BUMBLEFEST: HOLY WAVE One of the beautiful things about SoFla is the fact that we’ve been mostly ignored by the music community at large. So, we do it ourselves, our community is self-made and a generational melting pot of weirdness. So... Bumblefest 2017 is here again and it’s better than ever this year with an interesting and eclectic line-up of psych, folk and noise acts that, beyond that loose description, defy any HOLY WAVE other explanation. Bumblefest is a festival spotlighting acts that probably most accurately display our scattered musical tastes in the lower three counties of the state. This year one of the hosts is Voltaire, a new venue that’s cutting its teeth just in time to be a stop on the fest. Fest sponsors, however, are a who’s who of people keeping the tricounty area moving: JMB Records, Limited Fanfare, Fuzz Baby, Cheap Miami, Jolt Radio, Tuff Gnarl, Independent Ethos, Radio-Active, Houndstooth Cottage and Sweat Records, to name a very select few. This year, Bumblefest is being headlined by Austin’s own: Holy Wave. The band is a mélange of sun drenched, surfy, garage, psych-rock that twists and turns like strands of DNA under a microscope, but, you know, way more laid back and less science-y. This band of multi-instrumentalists blend their influences into an amalgamation of the 13th Floor Elevators and My Bloody Valentine, so succinctly that you’ll be nodding out to the sounds of bummer summer all night. Following Holy Wave is, PLEASURES from St. Pete; PLEASURES are more fever dream than band. An eclectic mix of robotic overtures and howling sounds swirling through your ear holes and scrambling your brains with beautifully violent thoughts. A perfect book end to the very human sounds of Holy Wave. The event is reminiscent of many different festivals that take place across the country, but close proximity of everything in downtown West Palm lends itself to a good time where revelers trek from one spot to the next in a musical pub crawl. It keeps the crowd fresh, the acts on their toes and the bars constantly in flux with new people to imbibe in the festivities. Last year was a blast with hip hop acts sharing time with punk rock bands in a cacophony of fun that, again, defied genre. So, crush your apathy! Go to Bumblefest, start a band, book some shows, make a zine, do something productive! Bumblefest 2017 with 22 bands for just $5 takes place from 6pm til 4am on September 2nd at Subculture Coffee, Lost Weekend, Respectable Street and Voltaire on the 500 Block of Clematis Street in Downtown WPB. ~ Tim Moffatt
The
5-8pm
HAPPY HOUR 2-4-1 Bar. Bands.
9.1 Fusik 9.8 solemark 9.15 future prezidents 9.22 brendan o’hara 9.29 bobby lee rodgers
EVERY FRIDAY NIGHT www.stacheftl.com 109 sw 2nd ave ft. lauderdale fl 33301 (954) 449-1044
Beats BBQ BFF ’s
LOAFERS Karlo Ramos
Some people say that Dallas’ time to transition is 2017. With last year marred by police killings, protests, and the fallout of the Presidential election— it was looking bleak. However, art is often a mirror of life and the sprouts of seedlings are coming through the cement cracks with the Dallas Observer’s Jeff Gage recent proclamation, “Dallas is changing and the music scene in North Texas is changing with it.”
“We (LOAFERS) are a band that thrives from playing live shows and interacting with the energies of other humans we happen to come across,” says Taylor Smith. “Whatever is going on in our lives goes out the window once we hit the stage and start that first song. After that, it’s all a blur.” LOAFERS
Originally from Waco, Loafers take the loafing out from the definition and have been a hardworking quad since inception since limited live gigs in their hometown pushed the band onto the road and into their new digs in Dallas. Formed in 2012 with their current lineup coalesced two years later when founding guitarist/ vocalists Eric Eisenman and Smith recruited bassist Savannah Loftin and drummer Josh Wachtendorf into the fold; Loafers has been etching an identity into the hallowed annals of Texan rock and roll. Texas’ music scene has always exhibited the very best of the state and has long stood in sharp contrast with the mainstream preconceptions. One need not look too far to see the chutzpah of the Mydolls, the irreverence of the Dicks, or the open-mindedness of the Butthole Surfers to see the torch passed to this young outfit. Their motto of “be weird. It’s more fun that way,” is not a catchy hook devised by over-caffeinated copywriters—it’s the real deal and their garage punk party rock has the urgency of frenetic fun often lacking from today’s bands. “What we like about the Dallas music scene is that on any given night you can go out to Deep Ellum and run into so many fellow friends and musicians, many of whom work and live in the area,” says Smith. “All of us in Loafers, work in Deep Ellum! The music scene in Dallas is also very diverse. We have played shows with solo pop artists, rappers, southern country bands, etc. There’s never a shortage of good local talent in Dallas.” Deep Ellum is no accident. A revitalized music and arts district; it is a perfect place for a band who found a home and like-minds. New recordings, new tours coming—Loafers aren’t loafing, they’re transitioning into a formidable band we’ll enjoy for many years to come. Loafers with Lindsey Mills and the Lazy Lovers at 9pm on Friday, September 15 at Voltaire WPB. https://loafers.bandcamp.com. ~ Abel Folgar
Ben Moon
MODEST MOUSE Is it too early to talk about Isaac Brock, the hard-to-read mind behind Modest Mouse, as an American treasure? He might hate that, people mounting a fuss over him and his “legacy,” with all the embarrassing valedictory pomp, plus the sneaking sense that lofty retrospectives must mean you’re washed up as an artist.
