{the still city} Picture this: You walk into a bedroom and three or four nutcases are in there. They appear to be playing instruments. But there is no sound. They are a silent air guitar symphony at best. Then, upon a closer examination and you see that they are wearing headphones. Communicating sonically. Musically. Without a sound leaking into the heated air of that bedroom, or out and into the brittle, outside world. Frame this picture. It is the beginning of a band. It is the coming together of everything larger than even they are aware of. The Still City (fka, The Sights They Affect) is, by all accounts, a new band. They have only been together since May of 2006. But their progression has been quick and ambitious. And rightfully so – for what they have managed to create is a sound that aches and floats and swirls on a bed of melodies. They are heady. They are danceable. Their sound is big and raw and full of nerves. The Still City (Brendan Gann, bass; Ryan Murphy, guitar; Brandon Roth, drums; Brian Knab, guitar and vocals) grew-up in the same town of Monument, CO. They all had histories together. They all have a backlog of experience with other musical projects. But none of them were looking to begin a new band. Still, with their early and obvious alchemy, one was formed. In a bedroom, with headphones on. From the start, the foursome’s drive has been apparent. The songs, came quick. And only one month after playing together and they had their first set of demos. Then ambition pushed them one step further into the fire: Even before they had a real and substantiated set, the band booked their first gig. For a group of players that had no intention of playing together, one month later and they were in the thick of it. They were writing, recording, and putting together a live show and a voluptuous sound that would, in time, stand as a testament to the ability of these four different souls fusing together one loud and cohesive voice. The Still City is, if not a representation of ultimate drive and serendipity, a representation of how very different musical backgrounds and personalities can merge into one. With histories and musical tendencies that cover the spectrum from punk to jazz to singer/songwriters to the pop punk of the nineties, the four players have amalgamated nearly perfectly. For a band with such similar first names, Brendan, Brandon, Ryan and Brian, the bandmates in The Still City certainly have very different approaches, interpersonally as well as artistically. Brandon and Brian are highly introverted, highly critical of themselves and quiet. Brendan and Ryan are, to the contrary, explicitly extroverted and gregarious. Brandon is the drummer, technical about his technical and loud craft while remaining the quiet artist, as he creates artwork like that which adorns the EP’s beautiful cover. Brian is the frontman that is concerned more about the craft of songwriting and not so much with the recording process. For the most part he keeps to himself; hunched over his guitar and his journals. The singer Knab nor the drummer Roth are quite like the outspoken Ryan Murphy, who recorded and engineered the band’s debut EP. A gorgeous and thick album, Murphy’s hard ear, coupled with his ideas on recording elements like compression have enabled the band to surface with a thick, spacious and swirling debut. It is an ominous beginning, certainly, that has caught the attention of many here in Denver. But what may be the most intriguing component about this album is that Murphy mastered the production feat with very little in the way of recording gear. Just the basics. A computer and some microphones. Listening to the album, one can only picture an army of a studio behind them, tweaking knobs and adjusting millions of sliders. Staying true to their provenance in that back bedroom, The Still City’s songs originate from a drumbeat and vocals. With only a guitar, his journal and his wealth of words, the elusive and nearly silent Brian Knab begins the process of crafting the songs. In some respects it is intriguing that, of all the players in the band, Knab is the frontman. Shy and respectful, he’s not the boisterous lead singer that one typically thinks of – especially one that would front a band with a sound like The Still City, with their often danceable, raucous high energy. And really, their sound becomes even more intriguing when you really listen to Knab’s lyrics. Because, on one hand, they are the antithesis of danceable. They are literary in cadence and content. They are, at times, tortured and nervous all while remaining confident about their power. His compositions are full of pictures of busy city feet coming and going and interacting with nervous hands full of regret all while living in human skin that hurts and knows the discomfort of surviving in a world teeming with life and cars and stoplights and love in quiet rooms. In total, Knab’s writing is superb. It is thick with images and moments that are big – big enough to stand out front of The Still City’s large sound – and dance on their own. In part his lyrics work because of his complicated voice and beautiful phrasing. But why his vocals work so well is also a testament to his band mates. The Still City is a cohesive whole. From Murphy’s charging guitars to Roth’s big drum sound – they compliment one another with force. A jazz trained drummer, Roth’s sound, technicality and penchant for harder-edged music and jazz completes the foursome’s circle. In all, The Still City has cultivated a stunning sound, one with fluidity, energy and gorgeous dynamics. Where some bands fall on their face, The Still City is surging forward – because they understand dynamics and peaks and valleys in their compositions. Because they understand the need for strong lyrics and a hearty voice to lead the charge. And because they also understand that they are entering one of the strangest, most finicky industries in the world, with only their music as a shield. Still gaining their sea legs in the music industry – The Still City is learning their place of acceptance and whether they can be accepted at all. And while their path will certainly find its grand complications, for now they are trying to keep it simple: Write (prolifically). Record (more). Play (a lot of) shows. Find the (most honest) footing. But when you are working with a product that is as rich and developed as The Still City’s is, you can stand confident that you are starting on the right foot. Stay on pace with The Still City, with their upcoming shows and releases, here: www.myspace.com/thestillcity. |
