Fever Charm

Our favorite Oakland (soon to be L.A.) based youngsters have followed-up their debut EP, Sound Of Summer, by leaking the single “Buenos Aires.” The solid track opens with a sludgy bass line before erupting into a blatant throwback blast of garage pop. The song’s style either signals the band’s unapologetic departure from their groove-psych past or they’ve decided to sporadically embrace their surf-rawk core. All we know is that we want more. - Free Bike Valet

Fever Charm‘s deliriously catchy new single “Moonshine” is yet another reason why the future of the Bay Area music scene arguably lies across the bridge. Oh, let me specify: the Bay Bridge.

This Oakland-based four-piece makes what virtually every single lazy blogger out there will inevitably label ‘indie pop,’ an atrociously tenuous blanket term used to describe any sound neither mainstream enough for the Katy Perry audience nor edgy/grungy/scuzzy enough for the Ty Segall-worshiping quasi-punk kids. If the universe made any sort of logical sense (c’mon Neil deGrasse Tyson, quite hoarding all the answers, we know you have them!), “Moonshine” would already be climbing the Billboard charts.

Building with a seductive bass groove, an airtight drumbeat and blue-eyed soul falsetto, the song shoots into the stratosphere when singer Arieh Berl unleashes a passionately intense voice somewhat reminiscent of Superchunk’s Mac McCaughan (which is definitely a compliment because Superchunk is awesome) and Theo Quayle kicks in with that ripping guitar line near the three minute mark. It balances that fine line between charming pop and seething rock with an ease that belies their years on this planet. Kids today–thankfully, some of them still give me hope in the future of rock n’ roll. - Nicholas Schneider

Oakland youngsters Fever Charm have created a buzz for their forthcoming second EP, Sound Of Summer, by leaking its first single “Moonshine.” Opening with a Cold War Kids-worthy bass groove, the track is led into psychedelia via frontman Arieh Berl’s falsetto and airy guitar tones: - Dan Frazier

Oakland-based pop-rock outfit Fever Charm has a new single out. Entitled "Buenos Aires," the tune is characteristically catchy, kicking off with a fuzzed-out bass line before revealing the addicting vocal melody. The chorus recalls the spirit of early Weezer, a dose of power-pop that achieves a fine balance between fist-in-the-air rock chords and endearingly sentimental lyrics.

If you were already aware of the band before this track, it will remind you why you fell in love with these guys in the first place. If this is your introduction to the group, well, welcome to the fan club. - The Bay Bridged

My favorite Oakland based band Fever Charm is back at this summer with their newest single, "Buenos Aires"! It stays true to everything I love about them: sun-kissed guitar riffs, lo-fi feels, and light-hearted lyrics that'll have you singing along after the first play. It's a fun and vibrant tune that blends that Oakland grunge with these LA summer vibes perfectly. Like, don't you just feel liking hanging out with these dudes?! The band is slowly making a move to Los Angeles, and I can't wait. Stay tuned for more from these guys!

For now, listen to their jam below and hit the beach: - Beating Lights

1. What Bay Area city do you call home?
Oakland, CA
2. How long have you been a band for and where did you all basically meet?
We met at High School and then met our drummer, JT, at Berklee College of Music in Boston (he’s from San Jose)
3. Your favorite local venues to play?
Bottom Of The Hill is our favorite!
4. 5 places we may find you hanging out in your hometown?
Gordo Taqueria, the Claremont in Berkeley, Indian Rock, Joaquin Miller, and In N Out by the Coliseum
5. What was the most f*cked up thing that ever happened to you at a gig?
Our singer, Arieh Berl, got his first guitar ever stolen at The Roxy in LA.
6. 7 items we may find on your hospitality rider?
Burritos, Sierra Nevada, Avocados, Orange Soda, towels, paint, white T shirts
7. If you could put together your dream music festival what 8 bands would you book to play with you? (alive or deceased, active or inactive)
Red Hot Chili Peppers, Parliament/Funkadelic, Blood Orange, Daft Punk, Stevie Wonder, Notorious BIG, Michael Jackson, and Smokey Robinson
8. When not recording music, rehearsing, playing shows, etc, where does each band member work?
Arieh works at Columbia Records as an A&R Intern, Yianni and JT are students at Berklee College of Music, and Theo works at Platinum Dirt and goes to Berkeley City College
9. What else can we expect from the band in 2014?
We will be releasing a new EP titled “Sound Of Summer”, writing and recording some new singles, and playing shows in SF and LA. Maybe an East Coast tour towards the end of summer. - Aaron Axelson