But if we allow that a creative person has reached impressive career milestones and earned some commendation, and still has great work ahead — MODEST MOUSE Bob Dylan, for one, made acclaimed albums after being enshrined by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame — then we can safely praise Brock without burying him. As a lyricist, Brock is an important and unsparing observer of life in a land of plenty. As a vocalist, with his battery of strangled cries and broken crooning, he is as eloquent and precise in his street-preacher way as any artist living in 21st Century America at expressing our predicaments — the heedlessness, alienation and futility that undermine the search for affirmation. The grim good cheer of the band’s one bona-fide hit, Float On, from 2004, is the best-known example. But just about all of Brock’s output since Modest Mouse formed in the Northwest in 1992 is an astute account of times that are tough on the psyche. “Pack up again, head to the next place/Where we’ll make the same mistakes,” he yelps on Lampshades on Fire (2015), “Open one up and let it fall to the ground/Pile out the door when it all runs out.” His singing is a strangely perfect complement to Modest Mouse’s music, from the brittle anti-funk of Tiny Cities Made of Ashes (2000) to the disarming tenderness of Strangers to Ourselves, the title track of the 2015 album that took Brock and Co., eight years to deliver. “I was in the woods a bit, lookin’ at my ’shrooms and things,” is how he explained his absence in a 2015 interview with CBS This Morning: Saturday. Oh, and by the way, CBS is also the network of the annual Kennedy Center Honors for American Arts and Music. You never know who they’ll pick. Modest Mouse perform 8pm Wednesday, Sept. 6, at The Fillmore Miami Beach at Jackie Gleason Theater, livenation.com. ~ Sean Piccoli
THURSDAY, AUGUST 24
VOLTAIRE: GRAND OPENING NITE ONE w. Public Sounds Collective, FREE DRINKS 9-12, NO COVER!
FRIDAY, AUGUST 25
VOLTAIRE: GRAND OPENING NITE TWO Dead and Loving It Album Release w. The Grumps, Prison Warder NO COVER!
GRAMPS: Hardship Anchors, Death Lottery
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 8
VOLTAIRE: Timothy Eerie, Fat Sun DADA: Big Chief
SATURDAY, AUGUST 26
VOLTAIRE: GRAND OPENING NITE THREE w. Gold Dust Lounge NO COVER!
MONDAY, AUGUST 28
VOLTAIRE: Salon 2 Pocket of Lollipops, Chilean Slang
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 1
DADA: Deaf Poets, Peyote Coyote FILLMORE MIAMI BEACH: Dita Von Teese KILL YOUR IDOL: Fashion Bug Chasers, Miss Michigan RESPECTABLE STREET: Kenny Millions, Two Coin, The Grumps, The Herns, Puppet Zoo, Whatever Anyways, Period Bomb CWS: Tasty Vibrations STACHE: Fusik BREWHOUSE GALLERY: Brett Staska
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 2
500 BLOCK: BUMBLEFEST ft. HOLY WAVE, PLEASURES, Peyote Coyote, The Water Colors, Lindsey Mills & the Lazy Lovers, Dead and Loving It, Nervous Monks, Other Body, Jellyfish Brothers, Backpage Escort, King Complex, Turtle Grenade, JAIALAI, Deaf Poets, Heavy Drag, Pavlov’s Bell, Wilkes Oswald, Pocket of Lollipops, John Ralston’s Shadows Band, Keith Welsh, Grey & Orange, Brother Sundance SEMINOLE HARD ROCK: Chris Tucker GRAMPS: Bolzer, Trepaneringsritualen, Caveman Cult, Erratix DADA: Ashiyushi KILL YOUR IDOL: Immersed CWS: Diogo Das Virgens Band
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 3
VOLTAIRE: TCHAA! KILL YOUR IDOL: Bassline Miami RESPECTABLE STREET: Cheesy 90s Homecoming CWS: Joey Tenuto Jr.
