The New Electric Sound

Scott Vance is leading me through a maze.

We are weaving through small rooms and doorways to find somewhere to sit so a mini-interview can begin. Scott and I met officially five minutes before this moment, after I had just seen he and his band — The New Electric Sound— carry out an excellent show at a venue called Sammy’s. Sammy’s is a burger joint and music venue hybrid, famous for their pie and cupcake shakes. It’s the only true music venue in my new tiny college town, and I was more than pleased to discover that the bands that play it are truly on-point. My thirst for good live music is going to be quenched while I’m here, I realized, and it was Scott’s band that made me have that realization.

Scott finally takes me into a very cold room that is storage for food and also an office. It’s bare and unkempt with a desk in one corner, but it’s away from the roar of people and has a couch. It will do just fine.

As we sit down, Scott — who is lead vocals and guitar — admits to me with a smile that this is the only time he’s truly gotten to relax all day. They traveled four hours or so from Provo, Utah to be here tonight… and I think everyone was grateful they came. His comment makes him sound like a seasoned musician to me, but all things considered, he isn’t really. He and his band have only been playing shows together since September.

This is surprising because the band truly is polished. With a groovy surfer-rock sound that is at times almost borderline Buddy Holly, they are quite unique. They still have the grit of rock and roll, with a beat that successfully made me dance, but somewhere underneath it all is swirl of 50’s influence that is sure to put them on the map. They even surprised the audience when one of their songs reached the breakdown and Scott began a fluid rap — this comes from his background in making hip-hop music. All of this together proved to me that they certainly have the potential to shake up the music world.

Not only do they sound fifties-influenced, but they look it too. Most of the members were raised first on a base of jazz, but grew to appreciate the 50’s and 60’s eras. As a result, they’re a mixture of pompadour hairdo’s and thick-rimmed glasses, cardigans over button-up shirts and sharp looking shoes. Their appearance adds to their charming personalities, and overall helps put their music into focus. It’s a good mix.

They’re a charismatic group who shine on stage, with a sound that is greater than they give themselves credit for. They’ve got humor and wit, smiles and shaking hips, and the ability to transport you to another time and place while still keeping you grounded in the present. I’m already a huge fan and absolutely look forward to them progressing. I know they are going to do just that.

Keep an eye out for them, ladies and gentlemen… and in the meantime, lend an ear. (Link below). I can guarantee they’ll get your toes tapping and make the rest of the world melt away. And with our days often full of stress and complications, could you ask for much more than that?

I don’t think so either. Dig in, friends! - Vinyl Sea Press

Before last year, Provo’s Scott Vance was a DJ and rapper who performed in local hip-hop groups such as Can’t Stop Won’t Stop.

But then the summer of 2011 arrived, and despite can’t stopping and won’t stopping, he stopped.

"Last summer I decided to switch gears completely," Vance said. "I sold all my DJ equipment and bought a Gretsch hollow-body guitar and a 1963 Ford Galaxie. I drove the car around for two months to get a feel for the era of music I wished to channel. I then picked up my guitar and began writing songs that had a rich surf-rock groove. I figured people needed to hear the music I was creating. So I got three good friends together to start a vintage surf-pop-rock band."

Vance, on lead vocals and guitar, is joined in the band by Tom Brinton on bass, Ben Zabriskie on lead guitar, Eric Call on keys and horns, and a percussionist whose stage name is simply Tony the Drummer.

The band recently posted a high-concept video for its single "Heartbeat," taken from its debut, self-titled album.

Vance answered questions about Utah County, inspiration and what Spice Girls song he’d like to perform on a tribute album.

Is there a prejudice about bands from Utah County?

I’ve heard there is. I don’t really mind if there is, though. Our music should speak for itself, and I feel enough Utah County bands have broken that mold.

If you were asked to contribute a song to tribute albums for The Beatles, Rolling Stones and Spice Girls, which songs would you contribute?

The Beatles: "Hey Bulldog." Rolling Stones: "She’s a Rainbow." The Spice Girls: "Say You’ll Be There."

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What inspires you? What doesn’t inspire you?

All experiences, past and present. All genres of music. If you fail to find inspiration in everything, you stunt possibility. However, I feel I am most inspired by hyperemotional situations. In that instant, my mind has no emotional roadblocks. I have complete understanding of my feelings and how to transform them into music.

What is the best way for people to learn more about your band?

Listen to our album. The second best way is to hear us in concert. - The Salt Lake Tribune

Right before the British invasion in the mid-’60s, surf-rock dominated the charts with singles from bands like The Beach Boys and The Surfaris. Currently, the genre has seen a large comeback thanks to bands like Best Coast, Surfer Blood and Wavves. And this breezy sound is also experiencing a swell in the tide within the Utah County music scene because of The New Electric Sound.

This five-piece plays simple, catchy surf-pop songs that combine the vintage tones of Buddy Holly, The Beatles, Dick Dale & the Del-Tones and the like with the more modern edge of bands like The Strokes and The Kooks.

“I think our name works because back when electric guitars were new, that was the new electric sound,” says bassist Tom Brinton. “Our style is kind of similar to when the electric guitar was in its infancy.”

Frontman and vocalist Scott Vance previously played in a couple of hip-hop bands before deciding to switch gears and form a band to provide an outlet for all the music he had in his head that he “didn’t really know what to do with.” Vance teamed up with Brinton and quickly brought on the other members in August 2011.

The band made their Utah County debut playing in various local battles of the bands. Although The New Electric Sound didn’t win any of the competitions, the guys in the band didn’t let that get them down.

“There’s no scientific method to [battles of the bands] at all,” Brinton says. “I’ve won them before in bands that sucked and lost them in bands that were good. So I don’t put much stock into them, but we play them because a lot of people come.”

To further enhance their simple, retro sound, the band uses mostly vintage equipment, from their old Crumar organ to the old-fashioned Super 55 microphones. “Even though we’re not always playing ‘vintage music,’ per se, just the fact that we’re playing vintage instruments draws that sound out,” Vance says.

Another fresh take the band uses is that at any live show, you’ll see the guys sporting matching outfits. “We just wanted to pull the things back that people are forgetting, like the matching cardigans, turtlenecks, whatever it is,” Vance says. “All the bands used to match. Nowadays, it’s rare.”

The New Electric Sound will enter June Audio Recording Studios in Provo during the first week of March to record their 12-track debut album. Several songs can be heard on the band’s Soundcloud page, including the excellent, reverb-y “Crimson Sky,” and the more surfy “Come on Over” and “Laura.”

To help cover the costs, the band has set up a Kickstarter page where fans can pledge any amount of money they want to help the band reach its $4,000 goal. “It’s kind of like people buy the album beforehand, which gives us money to record it and, when it’s done, we give it to them,” Brinton says. “So it’s like they’re investing in the band.”

The New Electric Sound hopes that by going back in time, they can create something new and fresh. And so far, it’s working in their favor. “One of my main goals is that I make something that’s so catchy that you’ve either sworn you’ve heard it before or you just can’t get it out of your head,” Vance says. “I just hope that people can—through our music—appreciate an earlier era and everything that goes with it: a simpler, more carefree time with fewer distractions. When things were cooler.” - Salt Lake City Weekly