Stuck On 8

Stuck on 8, 5.17.03
Kenny's Castaways, New York City



By Sam Weisberg

"That's the maturity level of the whole band combined," says Aldric Gomez explaining his band's name, Stuck on 8. It's self-definition you might agree with after considering lyrics like "Life sucks, in every sense of the word" and Gomez' occasionally goofy on-stage persona. However, the seamless fusion of funk and pop punk that Stuck on 8 eagerly brings forth reveals a musical maturity, a genuine excitement for their own material, and a tightness that's rare these days for a band of this type.

And what "type" are they more specifically? In short, Stuck on 8 are a lot of fun. Most of their songs feature rollicking, chicken-picked guitar funk that develops into melodically muddled choruses with every instrument playing a vital role. It all sounds an awful lot like The Dave Matthews Band. Gomez, in particular, dotingly apes Matthews' singing, except when the songs begin to border on hardcore and he sounds like he's been studying up on Doug Pinnick of King's X.

Although originality is not Stuck on 8's forte, they shrewdly combine the styles of their influences, resulting in polished, catchy grooves that compel air bass riffing or, during heavier moments, bouts of head banging. Just when you begin to suspect that Stuck on 8 is a mere Dave Matthews Band clone, bassist Sam Davis churns out another irresistible slap pattern (like the "Chameleon"-inspired bass line on "All I Know" that lends the band a hint of the Red Hot Chili Peppers pre-"One Hot Minute"-- thank God!), or the band reveals its gentler side with feel-good songs like "Angie", a Van Morrison-esque ballad with much stopping and starting throughout a lulling duet between Gomez and back-up singer Francesca Kaplan. And Throughout it all Asif Khan's drumming veers tastefully between slick, high-hat driven funk beats and double-time thrashing.

At the show, Stuck on 8 performed a few tracks from their 12-song demo "All I Want" and several new songs, minus the brass sections that dominate much of the demo. They displayed their best work towards the end of the set with songs like "Sky", a brief, one-keyed fast funk rumble. Davis' technicality floored the crowd, his earth-shaking finger work clashing perfectly with lead guitarist Mike Bordino's fluttering arpeggios.

"Silicon," the most experimental song of the night, started with a dark guitar sound and evolved into a frantically strummed, distorted acoustic/electric driven stomp with more delectable arpeggios soaring above the rhythms. On the final song, Kaplan transformed effortlessly into Gwen Stefani over a slow, Sublime-like riff that exploded unexpectedly into a double-time, Blink 182-like second half. Songs like these made one forget the predictable one-note funk grooves of their songs earlier in the set.

When they refused to meet several crowd members' requests for an encore at the end of the night, they received an innocuous yet noticeable round of boos. But despite the friendly displeasure, Stuck on 8 with their attention- getting stage presence and friendly modesty, will continue to have quite a following in New York City. If the crowd’s enthusiasm is any indicator, they may be set to achieve something even Dave Matthews never did-- crowd pleasing rock minus the cloying self-indulgence.

- Sam Weisberg