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 4
DADA: Open Mic HULLABALOO: Firemost Jazz Duo
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 5
DADA: Spoken Word Open Mic KILL YOUR IDOL: Open Mic
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 6
FILLMORE MIAMI BEACH: Modest Mouse DADA: Stratis Washburn HULLABALOO: Kyle Smile O’MALLEYS: Dark Tranquility, Warbringer, Striker
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 7
DADA: Aaron Lebos RESPECTABLE STREET: Fat Sun CWS: Marijah & The Reggae Allstars
RESPECTABLE STREET: MASS with God Module, Blakk Glass, Finite Automata PROPAGANDA: Spred the Dub, No Name Ska Band, Space Coast Ghosts FILLMORE MIAMI BEACH: Paramore, Flor CWS: Fusik STACHE: Solemark BREWHOUSE GALLERY: Bryce Allyn KELSEY THEATER: Glory Days NEXT DOOR: Juliette Helen, Nightvision CHURCHILLS PUB: Sacred Owls
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 9
KILL YOUR IDOL: Keep It Deep Miami CWS: Final Shot STACHE: Anastasia Max, Anchor Collective, Takers & Leavers FUZZ BABY: Small Reactions, Shark Valley Sisters, Milk Spot CHURCHILLS PUB: 16bit & Astari Nite EP Release Party FLORIDA SURFING MUSEUM: Corky Carroll Concert to benefit surfhistoryproject.org NEXT DOOR: SloFunkPump BREWHOUSE GALLERY: The Brown Goose
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 10
VOLTAIRE: Joey George and the Deadbeat Daddies CHURCHILLS PUB: The Black Market O’MALLEYS: Rough Start CWS: Joey Tenuto Jr. BREWHOUSE GALLERY: Eric Ryan
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 11
DADA: Open Mic HULLABALOO: The Necessities
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 12
DADA: Comedy Open Mic KELSEY THEATER: May it Last
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 13
DADA: Flavio Sosa REVOLUTION LIVE: Tove Lo HULLABALOO: Kyle Smile KILL YOUR IDOL: Alex Martini
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 14 DADA: Fat Sun CWS: Wilkes Oswald
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 15
VOLTAIRE: Loafers, Lindsey Mills & the Lazy Lovers
AMERICANAIRLINESARENA: Depeche Mode FILLMORE MIAMI BEACH: Al Pacino REVOLUTION LIVE: Dua Lipa DADA: Xotic Yeyo KILL YOUR IDOL: Proper PROPAGANDA: Ruby Tesla Burlesque CWS: Spred The Dub STACHE: Future Prezidents NEXT DOOR: Chantil Dukart KELSEY THEATER: Craig Xen GRAMPS: Ordinary Boys BREWHOUSE GALLERY: The String Assassins CHURCHILLS PUB: Permanent Makeup, Holly Hunt
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 16
DADA: Anastasia Max KILL YOUR IDOL: Breaks Yo! CWS: The Reality STACHE: TKA (Live PA) STUDIO A: Millionyoung BREWHOUSE GALLERY: Jedi Magic Carousel O’MALLEYS: Miss May I, Ice Nine Kills, Capsize, Lorna Shore CHURCHILLS PUB: F!
