Sub-Urban Situation

Patrick Wolfe noted that being in a band is like being in a marriage, with the exception that it's with three or four other people instead of just one.

The Sub-Urban Situation lead guitarist would know – he's currently been married to Sub-Urban situation for eight years or better. Luckily, the seven-year itch came and went without so much of a hiccup, and the band recently released it's second full-length album (and third release all together), Lost Melodies.

"The decisions the band makes as a whole musically aren't always what each individual would necessarily decide," Wolfe said, talking about the album, "but I think everyone contributed what they wanted to contribute.

"I thnk it's the best album we've done to date. It's accessible – some people don't like to use that word, but I don't thing there's anything wrong with that."

The band members may not always agree upon everything – like in any marriage – but one thing they do seem to agree upon is that each member of the band brings an original signature with him, creating something with true gestalt.

The term the band came up with for its sound – alternative R&B – becomes more meaningful after hearing a few songs from Lost Melodies. Wes Neidiffer's vocals are truly the stuff of modern rhythm-and-blues, but laid over what sounds almost like light progressive rock with infusions of pop, jazz and even folk.

Of course, "accessible" is in the ear of the beholder, and one thing remains true – Sub-Urban situation's image may not exactly belie its sound.

"We get a lot of people who haven't heard us that say, 'That is not at all what I expected you to sound like," said bassist Vinnie Flick.

"I'm sure it's hard for anyone to visualize how awesome we are," Wolfe deadpans. And since the CD is brand new, the Sub-Urban Situation guys are anxiously awaiting the response Lost Melodies will get from the public.

"I think any listener that gets hold of the album is going to be able to dig into some part of it," Wolfe said. "My mom? She loves it so far.

"My mom, too!" Flick adds.

"Of course," Wolfe then says, "I could probably hit an open E string and she would say, 'That's really pretty.'"

"What's so cool," said Neidiffer, "is that every person brings their own genre to the band. I think this album is probably the most mature in terms of reflecting the genres we listen to."

"We definitely put more energy into arranging and production on this album," Wolfe said. "Usually, I'm kind of a bitch in the studio; I just come in and play my guitar parts and leave. 'I'm gonna ice the cake now. I'm done, peace.'"

But Wolfe likes the technical aspect of recording, and Flick admitted that while recording can be hard work, he enjoys the studio experience. They believe the end product speaks for itself.

"Patrick and I were very focused on the structure of things" during the recording process, Flick said. "Making sure all the gaps were filled in, then sitting back and listening to it with very attentive ears. For example, on 'Lie to Me,' during the pre-chorus, there is a guitar part that I added in because I wanted it to have a harder sound. We ended up deciding to keep it."

The band members seem to almost universally point to "Lie to Me" as the album's strongest track, followed closely by "Uma Melodia Perdido." "Lie to Me" is a smoldering ballad with an edge, and actually appears twice on the CD – once as a fully-produced track, and once as a stripped-down acoustic version of the song.

"Uma Melodia Perdido" is a sprawling, slow-burning track flavored with a soulful Neidiffer vocal delivery that blends modern R&B with '70s pop influences.

This one is Tripure's favorite track, for several reasons. "It is close to my heart," he said. "My wife, Fernanda, helped name it -- she is from Brazil, and the title means, "a lost melody" in Portuguese -- and it is different from almost any song we have written before.

"I had the whole idea of the dynamics of the song before I ever showed it to the guys. I just think the chords sound amazing all put together and, even though it is an eight-minute song, it never seems that long when I listen to it. I guess it is like our 'Stairway to Heaven,' even though I am not claiming Sub-Urban Situation and Led Zeppelin are on the same level by any means."

Then there's "Indiana Summer Night," which is a throwback to the band's early days, and "Wanted Man," which has a bit of a southern rock flavor.

All in all, the album oozes charisma and reflects the time and care that was put into its recording. Like with a successful marriage, clearly s was nurtured and adjusted until the right balance was reached. And while there was a plan going in, there was natural improvising based on what each day presented.

The album was engineered by Billy Bartley at Downtown Studios in Louisville, and mixed/mastered by David Barrick (Black Stone Cherry, Kentucky Headhunters, Flynnville Train) of Barrick Recording Studios in Glasgow, Ky. Yes, that's the bottom line, but it was more than just showing up and playing the songs.

"When we were tracking this album, they had a Yamaha baby grand sitting in the studio, and we said, "We have to use this," Flick said. So they did. Occasionally, Neidiffer will play keyboards on stage, but the songs have not been written for piano. But that baby grand appears on a number of the tracks.

"We evened tuned the drums to the key of each song," Flick said. And while the basic music tracks were recorded over the course of a weekend, Neidiffer and rhythm guitarist Greg Tripure spent even more times tracking vocals at Neidiffer's home studio. The album was more than a year in the making, once all was said and done.

