ELECTRIC PEOPLE

Shore Alternative Presents: Electric People
BY ANGIE SUGRIM | APRIL 11, 2011
Electric People @ Glasslands (photo)

The guys at Shore Alternative are at it again, and this week in addition to some local love, they’ve thrown in some talent from our well known neighbor to the north, the city of Brooklyn, NY.

If you’ve paid any attention to indie rock in the past 2 decades, you know that like the left coasts famed adolescent rock fantasy Never-Never-Land, Portland, OR, Brooklyn’s dense community of musicians and artists has produced some of the best known touring contemporary rock acts. That roster includes Grizzly Bear, OK Go, & the Yeah Yeah Yeah’s. So it’s nice to see some crossover happening between BK and AP, and this musician personally hopes to see much more in that vein this coming Summer, so thank you S*ALT.

You can expect some wear-your-sunglasses-indoors-so-they-can’t-see-how-pinned-your-pupils-are-rock from Electric People. I can definitely hear some serious Jesus & Mary Chain and Velvet Underground influence in the confident swagger of this gang of seven.

Electric People | Just Wanna Be Dead

This band uses the standard guitar/drums/bass configuration as a foundation for a layering of complex, but well played and cohesive sounds including organs, piano and several vocalists. This dose of Brooklyn will make you feel like you took the best downers from your rich aunt’s medicine cabinet without the liver damage or any danger of overdosing. And if you start hallucinating that you’re hanging out with Andy Warhol, I mean, that’s not ever a bad thing, right? - THE VINYL DISTRICT by ANGIE SUGRIM

This week’s edition of Pop-Break and ShoreAlternative.com’s Watermark Wednesday focuses on the Brooklyn-based band, Electric People. Featuring current members of The Blacktie Party, Smoota, The Quiet Ones, The Brooklyn What? and a “laundry list” of past bands, Electric People have developed a unique style, synching genres like psychedelic and alternative rock and turning it into a buffet platter of different sounds.

Electric People has been playing together since the Summer of 2009, and despite having not yet released anything, their debut EP will be out this June. The title is unknown, the two songs they’ve released so far, “My Love, My Love” and “Just Wanna Be Dead,” show promise.

This week, Pop-Break.com’s Maxwell Barna spoke with Electric People frontman Adam Bucsek about their unique sound, their upcoming release, and their show this Wednesday at the Watermark in Asbury Park, N.J., with The Vampire Bats and Wreaths.

Band Name: Electric People

The Line-Up:
Adam — lead vocals, guitar, (on record: bass, percussion)
Sarah — tambourine, vocals, melodica
Jesse — drums, percussion
Kevin — farfisa organ, wurlitzer, upright piano
Kitt — electric guitar
Aaron — bass guitar
(with Tim — guitar, backing vocals, percussion (all on record only)

We Formed In: 2009

We’re Based Out Of: We all come from different places: Adam — Edinboro, Pa.; Sarah — Baltimore; Jesse — New York City; Kitt — New Zealand; Kevin — Chicago; Aaron — South Carolina

Do you have any releases out? What are they called, and where can we get them? We have tracks online (“My Love, My Love” and “Just Wanna Be Dead”) which we recorded as digital singles with our friend Jim Bentley, that you can stream for free on our Facebook, Soundcloud, Myspace, and Sonicbids. Both of these tracks will be re-mastered as part of our debut EP (8 tracks) due out June 2011.

Do you have any new records coming out soon? Our debut record (as of yet to be titled) will be available in June 2011. A definite release date and venue will be announced with in the next few weeks. The record will be released in New York City.

Our sound has been likened to: People tell us we remind them of anything from Primal Scream to Brian Jonestown Massacre, Nirvana, My Bloody Valentine, The Jesus and Mary Chain, Rolling Stones, Talking Heads, Lou Reed and the Velvets, Stone Roses, Devo, Bowie, and even The Beatles, to name a few.

Bands You’ve Seen Us In Previously: The Black Tie Party (current Adam) Smoota (current Kevin) The Brooklyn What?, The Quiet Ones (current Jesse) and a laundry list for us all in the past. Between all 6 of our full-time members, we’ve played in over 100 bands.

Pop-Break: What I find interesting about Electric People is that you guys have recorded both analog and digital formats. Which did you find easier, which produced the best quality, and what did you like most about both formats?

Electric People: Digital was easier, and analog more time consuming. I prefer analog for the warmth and integrity of each and every tone. Two inch tape has about the best quality I’ve ever heard for rock ‘n’ roll music so I’ll try and stick to that.

PB: You have a new EP coming out this June. What is its name and what should people expect from it?

EP: The record doesn’t have a title yet and we’ll let the music speak for itself.

PB: Do you feel that having such diverse influences (Iggy Pop, Nirvana, Black Flag) is a detriment to your over-all sound, or do you think drawing from such a vast spectrum can only make your music better?

EP: I think diverse influence is far better than a narrow-minded approach when it comes to the creating process and overall sound. Drawing from a vast spectrum is the only way to create what comes to be known as your own sound. We have jazz musicians in the band, punk musicians, traditional rock ‘n’ roll people, glam-rockers and mods, but I write the songs and through each member, these songs are transformed from my music into ours.

Electric Youth: Electric People live in concert...
PB: Is it tough trying to juggle playing with both Electric People and The Black Tie Party (physically and conceptually)?

EP: It hasn’t been an issue up to this point, and both bands are so drastically different that I don’t see it becoming a problem in the future. Larry Gorman (drummer for BTP) is a-full time world-wide touring drummer/recording artist with Asobi Seksu, so he’s gone about half the year, and Jay Honstetter (BTP chief songwriter, guitarist, and singer) is in school studying English Lit. right now which is very time-consuming… So we play as much as we can when we’re all around. My job is to come in and play the bass well, where as in Electric People, I write most all of the songs, sing and play guitar (along with multiple instruments on record). I owe a lot to both those guys (Larry and Jay) for getting me started in this town and will play with them as long as Black Tie Party is a band. So conceptually and physically not an issue at all. Playing music is what I do, and I could never be busy enough with it.

PB: If you guys could work with any artist, who would you choose?

EP: Andy Warhol if he was still around. I think opening for the Stones would take the cake.

PB: Aside from the new EP, what are your guys plans for the summer?



EP: We’re planning to do a minimum of 3 to 4 shows a month in and around New York City this summer. Also, we’re planning a cancer benefit in honor of my father Charles, July 24th (one year from the day he passed away) ,which I’m most looking forward to. Then we hit the road in August. We’ll also be working on a follow-up to the debut EP throughout the entire summer.

PB: Are you guys excited for your show at the Watermark this Wednesday?

EP: Yeah it should be a trip.

PB: You guys are playing the Watermark show along with Vampire Bats and Wreaths. Have you played with either of them before?

EP: We haven’t shared the stage with either band, but look forward to hearing both.

PB: What kind of show should people be preparing themselves for?

EP: A fucking rock ‘n’ roll show.
- POP-BREAK.COM by MAXWELL BARNA

"Lock up your daughters." - THE FORT BROOKLYN by JIMMY VEGAS