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 17
VOLTAIRE: JM & the Sweets FILLMORE MIAMI BEACH: 2 Chainz REVOLUTION LIVE: POD, Alien Ant Farm CWS: Joey Tenuto Jr. CULTURE ROOM: Melvins
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 18
DADA: Open Mic HULLABALOO: Beartoe
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 19
DADA: Comedy Open Mic KILL YOUR IDOL: Open Mic
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 21
THE GROUND: Front 242, Nina Belief, DJ Mystic Bill DADA: Daylen Brinkley & Friends CWS: The Holidazed KELSEY THEATER: Dan Sperry
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 23
RESPECTABLE STREET: 30 YEAR ANNIVERSARY BLOCK PARTY ft She Wants Revenge, Astari Nite, Everymen, Skoros, Old Habits, AnastasiaMAX, Octo Gato, The Muggles, Narvee, Private School, Lavola, Grumps, Sada, Milkspot, Lindsey Mills, Dėnudės, Shadow Reborn, The Pauses, Dead and Loving It, Yung Tarzan, Backpage Escort, Herns, Static Momentum, The Watercolors, Church Girls, Boxwood, Symbols, MillionYoung DADA: SloFunkPump REVOLUTION LIVE: Epica, Lacuna Coil KILL YOUR IDOL: The Wire Hip-Hop CWS: The Flyers STACHE: The Heavy Pets, Unlimited Devotion, Guavatron, Funkin’ Grateful
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 24
VOLTAIRE: Rockin’ Jake CHURCHILLS PUB: The Ethiopians REVOLUTION LIVE: Issues & Volumes CWS: J.L. Fulks Duo BREWHOUSE GALLERY: Summer Gill
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 25
DADA: Open Mic HULLABALOO: Jordy Nashville
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 26
DADA: Comedy Open Mic KILL YOUR IDOL: Open Mic CHURCHILLS PUB: Bora Album Release
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 27
FILLMORE MIAMI BEACH: Foster the People DADA: Sista Mary Beth HULLABALOO: Kyle Smile KILL YOUR IDOL: Rachel Rage & Chris Rod
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 28
FILLMORE MIAMI BEACH: Cafe Tacvba DADA: Holy Dances RESPECTABLE STREET: Oddly Strange CHURCHILLS PUB: Venom Inc, Goatwhore, Toxic Holocaust CWS: Brendan O’Hara KELSEY THEATER: Dan Sperry
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 29
FILLMORE MIAMI BEACH: Mute Math, Play Dead Live DADA: Static Momentum KILL YOUR IDOL: Shameless Burlesque CWS: Uproot Hootenanny CULTURE ROOM: Papadosio, Phutureprimitive STACHE: Bobby Lee Rodgers SEMINOLE CASINO: Del Pelson KELSEY THEATER: 5 4 50 Sister Hazel REVOLUTION LIVE: Trombone Shorty
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 30 FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 22
DADA: Public Sounds Collective SEMINOLE HARD ROCK: Luisi Fonsi Love + Dance Tour RESPECTABLE STREET: Emo Night Brooklyn CWS: Bobby Lee Rodgers STACHE: Brendan O’Hara CULTURE ROOM: Black Tiger Sex Machine BREWHOUSE GALLERY: Jason Soffer Album Release KELSEY THEATER: 5 4 50 Fundraiser Concert for Inspirit NEXT DOOR: Anchor Collective, NorthStreet, Goalkeeper, Migrate
LOST WEEKEND MIAMI: ANNIVERSARY PARTY CWS: Spider Cherry STACHE: Bobby Lee Rodgers REVOLUTION LIVE: Trombone Shorty BREWHOUSE GALLERY: Neverglades, Mural Festival
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 6
VOLTAIRE: Unwed Sailor
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 8
VOLTAIRE: Marbin FILLMORE MIAMI BEACH: Band of Horses
RSC 30: SHE WANTS REVENGE Thirty years ago in June, Rodney Mayo opened a new club on Clematis Street that no one could have predicted would become a South Florida mainstay. The former Salvation Army building became the hip place to be for music fans. To this day, people can go Respectable Street and not be judged, and this will be celebrated at their 30th anniversary block party on September 23. The venue has gone through some SHE WANTS REVENGE small renovations over the years, including a covered stage near the back patio bar, but the premise remains the same: Be a place that offers something different. With numerous clubs and bars opening and closing on Clematis Street over the past three decades, Respectables has stood the test of time through a small, approachable group of people who all want the same thing, says Ates Isildak, band booker at Respectables. “Respectables is the alternative to the other top 40 clubs,” says manager Allan Bowron. This year’s lineup boasts big names, including post-punk revival band She Wants Revenge, and plenty of local favorites like surf rockers Octo Gato, post-punk/New Wave group Astari Nite and banjo-punkers Everymen. The block party will feature an open bar from 8pm to 9pm, free pizza and 26 other bands, all showcasing the diverse South Florida music scene. She Wants Revenge debuted on radio airwaves in 2006 with “Tear You Apart,” a raunchy track with choppy guitars that made listeners feel naughty and sexy, reminiscent of Bauhaus’ “Bela Lugosi’s Dead.” Their gothic rock stood out among the many emo and pop-punk hits of the mid-2000s and, like Respectables, became a welcome alternative to the norm. The band hasn’t released a new album since 2011’s “Valleyheart,” but their 2016 non-album single “Never” harkens back to the sound of their first album, full of angsty heartache and New Order-like synths. Turning 30 is a milestone to be celebrated. It’s an age that is still young but reflects experience and learning in many of life’s lessons and tribulations. Respectables and its loyal followers will revel in this at the end of September. To say the club has aged like a fine wine might be cliche, so we’ll switch out the “fine wine” part for a cold can of PBR. Respectable Street 30th Anniversary Block Party featuring She Wants Revenge, Astari Nite and Everymen will take place Saturday, September 23 at 8pm at Respectable Street, 518 Clematis St., West Palm Beach. Free Drinks 8-9. No Cover!
