AUGUST 2003
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Downtown LiveSeeking Solaceby Jamie Manser
The catchy power pop, punk rock trio, comprised of keyboardist/vocalist Dan Naiman, baritone guitarist/vocalist John Polle and drummer Justin Donaldson, has an ultimate goal “to create a living by doing the band,” Naiman said. Donaldson interjected, “It’s not up to us if we sell records.” “No,” Naiman protested, “it is up to us!” “Well, as far as a record deal,” Donaldson explained. “But we’ve got to make that happen!” Naiman stressed. “The goal is to create a sustainable career and see what happens. A career that we love, along with our passion.” The upcoming tour may be a determining factor to the band’s future. It will be their longest to date, and tours are notoriously hard on bands. These guys, however, should come out unscathed and better for the wear – and exposure. Taking their show on the road will most certainly garner the brothers more fans. It’s unimaginable that it wouldn’t because these lads seriously rock. A recent show at Congress had gals and guys alike hitting the dance floor with fervent energy. While they played the Sex Pistols-esque “Reaction,” one was compelled to head nodding and body rocking that is inspired by drum-fueled, hard driving beats. Grip your middle and ring fingers with your thumb, extend your index and pinky fingers, and raise your arm in the universal sign that says: “This band ROCKS!” Their style of rock is a combination of their backgrounds. “We all bring something different to the table in terms of influence and style,” Naiman said. The Jesus look-a-like continued on. “I like jam bands, John likes punk and Justin is into 70s and 80s pop.” “And marching bands too,” Donaldson said smiling. The genius behind the songwriting is a joint effort. Naiman said that “John or I will bring in a song that’s almost finished and Justin and I will add the arrangement. John and I will write together and iron out lyrics.” Most of their songs are created from – basically – messing around. “We’ll create songs on the spot. We’ll be warming up and making stuff up or do an improvisational thing” that eventually develops into a song, Naiman said. “Our writing process is a transient thing. We’ll say – ‘Hey, keep playing that.’ It’s not a real precious thing – like ‘I wrote this and it means a lot.’ It’s just fun.” It was in this format that initially got Naiman and Polle together. Naiman is a sound engineer who has a studio adjacent to Jim Waters’ Waterworks recording studio. Polle was interning with Waters and the two musicians started writing “some real similar ideas. We would layer the stuff and ended up having a few songs and then called Justin to do gigs,” Naiman remembered. The Solace Bros. first gig was in February of last year, opening for Nick Luca Trio at Club Congress. In the following ten months, the band would gig around town another 12 times. This year, they have played over 30 shows in eight different cities and will be playing 37 shows in 29 different cities during their jaunt with Built to Spill. The Solace Bros. kick off their tour with Built to Spill at Club Congress, Wednesday August 20. Call (520) 622-8848 for more information or log onto www.thesolacebros.com. The Road to Somewhereby Jamie Manser In the spirit of the 80’s punk underground DIY mentality, local music powerhouses are collaborating to help put Tucson on the musical map by sponsoring a 17-week “battle of the bands” competition. Starting August 1, the battle runs every Friday and Saturday night through November 22 at The Rock. “The Road to Somewhere,” is the brainchild of Nico from Suicide Lane Productions, who sought and found help from KLPX DJ Chita (of Breaking & Entering) and Kent from The Rock, along with seven other local organizations. The event will hook up the grand prizewinner with a west coast tour booked by IND Entertainment (an offshoot booking company of Stunning Tonto Records), a tour van rented by Suicide Lane Productions, recording time for a full-length (10-12 song) CD at Avalanche Studios, a $1,000 gift certificate from Guitars Etc as well as three dozen T-Shirts done by Laser Screenprinting and Business Solutions. Other sponsors include Right Time Productions, Budweiser, LiveandLocal.net and Machine Kandy. Bands who graduate from the competition’s preliminary rounds will also receive prizes. The 24 bands that make it out of the preliminaries will be $100 richer, as well as obtaining an interview spot on the air with Chita and Nico during the Breaking & Entering KPLX (96.1FM) local music show that broadcasts on Sunday nights. The six bands selected from the quarterfinals will win $200 in cash and also have airtime on Breaking & Entering. The semi-finals will earn two bands a $300 cash prize along with the aforementioned radio spot. In order to participate, local bands must first register at www.suicidelaneproductions.com and subsequently submit a demo of their original music to Guitar’s Etc., 5646 E. Speedway. The organizers are basing the selection of the 96 bands on a first-come, first- serve basis. Bands will be placed into two brackets and judged by three individuals. The judges are secret, “so secret, that even Chita can’t know!” Chita lamented recently at the KLPX studio. She said that it was tough for her to not to be involved in the judge selection process because she wanted to have a say in it to insure that it was fair and honest. But she said she trusted Nico’s decision. “The reason everyone shouldn’t know is because – what if that person was paid off? To avoid that, the judges are a secret. If a judge tells (someone they are a judge) then they are gone,” she explained. “It’s as close to utopian judging as you can get.” There will be two consistent judges throughout the competition, with a guest judge each week. The guest judge is going to be a member of the “music community, either local or national, who could be considered an ‘expert’ in the field,” according to www.suicidelaneproductions.com. The site also stipulates what the judges vote on and details the point system. Judges have 33.3 points in three categories – Musical Composition, Stage Presence and Best of the Evening for a total of 99.9 points per judge. Listen up potential participants; this is what you have to do to impress: The musical composition points will hinge on the quality of the music, whether or not the band is “tight” (aka well-rehearsed), and if the judges would be interested in seeing the performers again, buying the CD and recommending the band to their friends. To gain maximum stage presence points, bands need to captivate the audience, enjoy themselves, and look cool. In order to get the most “Best of Evening” points, bands need to astonish the judges with their music and performance. The judges are asked which bands they will remember and who they liked the best. In addition to super-secret judges, the attendees also get to vote on their favorite band. The audience vote could sway the outcome if the judges’ votes tie two or more bands. Practice, kick ass and get your fan base in the door and your band could be on The Road to Somewhere! |
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Gearing up for a six-week tour with national act Built to Spill and in the process of recording their first full-length CD (set to come out this fall), The Solace Bros. are all about making it happen. 