War Presidents

A band as polished and comfortable with its retro influences as War Presidents is a throbbing thumb in the Allston DIY scene. Sure, they ride the B line a ways to get to their apartment in scenic Allston, where the Boston skyline is obscured by smoke-spewing brick buildings inhabited by smoke-sucking college students. And, of course, when it comes to their music, they do it all themselves. But if DIY goes the way of indie and becomes more of a self-conscious genre than a way for college kids to produce music without their parents’ credit cards, War Presidents will be in line for an upgrade; their professional yet personable approach to songwriting, recording, and performing exceeds the DIY tag, even if their bank accounts do not.

War Presidents is captained by Jesse George, former frontman of roots-tinged rock quartet Eyeball Kid, and balanced by his longtime bandmates, keyboardist Teddy Weckbacher and drummer and younger brother Stevie George. Pat Fahey and Jack Dennison round out the five-piece with shimmering lead guitar and unfathomably poignant bass, respectively. An inferior group of songwriters likely would have bungled the leap from country-style to 80s pop-influenced writing, but George & co. stir the perfect ratio of confidence and humility to create a unique style that is just as enjoyable to listen to as it is to dance to.


But danceability never seems to factor into George’s songwriting process; as potently as the ‘80s vibe bleeds through the band’s four-song EP, a close listen unearths more classic rock influences and contemporary indie attitude (for tragic lack of a better word). The first two tracks, the disarmingly dynamic “Fordham” and the groove-laden “Spines,” reflect traces of Wilco and buckets of Phoenix, respectively.

The former introduces the band abruptly and all at once. Dennison’s slippery bass fills mingle with the pulsing drums that Stevie George so carefully crafted for stability first, bravado second; the vibrant and self-aware rhythm section does less to achieve more throughout the short jaunt of an EP. Meanwhile, Fahey’s guitar trails snugly behind George’s meticulously woven vocal melodies while Weckbacher’s reserved but well placed keys fill out the empty space.

The elegant black sheep of War Presidents’ repertoire is “Wolves,” a brief yet brooding juxtaposition of placid arrangements and aggressive, if not violent lyrics. George sings, “I’ll teach that nose of yours to bleed / Man, I will lose my temper” to a breezy, temperate backdrop of watery guitars and bell-like piano. The track illustrates the band’s biggest strength—restraint—and sets up the EP’s standout track that, oddly enough, also proves to be the most boisterous.


“Lines” begins according to formula: dusty guitars, lightly distorted vocals hugged by Fahey’s mimicking lead, and prickly lyrics about the oft-covered but never exhausted darker side of love. If George’s comfortably aloof lyrics recoil from the spotlight, the unforgettable lead guitar line that defines the first part of the song takes up more than its share of the slack. The lick accounts for the musical prowess War Presidents elects not to flaunt in the best interest of the previous three songs, a profound and impressive display of restraint that rewards both the band and the listener in the end.
Before the song gets swept up by it’s own inexorable current, the band tips it completely. After the second guitar-led refrain, the band drops out as Weckbacher molds a new landscape from rapidly teetering bass notes. The band soon rejoins him with more guitar showmanship. If it’s a bit self-indulgent, it’s well deserved and warranted; a band full of such talented musicians should not be punished or go underappreciated for their song-first mentality.

That mindset is, after all, what allows War Presidents to maintain momentum through unadorned arrangements without losing the listener’s attention—in fact, captivating it—and highlights their exceptional musicianship more completely than any scorching guitar solo could. If their bottomless well of worthy influences—from Phoenix to Ryan Adams to Van Morrison to Wilco, etc.—doesn’t launch War Presidents far from the confines of Allston, surely their sense of selflessness—one that is all but extinct in the DIY scene—is bound to.

- online