Coheed and Cambria Concert Calendar Talking with Marjorie Fair

Concert Calendar

Fri. Oct. 21, 6 p.m. LA Fashion Awards -Premiere Event Orpheum Theatre Los Angeles

Fri. Oct. 21, 8 p.m. Eagles Arrowhead Pond Anaheim

Fri. Oct. 21, 8 p.m. Gwen Stefani Hollywood Bowl Hollywood

Fri. Oct. 21, 9 p.m. Kottonmouth Kings Key Club Los Angeles

Fri. Oct. 21 to 23, 9 p.m. The Black Crowes Henry Fonda Theatre Los Angeles

Sat. Oct. 22 to 23, 7:30 p.m. Foo Fighters and Weezer Long Beach Arena - Long Beach Convention Center Long Beach

Sat. Oct. 22, 8 p.m. Alien Ant Farm Key Club Los Angeles

Sat. Oct. 22, 8 p.m. Home Grown Galaxy Theatre Santa Ana

Sun. Oct. 23, 7 p.m. Sheryl Crow Hollywood Bowl Hollywood

Mon. Oct. 24, 7:30 p.m. Sublime Tribute – MusiCares Benefi t Henry Fonda Theatre Los Angeles

Marjorie Fair talks about music, tourstalks about music, tours

Marjorie Fair has been called a lot of things: The Beatles of the new millennium, a love-sick ballad band, even the “masters of emotional four-minute thunderstorms” by one critic. However, its members, when asked to describe their own sound, chose to quote a “possible Amish guy” they met at a coffee shop while on tour in Iowa two weeks ago.

“He read our lyrics aloud and then said our music sounded like a canary going through a xylophone, going through a rainbow,” said keyboardist Dain Luscombe, who tends to act as the unoffi cial spokesperson for the group. “That’s totally how to describe our band.”

The band, sitting around a cramped dressing room at the House of Blues in Anaheim, said the sound has been compared to the Beatles and the Flaming Lips.

“Old people always say Pink Floyd,” said bassist Scott Lord, who, with his baby face, tends to take on the role of younger brother in the band. “But I would like to think that we’re totally young and hip.”

With unruly hair and sad eyes, Slamka is exactly what listeners would picture him to look like.

“Forget about young and hip,” said guitarist and lead singer Evan Slamka, “I’d rather be headlining tours.”

There’s also Mike DeLisa, the drummer and self-proclaimed mother of the group.

So who’s Marjorie?

“It comes from a very famous poem. It’s also a magical rose from Dungeons and Dragons that gives you 10-plus to life,” Luscombe said.

It seems that the band has indeed received a plus to life with the album Self Help Serenade released in July, already getting critical acclaim.

The standout track on the album is the catchy “ W a v e s , ” which Slamka wrote for a friend who was depressed.

“It’s about the static in our minds,” he said.

The guys list everybody from Miles Davis to Neil Young to Sunny Day Real Estate as inspiring

By ASHLEY MAJESKI

Daily Titan Staff

He read our lyrics aloud and then said our music sounded like a canary going through a xylophone, going through a rainbow.

Dain Luscombe Marjorie Fair keyboardist “ ”

OLIVIA PORTUGAL/For the Daily Titan Marjorie Fair’s lead guitarist and vocalist, Evan Slamka, tunes his guitar at the band’s House of Blues show in Anaheim.

their sound. But not the Beatles.

“You’re not supposed to say the Beatles cause then people pigeonhole you,” Slamka said.

Despite the melancholy sound that many of the album’s songs have, DeLisa insisted that it’s not meant to make people feel sad.

“Most people wouldn’t think it’s a good party CD, but it is,” DeLisa said. “It’s good for hanging out with your friends and having a beer.”

The band is signed with Capitol Records and has been touring since May.

They did stop to play on the show Last Call with Carson Daly in August. For many, being on a nationally broadcast late-night

talk show might be the best part about putting out a record, but not for this band. The best part for the guys, who are fans of Lord of the Rings was Elijah Wood, who plays Frodo in the trilogy, playaed DJ at the band’s CD release party.

They are also big fans of touring, which is good because they are rarely home. Luscombe refers to the band as “road warriors.”

The future for the band will include fi nishing up the tour in November. There’s really no plan after that.

“We probably just want to keep touring,” DeLisa said.

For now, it seems that all the pieces have fallen right into place for the band called Marjorie Fair.