Let the Sunshine in

Boston band erases line between indie, jam scenes

By Boyd Fletcher
fletchar@mscd.edu

I've been into the "jam band" scene so long I lost touch with the rest of the music world. However, I realized lately, I need to quit making judgments based on the pigeonholing and labeling of bands. When I came across the "Phish of indie rock" (as they were so wonderfully described to me), it sounded like a good opportunity to broaden my range without straying too far from my comfort zone.

The band in question is Boston's power-rock quartet, Apollo Sunshine. After listening to their self-titled album I was eager to see how they translate their odd mix of styles from the studio to the stage. When they blew into the Hi-dive Oct. 17, I jumped at the chance to see them live.

The band's name was chosen for its sound and the reference to the Greek god of the sun, war and musicians. "We read this story that someone challenged him to a music duel, and not only did he beat him, but he skinned his body from a tree and made a musical instrument from his carcass," bassist Jesse Gallagher said. "So we all thought, 'that's pretty sweet' and kept it."

It was an early show, opening for an Extreme Karaoke event before a small-but-eager crowd, but they didn't seem to be holding anything back. Sean Aylward jumped between a hodge-podge rack of keyboards and his guitar while screaming vocals into the microphone. Drummer Jeremy Black pounded out energetic, John Bonham-sloppy drumming, which any drummer knows is a good thing. His loose sound and quick-fills were reminiscent of the classic Led Zeppelin drummer and his Ludwig pearl-sparkle kit only added to the effect. Guitarist Sam Cohen's pedal steel added a smooth and flowing element to the more straightforward rock tunes, and an eerie effect on some of the harder rocking, beat-infused songs. Gallagher's Fender bass sound is often distorted and crunching, adding to the vintage sound of the band in such songs as "Lord."

Switching up instruments between almost every song, Apollo Sunshine was a barrage of sound-an ever-evolving sonic melee. They draw on a wide range of influences, from classic rock to pop to emo to ambient noise, thus creating a progressive and eclectic sound. Hints of everything from Devo to the Grateful Dead make an appearance and they aren't afraid to try out different styles. They blend classic psychedelica with modern pop-rock to create very layered and danceable songs such as "I Was on the Moon" from their debut album Katonah or combine distorted melodies with thundering drums and bass to give a very dark and brooding feel, such as the intro of "Flip!"

Calling them a jam band might invite some dirty looks, but that's exactly what they're doing. Black said the band would often find itself improvising and extending its songs out of and into one another.

"It's about making things happen musically," he said.

"We just get up there and play," Cohen said of their improvised and loose style on stage. "We just have fun."

"Stop dancing, it's not a hippie show," my friend admonished me when she caught my hips shaking during a super-high-energy cover of Hendrix's "Crosstown Traffic." The driving bass line, punishing-hard drums and Cohen's 60s-fuzzface guitar solos rising above the low end would have made the Band of Gypsies proud.

As I looked around at the crowd of about 30 or so people, some just waiting for the karaoke to start so they could bust out their best Michael Jackson impression, everyone seemed to be nodding their heads or tapping their feet, fighting off the urge to dance. Eventually, it was too much, and a group of three girls gave in and started to boogie. Regardless of the label, good rock and roll is hard to resist.