AUG. 31
SEPT. 8
SEPT.13
SEPT. 23
clean bandit
OCT. 2
SEPT. 29 & 30
OCT. 3
OCT. 8
www.jointherevolution.net
Anton Corbijn
DEPECHE MODE Depeche Mode has come a long way from its humble New Wave origins in Essex. Building a steady fanbase over the years with catchy and progressively darkening songs that helped define synth-pop and influence contemporary electronic dance music. Currently consisting of the longtime founding trio of vocalist Dave Gahan, keyboardist and bassist Andy Fletcher, and vocalist, guitarist and keyboardist Martin Gore, DM has continued to build on their recorded legacy— accepting of influences as varied as loneliness, sexuality, and politics.
Beginning with a more pop-oriented sound, Depeche Mode became media darlings in the early days DEPECHE MODE and as such have become eternally entrenched in 1980’s consciousness. While this might be too much of a nostalgic nod, the band has managed to work against the perception by keeping their sound up-to-date without shedding its identity. While the emotional range of their “darker” music might seem an unlikely mainstream attraction, it’s in its grit that fans and fellow musicians have found it to strike a chord. Which is a funny crux for a band that has skirted along with a mostly gothic and industrial sound that has never immediately resonated with the critical elements of music. Though it hasn’t had an impact on record sales, it’s interesting to see their popularity built on compositions that require the listener’s full involvement. In tandem with their popularity has been singer Gahan’s troubles with drugs and mental health. Well-publicized throughout their career, his recent illness this past summer, which caused some cancellations, has brought concerns for the cancer he was operated on back in ’09. Seemingly cleared to perform and continuing their tour has given a weird nod of frailty and the disposition of marching on to their latest studio album, Spirit, their fourteenth effort. The coincidence of title and the album’s art by frequent collaborator Anton Corbijn too much to ignore. But maybe we can read a little into it and assume that there is something messianic about the number 14, the classical stations of the cross, and the advantages of having your own, personal, Jesus. Depeche Mode with guests Warpaint at 7:30pm on Friday, September 15 at the American Airlines Arena. Depechemode.com. ~ Abel Folgar
TIMOTHY EERIE Psych rock can be a strange and unpredictable genre. Part-folk, partpunk, all spaced out, druggy etherealness; Timothy Eerie embodies that ethos on the trio’s new e.p., It’s Always the Same. It’s no accident that the name Timothy Eerie is so close to Timothy Leary, this is the aural equivalent of two tabs and a trip down the rabbit hole. This current TIMOTHY EERIE wave of psychedelic rockers has their own share of sticklers to the rules of a never fully flushed out genre; however, Timothy Eerie is more, The Love Witch and less Woodstock. It’s true, their sound it reminiscent of a Summer of Love, geek out in a room reeking of incense and patchouli with a bevy of bare chested beauties finger painting each other; but, Timothy Eerie is firmly planted in current times and thus tongue is planted in cheek with a corresponding wink and nod. These Orlando lads have been kicking around the O-towns underground since 2015 and have made quite a name for themselves in a short period of time. Like many of the bands of this genre there has been a revolving door of players, but that only lends to the mystique of Timothy Eerie’s sound. A Sound which started as bedroom recording project that has clearly moved beyond the bedroom. Their newest e.p. and last outing, Heterochromia, both came out on Ghost Drag Records a local label that’s batting 1000 with sun drenched, lo-fi rock records. The last time our heroes were in town, they played Gramps in Miami; apparently, it was the best show of their tour. Who knows what concoction of people; substances; wine; women and song were necessary to bring on the Dionysian delights? Perhaps it was the intoxicating aroma of Wynwood? Maybe it was the aura of Gramps and its hipster, anything goes mantra? Or, it could just be that Timothy Eerie, like the pied piper before them are too much fun on stage to not have the party follow them afterwards? If I had to venture a guess, I would say that charisma + party people = possible jail time. (and of course, a lot of fun) Timothy Eerie plays Voltaire WPB on September 8 with Fat Sun. Doors are at 9pm, bring money to spend. ~ Tim Moffatt
