 Ben & Ethan (in unison): I own the movie Constantine!! ::hi-five::  |  |
In a recent Red Herring survey, when asked what his favorite cover song was, Nick Costa replied “All These Things I’ve Done”, by The Killers. This is only fitting, as Monsieur Costa has done so much as a fan of Red Herring. Graphic artiste extraordinaire, Nick has created almost countless Red Herring posters, as well as some progressive Red Herring T-Shirts mockups… truly a mind ahead of his time.
He can often be found at shows singing along (in the car) long after the songs have ended and, in general, heckling the band whenever possible. Nick is always the first to respond to Red Herring news and an avid Red Herring forums reader. And we wouldn’t have it any other way (To quote a Red Herring song. Shameless plug. Shameless.)
Who would even catch that reference? I’ll tell you who, Red Herring’s number one fan: Nick Costa. Bam!
Chris Licari
Every band needs fans. However, there are bands that chase fans away – ignorantly. Their pretentious attitudes, negative outlooks towards a “crumbling society” and a sound that “only they can understand” warn audiences not to get too close. Red Herring is not one of those bands.
Why? Because Red Herring loves you – the web address wouldn’t lie. They’re a band that prefers to shove out as much love as possible, without really expecting anything in return. Yet, maybe they can provide some supporting evidence for the immortal words of Paul McCartney who said “In the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make.” – or something along that line.
Anyway, the point is fans are important and Red Herring knows it. Certain fans are more dedicated than others. Chris Licari, a sophomore at Michigan State University, reigns among the best fans in the history of music. Yes, he is that awesome. Licari has been there for Red Herring since the very early days – the days when Ethan’s basement was the group’s very own Royal Albert’s Hall. He was there in the basement, he was there at the personal Christmas concert and of course he was there at the Temple Club – may it rest in peace. Each time Licari could be seen singing the tunes, talking with the band members, interacting enthusiastically with other fans, bringing more fans and introducing them to the band and overall just being the best fan possible.
Licari currently resides in East Lansing. He can probably be seen at the next Red Herring show if history repeats. He is the definition of what a dedicated, enthusiastic fan is.
Red Herring never expects anything from anyone. They just want to get their music out there. If people like it, awesome. If not, ok. When someone like Licari comes along and gives Red Herring such amazing feedback and support from the get-go, well, the band can’t help being floored with gratefulness. The group wants to formally thank Licari. So from the lips of the band that loves all comes a gracious “Thank you” to a guy that has shown so much love to them – Chris Licari, Red Herring’s number one fan.
Ben
The Capes – Hello
From the first few seconds of Hello, the interplay that is locked down through the remainder of the album is apparent and appreciated. It's like the synth and bass are having a little tea party when it explodes into a full-out head-bobbin, sun-shiny groove bomb. Another way of putting it that stands as a model for much of the album - imagine the grooviest robot you know and to make it even cooler - he's British. And Hello is the soundtrack to his life.
That's right, the tea party analogy didn't come from nowhere and these Brits know how punch out their own brand of synth-dance-indie-rock. At times some of the lyrics may be hard to decipher for those of us on the other side of the pond, but that doesn't stop me from singing all the vowels I can figure out at the top of my lungs. The sound is refreshing and I mean that not so much in the cliché sense as the "Wow, I can't believe you just splashed me in the face with a bucket of Altoid water. That was a new sensation and certainly original."
All overly cartoonish imagery aside, the name of the game is well-crafted songs that can groove at a slow stroll up to a frenetic barrage of jumping synth lines, jagged, yet melodic guitar lines and Beach Boys-esque harmonies. Their breakdowns are both tight and happy-go-lucky and their song structures are always interesting. They do have some tracks that stand out as different from their unique groove.
Francophile (Ver 1.5) is a runaway robotic romp, thankfully tapping into The Capes mastery of the synth and Vocoder robot voice. Both Comet Tails and Gimme hit the other side of the spectrum, dominated by acoustic guitar and sweet harmonies. Comet Tails has a bit of an atmospheric feeling as if you are listening to it miles above the studio in the upper stratosphere. And when it comes to atmospheric, the album closer Faradays Cage is a harmony-driven tune that floats along and eases you out of the album. From start to finish, bottom to top this album is in my top five for 2006 and most probably the next couple millenia.
P.S. If you don't know any groovy robots, I feel sorry for you.