Do You Need the Service?

Tossing lyrics aside and bringing the rhythm section to the forefront, Do You Need The Service? proudly wear their new wave and prog, post-punk and Krautrock, influences filtered through modern ears. Despite some of these musician-favored influences, the band is devoted to hooks and song structure that rope the listener in, despite the lack of vocals.

Philadelphia’s instrumental pleasure givers are in their third year of performing live. Initially built around the core of Justin Hallman and Mark Sconyers with a revolving lineup, the band is now firmly entrenched as a four-piece.

JUSTIN HALLMAN (bass): Although “Do You Need The Service?” is the title of a Gary Numan B-side, Justin misunderstood it to be a sort of Victorian slang for “Do You Want to Get Your Ass Kicked?” when Mark (drummer) first suggested it. It stuck anyway. Though the band’s name would highlight part of their early influence, why narrow it down to just one? They could have picked a track from Herbie Hancock’s “Head Hunters,” or a groove from “Remain in Light,” or even something from Hallman’s other bands such as thrash masters Bitchslicer or the old-timey The Pros from Dover. But Justin’s not complaining, since he’s now able to fulfill three lifelong goals: performing bass front and center instead of behind an amp at the side of the stage, releasing an LP on vinyl, and leading a band without having to sing.

MARK SCONYERS (drums): Having played together with Hallman since the early 00’s, the pair’s dream was always to create a project with songs that were challenging enough to keep things interesting, but catchy enough to rattle around in people’s heads. The average concertgoer, dancing happily while clutching a can of beer, might not notice the time changes, the complex fills, and certainly not the fact that each song resembles jazz but is actually tightly structured. Sconyer’s next challenge is trying to replicate the surface noise from the new LP “I Hurl Myself Towards Glory” during the live shows.

MICHAEL TRAMONTANA (baritone and tenor saxophone): Plans for a horn section for the band were scrapped when the ruggedly handsome Tramontana proved that, with enough verve, a solitary saxophone could provide an overwhelming presence on its own. Single-handedly trying to bring the saxophone to a level of rock prominence unseen since the heyday of Roxy Music and X-Ray Spex, Tramontana can also be seen honking around town as a member of Black Landlord.

TIMOTHY DAY (Rhodes, synthesizer, guitar): The overused phrase “lifelong musician” may need to be reinvented for the multifaceted Day. He recalls improvising a jazzy version of “Suicide Is Painless” (Theme from M*A*S*H) as a young boy, and never looking back, going so far as to obtain a college degree in music and continuing to make a living with his talent. Willing to play whatever instrument is needed, Day is often the subject of drinking games in the crowd as they try to guess which and how many he will use during each song. The other three members often have to guess themselves, because you just never know.

During the Winter of 2010, DYNTS? recorded its first real album, with all songs recorded live in the studio as a live performance. This album, "I Hurl Myself Towards Glory" will be released in the Summer of 2010.