Hooks & heart

The Sterlings shine bright; January heat up; looking back at the Rumble

by Brett Milano

Some bands play arena rock; the Sterlings claim to play "Sabrina rock" -- Sabrina being the name of the woman singer/songwriter/guitarist Pat Emswiler is currently obsessed with. I'd hate to suggest that obsessing over women is necessary for creating good pop, but it usually helps.

And make no mistake, the Sterlings are a pop group -- the kind who write catchy three-minute songs, and the kind who argue during interviews about whether Oasis are better than Blur (they're split down the middle on that one). Good pop depends less on originality than on hooks and heart, and the Sterlings had enough of both to make them one of the standout bands I saw in last month's Rumble; the songs were for real, the vocal harmonies were strong, and the guitars were cranked up loud enough to keep the sound from becoming too '60s-ish. The Sterlings -- whose line-up is filled out by bassist Pete Stone, drummer Ben Hedlund, and newly joined guitarist Mike Paulo -- are also admirers of the Lilys, but what they do is really the opposite. The Lilys' Kurt Heasley wraps oblique, newfangled songs in '60s sonic drag; the Sterlings write classic-model songs and play them in modern, loud-guitar style.

"I tried to write a Lilys-type song once, but we couldn't pull it off," notes Emswiler when we all sit down at the Middle East. "But I love the whole idea of pop music: to me that's awesome, it just means songs with hooks, and that's what we're aiming for. And the idea that the songs can be understood by a generalized group of people." And if their chosen style of music is less fashionable now than it was last year? "That's fine -- it makes us look more original." The Sterlings played a CD-release gig at T.T. the Bear's Place last weekend; they will appear at Bill's Bar on Tuesday the 17th.

The CD they're promoting, a homonymous, six-song disc on Infectious, is a surprisingly polished effort -- so polished, in fact, that the band say they're still figuring out how to play the songs on stage. Working with Letters to Cleo bassist Scott Riebling as producer, they started the disc in New York last year and spent an average of one month per tune; guests include Cleo guitarist Michael Eisenstein and ex-Cars keyboardist Greg Hawkes (who manages to sneak a bit of the "Just What I Needed" synth lick into the intro of "Always"). The vocals still sound live and unfussy, and Emswiler's songwriting is best described by the name of their label. Meanwhile, Riebling builds a big wall of instruments -- notably on the opening "Asleep on the Wheel," which includes two bass lines, one fuzz and one natural -- and more guitar parts than the band can remember playing. "We went a little nuts with that one," Stone admits. "It's real excessive; there's so much on it that we can't possibly play it live. The guitar parts took a month and a half."

"We all had ideas, but none of us had the same ideas, so Scott was in there directing traffic," Hedlund adds.

The disc's main strength may be the contrast between the instrumental heaviness and the fresh-faced nature of the vocals. "Bliss" starts out as the most dour of the six, with Emswiler singing in an uncharacteristically deep voice: "You were mine, you will be missed/Say goodbye to your precious bliss" -- after which comes a surprising "Yeah, yeah, yeah!" and an energized guitar solo that blows the downbeat mood away. Romantic disappointment fuels most of the lyrics, though Emswiler usually couches it in more hermetic terms: "I'm still inside, looking for a safe place to reside/And I know a safe place to hide, if you're interested" -- not a bad way of putting some yearning on the line.

For his part, Emswiler -- who fits the classic mold of introverted songwriters -- says he hates writing lyrics and tends to punt at the last minute. "By the time I finish them I'm so sick of it that I just write whatever comes into my head. I have no idea which of my songs are any good, usually they have to tell me. Two of the best songs we do are ones that I had no faith in. In terms of lyrics it can get oblique, but girls and love usually figure in there somewhere." Which is where the mysterious Sabrina comes in. "She went to school in Tennessee; that's why I had to write so many songs about her."

SECOND JANUARY

A few months ago in this column, I suggested that major-label A&R types ought to come sniffing in January's direction. None of them has yet, but the band have made a solid sophomore effort on their own with Keep Me from Sleeping (on their own Ticklebee label). Like their first disc (See Thru, also self-released), this one reveals a band with an intriguing hybrid of a sound, which I'd still call "garage goth" for lack of a better term. It's dark and atmospheric, but it rocks. Unlike the first disc, this one has proper production. New bassist Erin Anderson is also the producer and engineer, and she gives January a big, arena-ish sound that suits them better than the modest indie-rock sound of the debut. (It's also a plus that this disc doesn't include a silly cover to follow up the last one's "Oompa-Loompa-Doompity-Do," from Willie Wonka & the Chocolate Factory.)