DIY
All the work does have a purpose beyond just the love of music. Of course, it's the love of the music that comes first.

But Sub-Urban Situation has toured the Midwest and eastern United States for the last few years, and they've opened for a number of high-profile artists: Devon Allman and Honey Tribe, Sister Hazel, Perpetual Groove, The Phunk Junkeez, Paradime, Ana Popovic, The VilleBillies, Nappy Roots, Spike Davis (Comedian) and many more.

Another significant accomplishment for Sub-Urban Situation was being voted into the WFPK 91.9 fm Louisville's "Virtual Hall of Fame" alongside artists including My Morning Jacket, John Butler Trio, Ani DiFranco, and Robert Randolph and the Family Band.

They've been around in the last eight years or so. So, what's next?

Well, it isn't really fame they are looking for, but they are hoping to garner a measure of recognition – and the plan is to attempt to do so by way of pitching their music for licensing in film, television and the like.

"The industry has changed so much the last ten years," Neidiffer said. "I think we are a good band for motion pictures and that kind of stuff. The band went from 'Let's get signed' to 'If we can do this on our own, let's do it.' With the internet, you can pretty much do anything; I just want people to hear us, that's the bottom line – not necessarily to be famous or anything like that."

"We are trying to attract some sort of national attention," Flick concurs. "I don't know if a label is where we would want to go with it. We want to look into television and film licensing. In this day and age, I'm not sure if a record label can do anything for you that you can't do yourself. I'm not even sure physical distribution is all that important anymore. Besides, we can't all be Katie Perry and make all the money."

Plus, Sub-Urban Situation is no longer quite the right age to be the next rage – that honor is typically bestowed upon younger artists.

"I guess the age I'm at now, I know the odds," said Neidiffer. "But I believe we have enough talent that we could at least make a splash. Everybody's got their jobs and kids, but I think we can put something out that can rival what's out there nowadays."

Tripure concurs, saying that the band is a bit more "selfish" after years of performing and recording together. "If people like our music, great," he said. "If they do not, that's cool too, but I think as long as we go out and play our music the way we feel it at that time, that is the most fulfilling nowadays."

Not being under pressure from a label also offers flexibility to do the job right and, to Tripure's point, the way the band wants it done. Flick said four months were spent just getting the artwork finalized for the album. While the basic tracks were recorded over a long weekend, Flick estimated that Neidiffer probably did 30 vocal takes per song in order to get just the right sound.

FROM WHENCE IT CAME
The journey has been a fun one, and it has taken some interesting turns. Like with many bands – Spinal Tap, anyone? – a number of drummers have come and gone, and in the band's early days, they worked with a couple of rappers.

Some tracks on the first album feature rap elements, reflecting a time when the band was trying to consciously incorporate hip hop into the songs. Interestingly, however, the project actually started as an acoustic trio with Neidiffer, Wolfe and Tripure.

Neidiffer, at that point, just wanted to sing. He had done some a cappella singing, and also was influenced by his mother, a gospel singer.

"I grew up in church singing," he said. "I would go to a lot of Baptist choir stuff and learned a lot from that."

He was also influenced by rock music growing up, but his singing was inherently rhythm and blues, and his mother's gospel singing "is what brought that aspect of music to me."

The acoustic beginnings of Sub-Urban Situation were born through Neidiffer and Tripure, who went to high school together, and there was little thought at that time to what the future might hold, musically.

"Starting like that, I was more or less just enjoying the music," Neidiffer said. "I think the acoustic portion was more of a singer-songwriter type thing, and that's what elevated us, writing-wise."

Wolfe joined next, more or less by accident.

"I used to hang out with some people at K-Dogg's recording studio," Wolfe said. "I was over there playing Playstation, and Wes and Greg walked in and said they needed someone to play guitar on [a track]. I said, 'I'll do it.'"

"Wes and I started out as an acoustic duo," Tripure said. Wes was doing hooks for his then hip-hop trio Triple Crown. I was doing my solo singer-songwriter thing; we got together and started writing. We met Pat in a happenstance moment at a studio. The first day we met, he heard a song of ours and laid down some lead guitar for us. We keep in touch, and a few months later, we did a show together where he [Wolfe] only had like a day or so to practice the songs."

And then there were three, and things started to pick up steam.

"We were doing lot of writing then," Wolfe said, "and kind of hatching some of the songs that later were on the first and second album."

Flick met his future bandmates when he was promoting shows around town and hired them as openers. Flick had played bass in the band Four previously.

"I told them, 'You're doing this R&B thing, you should get a bass player'" Flick said. "They said, "Would you be interested?' I said, 'I didn't necessarily mean me.'"

Drummers then came and mostly went. Richard Vier, formerly of Waterproof Blonde, filled the drummer's seat for a while, but eventually moved to Florida. He played on the band's second release, The City EP. After he left town, Joseph Poff took over and has since remained.

LOOKING AHEAD
Sub-Urban Situation is happy where it is, but nevertheless wants to move forward and continue to tour when possible. Domestic responsibilities will come into play, but nevertheless, performing live is the band's milieu. And Neidiffer takes pride in the fact that his band represents so well on stage. No tricks, no auto-tune – just music.

"Nowadays, it's so easy to make someone who can't sing into a singer," he said. "People say to us, 'You sound better live than you do on the CD.' To me, that's the ultimate compliment."

He then told the story of some high school friends who moved to New York; he went to visit them around the time Britney Spears was at her height of fame, and it turns out she had recorded in Neidiffer's friend's studio just two weeks earlier.

"He said, 'Let me play this for you real quick,'" Neidiffer said. "He cut all the music out and then cut her voice out -- there was, like, 10 seconds of singing, and the rest was computer generated. That's when it hit me: 'Damn, anybody can do this.'"

Performing live is the thrill of any (legitimate) musician, and the road offers its own unique rewards. In one story from New Jersey, Flick tackled a toy plastic house on the lawn of some unsuspecting resident. Tackled it to the ground, in fact – completely leveled it.

"When we went by there again just a few hours later, it was back together," Wolfe said. "Whoever their maintenance man is deserves a round of applause."

And then there is the sign-stealing. Sub-Urban Situation's fetish is stealing signs. Any kind of signs, from businesses to street signs. There are good stories there, as well, but they probably do not belong in print.

And then of course, there are the shows. The band loves playing, so they play.

"I hope we can tour again," Tripure said." I love the road. If I could make music, travel the world, and support a family, that would be great. … Just waiting for gas prices to go down!"

Fuel inflation notwithstanding, Neidiffer is confident Sub-Urban Station will get back out on the road later this year.

"I think everybody still has the heart to do it," he said. "We've been together so long, [but] I think its something that is worthwhile to everybody."

Sounds like a marriage made in heaven.

- Louisville Music News- Kevin Gibson

You can tell this band has taken the time to make sure they sound well with each other. This was the first time I have heard this band, I am looking forward to seeing them grow and listen to their next cd.
- C. Walsh- Newartistradio.net

I always forget about Wick’s on Baxter when I’m looking for live music, and I shouldn’t because they bring in a lot of great local talent, especially on the weekends. Case-in-point is this Friday, March 14th. Wick’s will be hosting locals Sub-Urban Situation and Jamili Brown. Cory got his hands on a copy of Jamili Brown’s 2007 album, Dayz of Thunder, and I keep pulling it up on my playlist. It is just solid hip-hop.
Sub-Urban Situation describes their sound as Alternative R&B. An interesting combo, but it works. Combine that with a pitcher of beer and a late-night pizza and you are all set. Show starts at 10pm. - Nick- www.backseatsandbar.wordpress.com (march 14, 2008)

Spike Davis, nationally recognized stand up comedian/host (BET Comic View, Jamie Fox's Laffapolooza) said:

"These are my vanilla brothers, they got more soul in their little, pinky fingers than most brothers do in their whole body."

"I love these cats." - Spike Davis

If I had my choice of what I'd like to hear when I'm sitting in the dentist's chair -- which is quite a stressful situation for me -- several tracks on "Parallax" by Louisville's Sub-Urban Situation might be right near the top of that list. The relaxing, soothing sound could easily make me unclench my jaw and chill, even under the most nerve-racking circumstances.

With influences ranging from R&B to rock to Americana to jazz and hip-hop, "Parallax" is filled with interesting ideas. And between the tight musicianship and soulful vocals of lead singer Wes Neidiffer, some of those ideas are successful.

Stand-out cuts include "The Western" and "Never Alone." Sub-Urban is at its best during the acoustic and stripped-down songs. We'll take that to the bank -- and our next dental appointment.

- Velocity Weekly (Maisy Fernandez)

With all the city-street colour and worldly wisdom of a Martin Scorsese movie or an episode of CSI, Sub-Urban Situation spin out ten tales of modern American drama across their latest album. The seven-man outfit from Louisville, Kentucky go about things with an easy confidence as they meld modern blues, grown-up rock, acoustic shapes and taut rhymes.

The band members aren’t credited on the CD cover, but there’s more than a little Rob Thomas to the main vocal. Tones of rich blue-eyed soul ride effortlessly over the slick blues of “Good And Bad”, the melancholic acoustics of “Make Up Your Mind” and the stirring balladry of “20 Days” and “Fly Away.” “Never Alone” adds some elegance with a classy bit of Chris Martin-style grand piano. Meanwhile, “The First Time” jumps in a VW camper and heads for the beach with a rolling, hypnotic Jack Johnson groove.

