The Alarmists at The Turf Club on 12/30/05

By: David de Young

The Alarmists at the Turf Club - Photo by David de Young (view the whole set here)

“Hello, Everybody. We’re the Alarmists. We’re here to entertain,” lead vocalist Eric Lovold casually announced just before the band sliced like a sharp knife into their first song “Soldados.” The mid-tempo rock song with elements of the Beatles, Robyn Hitchcock and more came on like a ton of finely cut bricks, and by the end of it they were already sweating.

Music writer Cyn Collins had been raving about this band for months (read her report from November here), and though I definitely listened, I didn’t quite have the picture right until I saw them for myself. Quality means different things to different people, and in my own head I had them pegged completely differently – I might have been as far off as picturing them as something of a gypsy punk outfit, which they don’t resemble at all. And that was just part of my pleasant surprise.

The band’s second song, “New Romans,” is slated to be the title of their soon-to-be-released EP. It reminded me immediately of Oasis, or the Beatles again, who had already come to mind because of the Alarmists’ dress code of jackets and skinny ties. Admittedly, there is something cliché about the way these guys look, but keep in mind there are good things about some clichés. These guys look sharp and play great music with impeccable taste in their selection of influences (see their MySpace account for a healthy and nutritious list of ingredients). The band is also made up of multiple well-mannered individuals versed in the business side of rock and roll. This is refreshing in a business where you frequently hear things along the lines of: “Talk to our drummer, he handles that sort of stuff ‘cause he’s the ‘people person’ in the band.” Perhaps their good sense about marketing themselves was another factor that led Cyn Collins to predict that would rise fast and go far.

Just the week before this show, I’d seen guitarist Ryan McMillan and keyboard player Joe Kuefler at the Turf Club for White Light Riot’s show. Standing right up front, showing enthusiasm and undistracted interest (in their ties), I thought they were dual managers of the band. As it turned out, they were just out to support their friends. (And I’m told to look for some shared bills in the near future, watch the HWTS Calendar.)

Joe Kuefler, keyboardist for The Alarmists

The second song ploughed straight into their third, appropriately titled “We’re Taking Them On,” which might be a good theme song for the band and hopefully one that will be included on the upcoming EP. “Some Things Never Stop” - with a hint of punk - reminded me of a bouncier Buzzcocks. With the syncopated and intertwining guitars of Lovold and McMillan (almost matching Telecasters, Jason Nagel pointed out) I liked the attitude with which the music came off as much as the music itself. McMillan has several of the rock star guitar moves down pat, and it didn’t hurt that this was the Turf Club and he could smoke while playing.

“Coming To Meet Me” started out with a keyboard part that borrowed from the opening riff of the Stones “Let’s Spend the Night Together,” but then headed into music reminiscent of Spoon, or ramped up Wilco. The retro feel to this song had hints of styles as far-removed as REO Speedwagon’s “Riding the Storm Out.” Though some of these songs might not stick with you completely after just one live listen, they are likely to hook you after two.

The rest of the set was an uphill slide, energy growing song by song. Even bass player Dan Severson was a star, hitting all the right notes and playing parts that were not just accompaniment, but critical parts of the songs. I couldn’t help but notice that drummer Ryan Mach looks uncannily like my dentist, but he managed to hold down a steady beat throughout the show without ever loosening his tie.

“I hope you brought your dancing shoes,” Lovold said, going into the final song. Keyboard player Joe Kuefler took this to heart -- even if the perhaps stunned audience never really joined in the dance – and he covered nearly every inch of the stage, somehow managing to make banging a tambourine on his chest look sexy and fashionable.

Location Info: The Turf Club
Artist Info: The Alarmists

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