any true artist would admit, however, glowing reviews aren't the only thing that keeps the juices flowing.

Burian insists the inception of Challenger was in response to the stagnant tones currently parading around the independent music landscape.

"I would say (Challenger's sound) came from hearing too much quiet music around," Burian decidedly says. "A lot of" our contemporary bands and musicians, who started playing in the hardcore scene, have moved toward a slower, melancholy type of music. That's a natural progression; you can't be angry all the time, as there's more to express than that. On the other hand, for me personally, there are still plenty of reasons to be up in arms about everything, I'm constantly pissed, constantly fighting the urge to stand on a street corner and yell at people passing by. The function of playing music for me has always been aggressive and confrontational."

While it might sound as if Burian is ready for a bench clearing brouhaha of major proportions, he lets this pent-up aggression ooze out in the form of contributing toward the fertilization of some of Challenger's gloriously jagged, Husker Du-influenced punk anthems. In other words, the "challenge" of Challenger seems to take the edge off, at least for the time being.

"There is an element of spontaneity and of rigidity in Challenger that I like," Burian says of his harmonious therapy. "The songs were relatively easy to write initially, and then most of the work was put into making demos, doing structural adjustments, trying out vocal patterns. I guess in recording you call it 'pre production,' something which Milemaker has never done much of. The Challenger record maybe sounds more spontaneous than Milemarker records do, and in a certain way it was, but in terms of the technical execution it's kind of the opposite,"

While the focus is well-executed on Challenger's first full-length, some might wonder how Burian and Laney can keep up with their projects. But Burian doesn't see productivity as a hindrance. Instead, he thinks this new musical kick in the ass keeps him on-track more than it distracts.

"Having lots of stuff to do is not bad," Burian estimates with a shrug. "I'm uncomfortable with being unproductive. Having multiple projects can help, You vary your creative energies. It takes the pressure off of any one thing to be the thing that's successful. Focusing too much on any creative endeavor gives you this imperialistic mindset like 'everyone must have my band sticker on their lunchbox.' The goal of making things isn't to achieve hegemony, it's more just making as much cool stuff as you can."

With the paths Burian and Laney have forged, one might imagine they are likely to keep treading the aforementioned path; churning out as much energy and excitement as possible before the clock inevitably runs out.