Move over One Direction, there’s a new group of boys in town, and they’re not just young and hot, with vocals that’ll make any teenage girl’s heart melt, they actually play instruments, really, really well. Consisting of four all-American California teenagers, who spend their off-time hanging out at the beach, surfing, skating, flirting with girls and just having fun, not necessarily in that order, Fever Charm’s upcoming breakout album West Coast Rock and Roll displays a talent and style beyond their years. Mixing old-school rock, pop-punk and the laid back ease of bumming around on the beach, these boys offer something truly unique that wasn’t manufactured backstage at a vocal competition.

Mirroring the realities today’s American teenagers and young adults face, Fever Charm’s music reflects not only the tradition of young love and longing, but also the struggle of growing into adulthood amid economic uncertainty and the desire to simply “Sail Away” and forget life for a while by way of music and sex and drugs; giving their music an edgy sense of urgency that reminds us what’s below the surface of all the teenage good times is a quiet desperation struggling to break through.

Consisting of Ari, lead vocalist, the studious, more serious of the four; Theo (pronounced Tao), lead guitarist, with shaggy hair and blue eyes, winning the non-existent award of Most-Likely-To-End-Up-On-The-Cover-Of-Tiger-Beat-Magazine; Yianni, bass guitarist, with an easy laugh and an infectious smile; and Kendrick, the elusive, good-natured, shy drummer of the group, Fever Charm’s upcoming album West Coast Rock and Roll is a coming-of-age of sorts for a band on the edge of transition into the mainstream.

From the new album, the song “Recognize Me” is a high energy dance groove about longing from afar for a girl he’s too shy to approach. This song would be at home at a 1960s sock hop or in the pit of any underground club. The moment it begins it brings out a smile and the need to move. Contrasting it is the old-school rock song “Call Me When You Get Lonely,” with a really cool, funky guitar lead-in and the angry, desperate vocals of lost love and misery. Just when you’re ready to slit your wrists in empathetic solidarity, “Modern World” appears like a much-needed relief. The snotty, snarky attitude mocks his girlfriend and the rest of the world for being addicted to technology to the exclusion of all else, and the illusion of online social networking that encourage role-playing and games. Defiantly refusing to participate, he asserts, “No I am not a pretender/And I will not surrender.”

Listing an eclectic mix of different genres of rock, the band names Jimi Hendrix, The Black Keys, Jack White and Red Hot Chili Peppers, among others, as some of their influences, and talk about surf music from the ’50s and ’60s with the doo-wop sound scattered throughout. Passionate and excited once the conversation turns to music, with a lot of pent-up energy among them, they begin talking over each other to describe the new album West Coast Rock and Roll, “You’ll hear a lot of that in the new album.” According to Ari, “… We channel some of our music with that energy. It’s not just one genre… really diverse. Very diverse album for sure,” but they all agree it’s pure rock ‘n’ roll.

Their easy banter and ability to finish each other’s sentences comes from going through childhood together in school in Oakland, Calif. before forming the band a little over two years ago, but what amazes me most about them is their professionalism. For all their youth, they raised the funds and produced this album without a record label to help them, an impressive task emphasizing their willingness to sacrifice and devote themselves entirely to their craft. - Huffington Post

I was just chatting with a friend about how, once in a while, we’ll come across those people whose futures we’d want to invest in. I think it’s just a matter of time before the teens in Oakland’s Fever Charm wind up on the charts, and it’d really rev my hipster sensibilities to say, “I knew them when.”

Fever Charm’s infectious music is a collage of early 60’s rock ‘n’ roll, pop punk, and modern alt rock. If you’re not bopping your head within the first 30 seconds of any song, you’re almost certainly the Grinch.

Stream their newest single, “Recognize Me,” off upcoming full-length, West Coast Rock And Roll, for a sock hop swooner, or listen to their last EP, Sail Away, for nostalgic high school goodbyes and youthful ambivalence. I am convinced that “I Won’t Sleep Tonight” could overtake mainstream airwaves as the next big rock anthem.

Fever Charm drops their new album and performs at Bottom of the Hill on January 5th. They will share the stage with Rin Tin Tiger, Everyone Is Dirty, and False Priest, who are releasing their own album, Uncanny Valley, that night.

Read our interview with Fever Charm, and definitely make sure to check out the description of their best live show. - SF Deli Magazine