ADAM ANT PLAYS PARKER People joke that Barry White had women declare their love to him during his concerts in front of their husbands and while the Walrus of Love was surely deserving of such admiration; New Wave and pop music icon Adam Ant is a close second to this emotional outpour. Ant, who began his career in the burgeoning UK punk scene of the late 70’s alongside the Ants can attribute his longevity to five decades’ worth of material that has always trumped its quality over nostalgia. Widely considered a sex symbol in his youth, Ant and co. put forth a pastiche persona of cowboys ADAM ANT and Indians wrestling with history and the accoutrements of the punk/New Wave lifestyle. Where the cartoonish look implied a belittling of talent in other outfits, Adam and the Ants inspired a mounting rise of fame and adulation known as “Antmania.” After losing his original Ants to Malcolm McLaren’s Bow Wow Wow, Ant reconvened and produced the sophomore effort, Kings of the Wild Frontier— an album widely credited with defining the genre—a perfect balance of theatrical kitsch, musicianship, and art. Ant, born Stuart Goddard has wrestled with bipolar disorder since his youth and this sudden catapult into stardom brought on periods of inactivity that dotted the majority of his career. With their third effort, Prince Charming barely capturing the previous thunder, the Ants disbanded and longtime guitarist and collaborator Marco Pirroni joined in Adam’s solo work. His debut as a solo artist, Friend or Foe proved that the creativity was still there and since, Ant has released five more solo albums with a seventh, Bravest of the Brave slated for release next year. Ant, an indefatigable performer, has kept a busy schedule since reintroducing himself to touring in 2012 and now in the hot heels of the “Kings of the Wild Frontier Tour,” he’s kicking off “Anthems—The Singles Tour” from South Florida in which he’ll showcase the hits, the B-Sides, and his favorites from the second and third Ants albums. Antmania will be in full effect; white stripes across the face, singing along, declaring its love at the top of its lungs. Adam Ant with guests Glam Skank at 8pm on Wednesday, September 6 at the Parker Playhouse. Adam-ant.com. ~ Abel Folgar
SMALL REACTIONS Michael Morales
Band relationships function like most others: When the newness wears off, something else has to be in place to keep the interested parties going. For Small Reactions, from Atlanta, Georgia, a persistent creative chemistry binds the core trio that first joined forces in high school. Its presence is audible on RXN_002, the second full-length album from these catchy, noisy saboteurs of pop-song style.
The 12 years that drummer Sean Zearfoss has spent alongside singer-guitarist Scotty Hoffman and bassist-vocalist Clinton Callahan are not uninterrupted. Time-outs for family matters, a lineup shuffle and plain-old band fatigue have put Small Reactions through cycles of teardown and rebuilding. The idea now, Zearfoss tells PureHoney, is to establish momentum: “We’re going to try to grow it again, instead of just trying to rebuild.” SMALL REACTIONS
Small Reactions are hitting the road after not touring for two years. RXN_002 is their first album since keyboardist Sam Jacobsen moved out of state for a job and was succeeded, after almost a decade, by a guitarist, Rossellini Politi. The newest band member started out using his guitar in concert as a kind of keyboard substitute. “He was emulating that Vox Continental — that huge, distorted organ — with the guitar,” says Zearfoss. Nowadays Politi — who is also Zearfoss’s co-worker at an Atlanta record store — has more license to play as he sees fit. Small Reactions have not entirely abandoned keyboard textures on RXN_002, but the album is primarily a work of guitar, bass, drums and vocals united in attractively managed chaos. The air of unease that greets the listener on the opener, Sessions Street, with its pressing guitars and Hoffman’s pining voice, becomes more pronounced on later tracks such as Flagrant and Sliding Glass Nightmare. Zearfoss calls the album “pretty dark” in places. But there’s joy in the varied combinations of squall and melody that are this band’s signature. “I think we’re still trying to figure out how to grow and evolve with a new band member,” says Zearfoss. On RXN_002 it sounds like Small Reactions are making the adjustments that help a good band carry on. Small Reactions perform on September 9 in Fort Lauderdale. Fuzz Baby knows the way;) ~Sean Piccoli