‘Parallax’ is as much about the beats, however. “The Way” boasts soulful rhythms, but it also spits rhymes with all the ferocity of Zack le Rocha or The Beastie Boys. “Last Laugh” is a slightly more light-hearted proposition, coming on like a super-chilled House of Pain. Finally, though, things get a bit Prog rock with the seven minutes or so off “Could It Be”. A hazy jazz section shimmies in like a summer’s morning, before everything snaps to attention with a measured but mean Eminem-style rhyme over tight acoustic grooves. Sub-Urban Situation have ideas and attitude aplenty. And for people who love Rage Against the Machine as much as Matchbox 20, there’s a party to be had. - Overplay.com (2007)

By Maisy Fernandez

Amateur astrologists might peg the band Sub-Urban Situation as a Gemini. Much like people born under the zodiac sign, Sub-Urban Situation is versatile, restless, has good communication skills and, quite possibly, multiple personalities.

Each band member is influenced by a different music genre, "and when we put it through our grinder, it has its own sound," said guitarist Patrick Wolfe, 21. That flexibility makes for diverse live shows that highlight "how much fun we have," Wolfe said. "We really get a vibe off the crowd. If we play a place like Saints, we keep it mellow. At a place like Headliners, it's just all out."

Sub-Urban Situation consists of R&B-influenced Wes Neidiffer, 28, on lead vocals and piano; Greg Tripure, 26, who brings the folksy, Americana vibe on rhythm guitar and backup vocals; and Wolfe, who has roots in rock and jazz. However MCs Pole, 28, and Stress, 23 (members of the hip-hop crew, Triple Crown) perform alongside Sub-Urban more often than not and "are as much members of the group as the three of us," Tripure explained.

With all those musical inspirations, band members admit their overall sound can be hard to explain. "I always just tell people we have an acoustic guitarist that plays Americana, with an R&B singer, and I play jazz lines over it," Wolfe said.

"If you combined Marvin Gaye, Brian McKnight, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Jeff Buckley and Bob Dylan, that would be our group," Tripure added.

Everyone pitches in with songwriting, which tends to focus on relationships, common struggles and how to make life better. "I think we try to put out a more positive vibe because there's all kind of negativity in the world," Tripure said.

Background

Even though Tripure and Neidiffer knew each other for years, they never actually played together until a few years ago, when they collaborated on a couple of R&B tunes. Tripure had been doing the singer/songwriter thing, and Neidiffer had been making music and writing hip-hop hooks for people. They met Wolfe one night at the studio. After a jam session, the three quickly jelled.

"We were always looking for another guitarist to add more depth to the group," Tripure said, adding that the current lineup officially formed just over a year ago.

For the past three years, Neidiffer has also been a member of Triple Crown, so the two groups regularly perform together and cross-pollinate each other's shows. However, Sub-Urban Situation's unique sound allows it to share concert bills with the likes of Evil Engine #9 to the Daredevilz to the AcoustiPimps. Group members also contribute their skills to other artists' albums.

Sub-Urban Situation performs live shows regularly at nightspots like the Rustic Frog, Saints, Headliners Music Hall and the Highlands Tap Room. Visit www.sub-urbanmusic.com for more info.

Outlook

Sub-Urban Situation has plans to work on an album. And the group is kicking its gigs up a notch by touring regionally to cities like Columbus, Ohio.

Of course, they'd like to make it big. But that's obviously not a requirement to keep the band together.

"I think, like everybody else, we hope to get rich and famous and rule the world with our music," Tripure said.

Realistically, though, "We just want to do something we love and be able to support ourselves and our families. If I'm a millionaire, I don't really care."

And hell, who needs money anyway? When you're a Gemini, you can easily get by on personality alone

www.velocityweekly.com/2005/0309/sound/rock_town.html - Velocity Weekly (www.velocityweekly.com)

(www.leoweekley.com)
CD Review - Sub-Urban Situation
Title: Parallax
Copyright:2006

By Mat Herron

Review:
S-US defines parallax as “an apparent change in the direction of an object, caused by a change in observational position that provides a new line of sight.” “Good and Bad” and “Make Up Your Mind” float along thanks to breezy acoustic guitar and Wes Neidiffer’s smooth, jazzy vocals.
Almost all of the songs start with strummed, G-Love-inspired acoustic guitar, except for “Never Alone.” Simple and straightforward.
- LEO (Louisville Eccentric Observer)

Sub-Urban Situation (Louisville, Ky.)

Alternative/R&B

Silky melodies dance with deep grooves in the sound of Alternative R&B band Sub-Urban Situation. Jammy but never meandering, the band's music has been featured on Sirius satellite radio (on Bubba the Love Sponge's show, no less) and they've done shows with artists like Kentucky Hip Hop crew Nappy Roots.

Dig It: George Benson and Usher team up and start touring the Jam band circuit. (MB)
- Cincinnati City Beat (Midpoint Music Festival Guide- September '07)