On paper it seems unlikely that January's two principals would wind up in the same band: Christine Zufferey sings in a theatrical, heavily accented (she's Swiss) style whereas Jeff Caglarcan is a more basic rocker. But they're compatible in ways you wouldn't expect. The mix works best on the heavier numbers, which fill the first half of this half-hour disc. "Fleece" (repeated from a single last fall) is the standout, with a mighty invigorating blend of Zufferey's vocal flights and a lowdown, grinding riff from Caglarcan (Chris Newborn plays drums). The more ethereal numbers that turn up later aren't bad either, thanks to an improved sense of melody.

"Happy" introduces some good-old pop angst, with Zufferey asking "What's wrong with me; why can't I be happy?" in the choruses. She tends to be visually striking on stage, so let's give January a few more points for not doing the obvious and putting any band photos (save for one blurry one) on either of their CDs. They open for Chelsea on Fire at O'Brien's in Allston tonight (Thursday).

RUMBLE FINAL

I'd like to apologize for a typographical error that appeared in my column dealing with the Rumble: the sentence reading, "Ramona Silver will win the Rumble," was supposed to have read, "The Amazing Royal Crowns will win the Rumble." Dang those proofreaders. In any case, a few impressions from this year's final. The Crowns rallied and earned their win with a much stronger set than they'd played in the semifinals. I'd assumed that a lack of dynamics would make a 45-minute Royal Crowns set too much of a good thing. But they showed they could vary the place a bit: instead of going at full-throttle for every song, they did it only for every three out of four songs. Much was made of the fact that the Crowns were the first Providence band to win the Rumble since the Schemers in '84, but they're also one of the few rockabilly bands ever to play it. Could it be time for the Raging Teens to move in next year?

As for Ramona Silver, she still seems the act most likely to be signed to a major label -- which may be why she didn't win, because Rumble judges sometimes like to shake things up by going for the less overtly commercial act (call it the Gang Green factor). In any case, Silver's knack for catchy-but-substantial songs isn't going to hurt as her career goes on. Final thought: if guest band Fluffy had been from Boston rather than the UK, they could have won the Rumble themselves. They may be the last major band to emerge from the mid-'90s punk revival, but at least that trend's going out with a blast.

COMING UP

From the younger generation of New Orleans funk bands, Galactic make their local debut at the Middle East tonight (Thursday); meanwhile the Strangemen touch down at Johnny D's. Todd Thibaud and the Swinging Steaks team up at Bill's Bar, and songwriter Amelia White digs into her recent CD at Mama Kin. Atlanta rocker Michelle Malone, who's sung back-up on the last few Indigo Girls albums, opens for Beyond Id at T.T. the Bear's Place. Soul legend Ann Peebles is at the House of Blues. And King Crimson bassist Trey Gunn brings his own band to the Paradise . . . A pair of Q Division-associated bands play tomorrow (Friday) night. Talking to Animals headline T.T.'s; Expanding Man are at Bill's Bar. That Dog, Kenickie, and Cherry 2000 are at the Middle East, and the fine Cajun band Balfa Toujours are at Johnny D's.

A diverse bill at the Middle East Saturday finds Worcester rockers Black Rose Garden headlining with St. Chimera and Deni Bonet (Robyn Hitchcock's occasional violinist). Resolve are at the Rat, the Grifters headline T.T.'s, '60s living jukebox the Band That Time Forgot play Harpers Ferry, and our hero Crappy the Clown brings his Punch Drunk Monkeys to Mama Kin . . . Binge won the Demo Derby some time ago; Sunday they play Mama Kin. Meanwhile Verago-go and Eight Ball Shifter are at the Linwood Grill . . . Motörhead haven't hit town in a dog's age, but a rousing "Killed by Death" should still be on tap when Lemmy and company hit Axis (opening for WASP, of "Fuck like a Beast" infamy) Tuesday . . . And a pair of sweet-and-sour pop bands from the Simple Machines label, Ida and Retsin, play the Middle East Wednesday.