“We just want to be a rock band” so says Alex Roy of Sparks The Rescue. This 5 man power pop band from Poland Maine (yeah like the bottled water!) took time to sit with me an the Magpie last night at The Space.
Hamden CT is not exactly the music mecca of the world but it IS a great cozy place for us ROCKNYC writers to see live music so close you can count the drummers pores.
This rainy cold night a very small crowd assembled in the funky basement venue. Here to see Sparks and one or more of the of four other bands on the bill.
We are upstairs in the venue with Alex, Toby, and Ben. Again I am struck but the polite and articulate gentlemen I am in front of. I’m beginning to think there is something fishy going on as every single person from this genre Ive spoken to has been outstandingly cordial. The polar opposite personas of 80s alt rockers vs 2000 alts is startling and sorta weird. I think Toby addressed this topic the best with a simple and yet amazingly true statement. “we have no egos and when we meet bands that are a bunch of douche bags, they just suck”. Perfect, to the point and true.
Sparks The Rescue is on non stop tour. Alex Roy, one of the most down to Earth charismatic performers I have met in awhile addressed the this issue. The band goes from headlining to support at the turn of a dime ‘depending on where we are, if were in the New England area we usually headline. We have the most fans here.” asked if he found it tough on the ego to switch it up Alex stated with a laugh, ” were all just chill, were just guys from Maine. We grew up in the woods.”
Performing over 200 shows a year coming off their most recent release Eyes To The Sun, you cant help but wonder when they have time to write or record. Its gotta be taxing right? “Whenever were home, were righting, stated Toby McAllister, guitarist and all around nice guy. “we just wrote three songs this week.”,
You’re kidding right?
Going from barefoot country boys to power pop heart throbs (as I discovered in the crowd many a girl with a swoon) has been a slow but determined rise. Starting out as a hardcore screamo band playing before the skate crowd in Portland to the more tongue in cheek pop fun currently being belted out is intentional
Toby McAllister amazingly articulate and intelligent guitarist (I will never ever get over the professionalism of the up and coming’ers, Im encountering. Never.) “4 and a half years ago we had alot more angst, we were all into Underoath and stuff like that”, ‘in the year and a half it took us to write and record the follow up what we were into changed.” ” We knew we didn’t want to scream anymore. We wanted to be more rock and more melodic with our songs”
The band has grown up with some interesting influences
“we grew up listening to Blink 182 and stuff, that’s what we were into all that pop punk stuff. I guess were pop punk or power pop whatever, but we just want to be a rockband”
Rock bands aren’t forced into particular genre. By not being billed as a punk band, they can play songs with piano or with a more country feel.”..WHAT? According to Alex, that was one of the styles of music he grew up with. If they can break free of the stereo type they would be able to perform a wide spectrum of styles. Another line blurring band. Why doesn’t anyone want to stick with a particular style anymore?
From what I can gather rockers of today are most definitely influenced by their parents music. There ya go I said it again. Lets look Ben, a Pink Floyd fan, Alex, Beatles Zeppelin … BEACH BOYS?. I thought kids were supposed to rebel against their parents style? Could we have come to a point where its actually OK to like your fathers music? Could it be that this next generation is actually taking what they’ve listened to growing up and transforming it into what they heard? Hmm.. a whole new mindset on this, but as Alex stated listening to ‘country and folk’… well I’m not sure where that influence is evident but again we haven’t heard the next transformation of this group. When these 5 guys gather to create.. its a stew of many ingredients… comes up pretty good too.
A video was recently released for their song We ‘Love Like Vampires’, upon watching this during research I got a bit worried. Cashing in the Twilight thing? Well aside from the fact that Toby has read the books and liked them, “we wanted to have fun, do a parody sort of video. Like the Foo Fighters or the Beastie Boys” Alex mentions, “the video is up on you tube, and I don’t think people get the joke you see the comments and they’re so super serious’
Which is true, but you really cant mess with the Twilight army… they take it pretty serious, obsessively so. Looking at the video now with the knowledge of tongue and cheek humor I can see where they were coming from. This band is fun. They’re not sending you a message. They don’t want you to preach they don’t want you to donate to a cause, they don’t want you to find solice in their music. They want to rock out and have fun and diversify. They want to dance and sweat and sing and move and they want you to come with them.
In closing and not surprising, the band is up for 2 more tours. The midwest to NY with Every Avenue and then with The Audition through March. Non stop movement seems to equate to non stop growth for this rock band. Guys with level heads, not taking themselves too seriously but not reckless enough to blow a great opportunity. Think of them as your fun cousins, the ones you actually want to hang out with at the Holidays. Were lucky enough to see them again next Saturday when they perform on the mega band bill for the Jingle My Bells Tour, this stop in Hartford CT. I wish them luck and Im rooting for them Fearless records has snagged a great one, with their support, I see a great future for Sparks The Rescue.
Check out the tongue and cheek production of We Love Like Vampires at :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kC-imF1r89U
All the best guys….thank you!
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