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Aquabats to the rescueOrange County masked men ditch pretension for tomfooleryfor the first time and wrote three songs and played a party that night,99oofy is as goofy does, and to this the nerd-fury of the Aquabats is a costumed, schtick-driven with people playing pots and pans,testament. With ten years under their says Crash. “People said, ‘That wasbelts, they’ve got a lot to talk about, amazing and super-funny, but it’d bebut what I want to know is how and great if you were actually a goodwhen they launder their masks and costumes. Is dry cleaning necessary?band.’44It kind of goes to show that we’ve44We just throw them in the wash- never taken anything seriously.ing machine,” says bassist Crash McLarsen. “We have like five setssaw?'‘r/■Vi.hita* '-1vWw-O-T;Jr- .We’ve always tried to think of something new every time we go out.“It’s a lot of work to outdo yourself every night,” he adds. “We don’t always pull it off. Sometimes it works. Sometimes it doesn’t. Kids read into that we’re just having fun. They see we really enjoy doing this.”■Charge!! is a charming listen, in part because that attitude is so apparent. Songs like “Look at Me (I’m aWinner)!” break into absurdly catchy choruses, while “Tiger Rider vs. the Time Sprinkler!” (exclamation marks are a theme) spins nutsyand wash ’em once or twice a week. little yarns about improbable super-MlMasculine and mustachioed, The Aquabats save Colorado Springs from boredom’s deadly clutches.Logistically, it’s not that big of a deal.”Billed in the past as a ska band,heroes. It’s a disc devoid of pretension but full of humor and well-earned chops. The effect is immedi-the Aquabats diverge widely on their ately appealing and wickedly tun. newest album, Charge!! Still wet- “This is the first album with nosuited, helmeted and mustachioed, the horns at all [and] with the core mem-quintet (MC Bat Commander on vocals, Chainsaw on guitar, Ricky Fitness on drums, Jimmy the Robot on keys and McLarsen on bass) focuses more deeply on Devo-esque synth-rock, packed with frantic hooks, vocal silliness and musical in-jokes.CAPSULE“The first “i albums wereThe Aquabats with guests The Eyeliners, The Phenomenauts and Time AgainOarkside. 2106 E. Platte Ave.Monday, Aug. 8,7:30 p.m.Tickets: $10 in advance, $12 at the door: visit sodajerkpresents.com.straight-up ska records, because I think we hadbers of the band. I think it’s pretty solid all the way through. Everyone stepped up to the plate. It’s the best singing the Commander has ever done and the best lyrics,” claims Crash. (He’s right; lines like,“There’s a kindly old wizard on the wings of a bird” serve to cement the Commander in the annals of lyrical awesomeness.)The mythos of the band and legend of their live shows are quite alluring. Known for square dancing, pingpongfriends that played hall fights, onstage commercials forhorns and wethemselves and other oddities, thewanted them in the Aquabats offer a spectacle of com-band,” says Crash.pletely unapologetic abandon.“There was sort of What’s odder is the shows are totally a ska scene then,hygienic and family-friendly.but we weren’t part of it. Even those bands take themselves seriously, which is kind of retarded when you think about it.”Born in the mid-1990s in Orange County, the group has a long history of eschewing seriousness for showmanship.“Originally, there were like 14 people [in the band]. We practiced44How tiresome is it to say, ‘Effyeah! Eff you! Thanks for coming to the effing show!’? I get tired of people who can’t be funny or creative without being dirty,” Crash says. “1 wouldn’t want my kids to go to a show and see some dude spout offnonsensical profanity.”Aaron Retka
Newspaper Details
Colorado Springs Independent
Colorado Springs, Colorado, US
Thu, Aug 04, 2005
Page 35
Full Page
Clipped by
Culix D.
USA 31 Jul 2021
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