Yes . . . I Mean, No finds C4RT veering from Princely falsetto funk to dancy post-punk, melding big-guitar rock with hip-hop beats and rhymes and incorporating vintage-sounding analog synths and futuristic loops and digital soundscapes. Quigley and McNamara, the band’s primary songwriters, see this multifariousness as natural given the zeitgeist. “People can have all their music in one place and randomize it,” says McNamara. “So they realize they like all sorts of music, and that’s exciting. Bands don’t have to do just one thing anymore, which is awesome.”
After our interview, I’m invited to stick around and take part in the band’s Monday-night tradition of getting intoxicated and listening to music, something they call “Make Mondays Tuesdays.” McNamara brings out a stack of music for me to choose from — Peter Wolf, Sinéad O’Connor, Black Flag, the Doobie Brothers, the Clash. Later on we listen to N.W.A, Prince, and the Mystery Jets.
Live, Quigley and McNamara bound around the stage with infectious energy while Olds and Potvin switch back and forth between two synth set-ups (one analog, one digital), hitting keys, twiddling knobs, triggering loops, dancing. Olds and Towlson belt out crack four-part harmonies with the two frontmen. Deftly locking in with the loops, Zampiello holds down the beat with nonchalant panache. “It’s our job to make people move,” McNamara explains. “If you pay 10 bucks to go see a band, goddamn it you’re gonna get your money’s worth. We’re working for people. We’re there to make you remember where you were.”
THE CAMPAIGN FOR REAL-TIME + ROBBY ROADSTEAMER + THE UNDERWATER + REVEREND GLASSEYE | July 22 | Paradise Rock Club, 967 Comm Ave, Boston | 617.228.6000
On the Web
Campaign for Real-Time: http://www.c4rt.com/
