Divergence and Converging Communities
Written by: Cait Elizabeth October 2019
Edited by: Travis Ryan
Life has a way of taking us down unexpected paths, often away from home—both physically and emotionally. So frequently those paths mean starting over, forging a new social circle, and catching glimpses of your past in the rear-view. Luckily music is the great unifier, a universal language of emotion, and (in spite of genre dialects) brings people together during the best and worst of times. It can serve as an escape as well as a haven to which you can always return.
Suffolk County’s own Justin McKinley set off on one of these journeys this past year. The former Hollo bassist stepped away from Island life to pursue a career (and a more affordable house—who are we kidding?), begrudgingly putting distance between his music family, diner hangs, and comfort zone. A fierce supporter and constant presence in the Long Island music scene, Justin has been sorely missed. But he has been actively working towards bridging the gap between the Long Island and New York City music scenes. After moving to Queens, he joined Divergence, a high-energy progressive death metal band based out of NYC. He joined Andrew Nuñez (guitar), Anthony Espinal (guitar/vocals), Daniel Benenati (drums), and Marcus Bobé (vocals) as their bassist in July of 2019. The band will be playing in Justin’s stomping grounds (for the first time since he joined the team) on Saturday, October 12, 2019, at Revolution in Amityville!
History
Andrew Nuñez and Dan Benenati created the band in 2011, after their prior band Downward Architect parted ways; they wanted to pursue heavier and more experimental music, and Divergence was their answer. The duo incorporated progressive components and began exploring genres like deathcore, grindcore, and death metal. Starting with guitar riffs, they built the songs out in layers, quickly realizing that they needed to fill out the band. Divergence has seen a handful of lineup changes over the course of time but that hasn’t held them back any—the band is energized and motivated to continue their journey.
The current makeup have individually been involved in music from an early age, inspired to pick up an instrument as early as 11 years old. Drawn into music by bands such as Slipknot, Slayer, and Wu-Tang, their combined influences flavor the music they create.
A Cacophonous (re)Union
Divergence excels in bringing the energy and precision that metal is known for to the stage. With powerful lyrics, decisive drums, and deeply satisfying guitar riffs, it’s easy to find yourself pulled right into their music. When writing music for Divergence, the band takes a very cooperative approach. Everyone’s input is considered and appreciated, making the music that much stronger. Saturday’s show at Revolution promises to be one hell of a good time (neck braces not included in ticket purchase).
When asked to compare and contrast the Long Island and NYC music scenes, Justin shared, “I feel like the people of NYC are way more into the idea of seeing bands they’ve never heard of.” A beautiful part of the Long Island scene is how reliably friends support each other’s music. Unfortunately, this leads to the same routine of swinging through for the same bands without exploring all the variety the community offers. We can reinvigorate our crowds as well as network, and we can expand our horizons by bridging the gap between our turfs. Let’s get out there and meet our neighbors a little more often, give something new a shot. An easy step is coming out to Amityville Saturday to rock out, spice up your future playlists, and catch a first class hug from Justin McKinley.
Fortify
Divergence gave all sorts of helpful advice to fellow musicians, from encouragement to keep doing what you love, to learning to roll with life’s punches. My favorite was Dan’s insistence that “If you're not having fun with music, you’re doing it wrong.”
Support Divergence by following them at:
