When you think modern punk rock, you may think tattoos, piercings and an overly whiny voice crying about AIM conversations or someone’s cruel ex-girlfriend. Carried by power chords on distorted electric guitars, it all starts to sound the same. Nothing against punk rock — we all love our share, but sometimes we need something fresh.
Something Corporate, a keyboard-toting Orange County, Calif. outfit, breaks the neo pop-punk mold. The quintet has great rock arithmetics: punk formula minus some of the juvenile lyrics plus some piano to sweeten the equation. It’s a receipe that works so well the group has sold out many of the dates in their current tour, including tomorrow night’s gig at the 9:30 Club.
The band consists of five members: Andrew McMahon on vocals and piano, Josh Partington and William Tell on guitar, Clutch on bass and Brian Ireland on drums. Together, the punk-rock quintet strays from traditional punk music by being a little more rock ‘n’ roll.
The group formed in high school to enter a battle of the bands competition which, of course, it won. The band members went on to record their first album, Ready … Break. Featuring the fan favorite love ballad “Konstantine” and other early tracks, the guys took the songs on the road and worked their way up to the big time.
The band signed with Drive-Thru Records and released its major-label debut, Leaving Through the Window, in 2002. It featured some revamped versions of previously recorded and concert-performed songs, while also showcasing new material.
The lyrics were pumped full of social disgruntlement and relatable adolescent themes. The track “If You C Jordan” is about a kid from high school who was both a friend and foe of McMahon. It is the high school anthem for the oh-so-familiar “two guys liking the same girl” scenario.
The follow-up disc, 2003’s North, marked a departure for Something Corporate. The music, as well as the lyrics, matured; however, the shift in gears from the simple pop anthems to the more complex tunes was steadier than it appeared.
“Half of the songs on Leaving Through the Window that were new go more in the direction of North than some of the earlier written tracks,” McMahon says. “We have also matured gradually as musicians. We had been on the road for years without stopping when we made North.”
That continuous touring got the band on the map. Selling more tickets than albums in some markets, the band’s live show attracted a rapidly growing fan base.
“We had missed three sets of holidays and hadn’t seen our family and friends for a long time,” McMahon says. “When you start detaching yourself from the things that make you who you are, you lose a little bit of yourself. That’s what made the record so honest.”
The band is currently on tour after some time off, playing a steady mix of its earlier high school punk and more recent rock style. McMahon and Partington both completed side projects during the down time and hope to bring their new creative energies back to the band.
“Josh and I both have written and recorded side projects that will come out in the spring. It’s going to be interesting,” McMahon says. “I’m really excited for the next album, to get back into the studio with the guys and make a great record. I think we’ve both taken a lot away from the side projects.”
In his best Rob Reiner-on- Spinal Tap impersonation, Partington jokes that McMahon’s solo project is “two words: s— sandwich.” It is that friendly, familylike atmosphere that makes the band the tight musical group it has become.
While fans are awaiting a new album, they are being treated to some new tunes at concerts. The band has been playing some of its unreleased B-sides in concert, including “Watch the Sky,” which has become an instant fan favorite. In fact, the band has a handful of material that never saw the light of day on an album because of the band’s desire to do things its own way.
“We record very differently than other bands. We record for ourselves, without labels breathing down our neck the whole time. The reason the songs didn’t make it was to spite the record company,” McMahon says. “We finished the album and they asked us to go back in and redo some of the tracks and instead of going back in, we just cut them from the disc. Looking back, it was probably a mistake.”
Luckily for fans, all the tracks can be found on the Internet.
“I don’t think there would be a Something Corporate without Napster and Kazaa and illegal … or legal downloading,” McMahon says. “While I understand why record labels do what they do in terms of litigating, I also think they are pretty naive to think the downloading of good records doesn’t promote record sales.”
The band also will have a track on the upcoming Bob Dylan tribute album titled Listen to Bob Dylan (Because He’s Cool) which also features Fall Out Boy. They recorded their rendition of “Just Like A Woman” from Dylan’s Blonde on Blonde.
“We’re all very proud of it — it’s a pretty special cover,” McMahon says. “We try to take an approach to covers where we try to make it our own. We tripped it out a little bit, changed a few things around, added some spacey guitars. It’s true to the song but also true to the band.”
One thing is for certain: With the growing success of Something Corporate’s punk-pop-rock fusion, the band won’t be leaving through any more windows. People will be lining up to hold their doors open.
