HITTING THE ROAD: The Coming Weak.
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Cut from the earnest and emotional mold of bands such as Taking Back Sunday, Coheed & Cambria, and our own Monty Are I, the Coming Weak is one of the area’s fastest-rising combos. They have chops, both instrumentally and as songwriters, as well as the wisdom currently required by the music business. With a new EP, Consider This and some momentum behind them, drummer John Berard sheds some light via e-mail on the band, its history, and its ambitions. Jeff Langmaid, Tim White, Jamie Thomas, and Matt Tremblay co-star.
Tell me what inspires the coming weak as a band.
Collec¬tively, we draw a lot of our musical inspiration from the bands that we grew up with in the late ’90s/early ’00s — Saves the Day, Further Seems Forever, and Jimmy Eat World. We don’t pigeonhole ourselves into having a specific sound — the inspiration for a vocal melody might be lifted from a Beatles song while the underlying guitar arpeggio sounds like an Iron Maiden lick. Our goal is to draw from every one of our inspirations and try to create something unique out of all of that.
What prior experience do band members have?
Tons. I started out playing with the Double Nuthins when I was 16. Later, I was a member of the Magnums and Goat Island. I was a member of Suicide Liquors for five years, and I still moonlight with them. Jeff is from Coventry, but moved to Florida for school for eight years. He was in a few bands down there. Jamie’s experience has mainly been in the South County noise/grind band, Hogg. Matt played in the Gradual, and Tim has never played in a band, but as a theater major, he was classically trained and is a stalwart in the Bristol scene, often teaming up with Colby James to perform acoustic throughout the East Bay.
What are you looking to accomplish with this record?
We’re looking for our music to reach as many new and different people as possible. We knew that we needed a professionally recorded and produced record to be able to support with touring and sell at our shows. The days of the demo tape are pretty much over. We’re going to be sending the record to various labels to try to get their attention. We work really hard, so we don’t need anyone to throw tons of money at us, nor do we really want that. But if the right label comes along and is willing to work symbiotically with us, we’re definitely not going to say “No.”
What are your immediate plans?
Right now, we’re trying to play as many shows as we possibly can. We’ll be playing dates in New York, Con¬necticut, Pennsylvania, and Maine. We’re booking dates for our first-ever jaunt down the East Coast in June, touring for two weeks to Florida and back. We also have plans to record a limited-release seven-inch single in the summer, and we’re writing songs for a full-length record, which hopefully we’ll begin recording in early ’09.
What are your thoughts on the local scene?
Rhode Island has a ton of great and talented local bands. [But] the shortage of places to play has definitely contributed to an overall indifference in local music over the past 10 years or so, and there hasn’t really been an escalation in the amount of shows kids are booking at VFW halls and high school auditoriums to make up for that. We’re working with our friends in Penrose, booking shows at alternate venues, playing with locals and bands traveling from nearby states. We want to get kids excited about Rhode Island bands again, and we’re trying to resuscitate the DIY ethic we grew up on and we see in other scenes to try to get kids back out to local shows. It’s nothing a little hard work can’t fix!
The Coming Weak + Ohana + Penrose + Action on the Radio + Us Against The Archers | February 16 | 6 pm | American Legion Hall, 830 Willett Ave, East Providence | $5 | myspace.com/thecomingweak
Long may he run
It seems like fewer cover projects are traveling through town these days. Which makes FOREVER YOUNG, a local all-star tribute to the work of Neil Young, seem fresh and interesting. I saw Forever Young’s first performance, and the results were over-the-top. They were better, I think, than anyone, even the performers, expected. Since that night, they’ve reprised the repertoire in a coffeehouse setting. This time at Lupo’s, the performers are on the big stage and they’re taking full advantage by combining their normally acoustic approach with electricity. Of course, this follows Young’s own acoustic (solo)/electric (Crazy Horse) yin and yang and makes complete sense. Forever Young features MARK CUTLER, BECKY CHACE, JOHN FUZEK, DAN LILLEY, and PETE VENDETTUOLI, with bassist John Amitrano and drummer Phil Hicks. Look for Cutler to pull out a few rare gems, while Fuzek and Chace get the job done on Young’s standards.
Forever Young | February 15 | 8 pm | Lupo’s, 79 Washington St, Providence | $12 | 401.331.5876 | lupos.com
Wandering eye
On Friday at the Brooklyn Coffee and Tea House, 209 Douglas Avenue, Providence, JAN LUBY AND FRANK MARTYN are the marquee performers. Call 401.575.22884. On Saturday, blues/R&B fans can catch DUKE ROBILLARD and his band at Chan’s, 267 Main Street, Woonsocket, at 8 pm ($15) and 10 pm ($10, $18 for both sets). Call 401.765.1900.
HEATHER ROSE & THE DRAMA is looking for a guitarist to fill out their lineup. The band is replacing Ant Mattera, who’d been with them since last summer but has returned to Shryne, his former outfit. But the Drama isn’t slowing down. They’re in the studio and have two gigs next week, on Friday, February 22, with the band at the Blackstone, and Heather solo on the 23rd at Stone Soup with the Low Anthem. To be considered for the role, e-mail info@HeatherRoseAndTheDrama.com or go to HeatherRoseAndTheDrama.com.