Pages tagged “the selmanaires”

Hometown: Atlanta, Ga.
Members [L-R]: Jason Harris (drums, vocals), Herb Harris (guitar, vocals), Tommy Chung (bass, vocals)
Why they’re worth checking out: Still an undiscovered gem, The Selmanaires create a melodic combination of infectious vocal harmonies and tailfeather-shaking accompaniment.
For fans of: Devo, The Kinks, Talking Heads, surf guitar

Plenty of bands start out playing other people's songs, and if the world’s dive-bar denizens had a nickel for every time their eardrums were bludgeoned by a group of youngsters struggling through a frayed "Louie Louie," they’d all have enough money to build and stock their own watering holes. But, in a not-so-subtle twist on standard infant-band formula, The Selmanaires cut their teeth playing covers and letting crowd members rock the mic for them. "We started by learning this huge set of songs by The Stooges, The Rolling Stones, all kinds of stuff," bassist Tommy Chung says. "At parties, people would sign up to sing, and it was pretty successful."

Twin brothers Herb and Jason Harris had lived all over the country, but it was their move from Austin that helped launch The Selmanaires. After becoming friends with Chung, the three had their first practice on 73 Selman Street (from which the band derived its name) in Atlanta’s hardscrabble Reynoldstown neighborhood. Playing karaoke gigs around the city, oftentimes at infamous burrito joint/rock bar El Myr, the trio built a rabid following. But, before arriving at its current, slimmed-down setup (guitar/bass/drums), the band traveled with a more cumbersome instrumental array.

"It was a real pain in the ass taking all that gear to shows," Chung says. "We're a one-car band, and it's mine, and it's pretty small. I remember one of our first shows I had to make three trips to get the standup bass, the Wurlitzer, the bongos, the drum kit and the guitars.” Before long the band’s sonic template was shifting. “I think the softer stuff doesn't go over as well in rock clubs,” Chung continues. “At our first shows we would end with rockers and people would respond to those better."

Lately, people have indeed been responding better, and with good reason. The band's debut, Here Come The Selmanaires is an energetic record chock full of these unassuming rockers. Gorgeous vocal harmonies ooze from many of the tracks, in a way that indicates these three voices were meant to function as one. Such talk might sound cheesy enough to be the subplot in a steamy romance novel, but the result—especially in combination with Herb's commanding guitars and the ass-shaking rhythm section of Jason and Chung—is sonic gold.

"That sort of evolved over time," Jason says, of the band’s harmonies. "In much of the music we love, we notice lots of vocal harmonies, not to mention the lack of them in a lot of modern music, so that's something we wanted to bring back."

Starting in February, the band will hit the road. Packed in Chung's too-small vehicle, the trio will travel up the East coast, over to Chicago and back down to Atlanta over the course of five weeks, a jaunt that is by far the band's longest. And instead of relying on consistently packed Atlanta venues filled with drunken friends and fans who know the words to every song, The Selmanaires will likely encounter some empty bars along the way. It's a nerve-wracking yet giddily anticipated prospect for the band.

"We've only played a handful of out-of-town shows because transportation is a constant issue for us," Jason says. "I'm very excited, since it's something I've wanted to do and never had a chance. It’s new terrain for us, but we're ready to get out and spread the sound."

From the surf-influenced theme song that begins the album, "Selmanaire Rock" ("Duke Ellington had his calling card, and that's our anthem," Jason says), to the sassy punk of "Lmno6" and the introspective acoustic segue "Devil's Note," there are several different sounds spread across the record. But amidst this seemingly restless nature lie words with an optimistic bent.

"Lyrically, we're just trying to come to grips with the modern world," Herb says. "It's very easy to complain about things, but we don't want to do that. A lot of it is dealing with the psychological aspects of being a person in this day and age. Not really alienation, but feeling like you're outside the sphere of things. You only have a few options in life [that allow you] to be yourself and explore the dimensions of your personality."

This idea comes across best through the strongest song The Selmanaires have recorded, "In the Direction of Yes." After birthing the grandson of the bassline of Talking Heads' "Psycho Killer," Herb sings of "a thin blanket that covers me that keeps me from realizing my potential." Before long, a metaphorical tea kettle's top begins shaking violently, a three-pronged vocal attack is launched, a guitar explodes and a chorus emerges to light the way:

I ain't been to the mountaintop, but I've seen it
I ain't lived the life I want, but I've dreamed it…
But I've seen it; it's in the direction of yes.

Surely this is the life-affirming sentiment Herb refers to when speaking about overcoming the trappings of society in our modern world. And while listening to the conviction in these songs, it's pretty hard not to get swept up with him. After this tour, and a little more exposure, who knows? With a little luck, someday there’ll be a young band in some rickety, booze-soaked dump covering The Selmanaires for a disinterested crowd of barflies.