Tune In

  Photos by TYSON EVANS Members of AM Radio (l-r)
Rowan Robertson, Joe Higgins, Kevin Ridel and
Jason Moore sit in a North Hollywood coffee shop
and discuss their experiences as a new band.

By Shana Dines
Daily Bruin Contributor

If you can’t find something you like on the FM dial, try
switching to AM Radio. No, not traffic reports, no news, and
definitely no women exchanging fruitcake recipes. The new AM Radio
to listen to is an up-and-coming band under the management of
Weezer’s Rivers Cuomo.

The five rockers say that it’s hard to pinpoint the sound
emitting from the AM Radio waves. However, the lack of a definite
genre does not bother them.

“The thing that’s cool about this band is that
we’ve always known what we are and what we aren’t, so
it’s never been an issue,” said guitarist Rowan
Robertson.

The band was formed after singer Kevin Ridel and drummer Joe
Higgins exited a bad contract with Peel, a former band. They held
auditions to find guitarists to complement their sound. Blown away
by both Jason Moore’s and Robertson’s performances, as
well as their musical style, the two didn’t hesitate in
welcoming them to the band.

Bassist Danny Dunlap rounded out the group. Dunlap’s
technical know-how removed the need for an engineer, as he does all
of the mixing for the band, in addition to his bass and occasional
back-up vocals.

“I’ve been in touch with my inner nerd for a long
time, it’s kind of second nature for me,” said Dunlap,
in reference to the hours he must spend in front of a computer
screen.

Though they’ve only been playing together since September,
the five men of AM Radio have the chemistry of old friends.
Visually, however, they differ. Sipping coffee and cracking jokes
in a small, quirky cafe near Universal City, their looks range from
Ridel, whose classic black suit with buttons on the lapel paired
with a vintage red shirt tied him to the retro-mod-punk look, to
Moore, who casually slouched low in the booth, sporting a corduroy
pea coat and fleece scarf wrapped around his neck.

Appearances say very little, however, and musically the group
finds that Ridel’s vast sea of lyrics and the dimensions
added by the rest of the group are compatible.

  Lead singer Kevin Ridel doubles a vocal
on a track for AM Radio’s upcoming album. Getting inspiration from
everyday activities, Ridel has been writing songs in mass
quantities. Though the other members were initially intimidated by
the onslaught of songs to work with, they have now learned to
appreciate their diversity and huge portfolio.

“I’ve gone through a couple dry spells, but I just
have stacks of notebooks of songs. It’s like a diary,
whatever happens, I write a song about it,” said Ridel.

Preferring performing to recording any day, Ridel views studio
time as tedious. On the other hand, Robertson and Dunlap thrive in
that creative setting.

“It’s something that’s going to last forever.
It’s like artwork, it’s got your name on it,”
Robertson said about studio-recorded songs.

A great deal of influence for the band’s sound comes from
British rock, especially for Robertson, AM Radio’s British
import. It seems that the Beatles, David Bowie, the Rolling Stones,
the Cure, the Psychedelic Furs and other Brit rockers have
significantly influenced everyone in AM Radio.

Despite the laundry list of influences that every member could
rattle off with ease, naming their own style was a much more
difficult task. At a loss for words, Dunlap tried to describe the
style of AM Radio.

“It’s like a no limits kind of thing, you know, I
don’t try and nail it down in a specific style,” Dunlap
said. “That’s the beauty of this band, no one comes in
with any preconceived ideas or expectations.”

At that moment, Moore jumped up and accusingly pointed his
finger.

“That’s what I said!” he exclaimed, referring
to a comment he made earlier that evening.

  Band members hang out in the studio during a recording
session. AM Radio was strongly influenced by British rock and ’80s
new wave.

All confusion of a specific title for their sound aside,
Robertson and Higgins had no trouble agreeing on the band’s
strongest musical points.

“The melody. It’s that happy melody thing,
that’s sort of sad at the same time; that sort of
melancholy-happy thing,” said Robertson.

In addition to the melodies, the group believes that one of
their best attractions is their live performances. They view it as
a time to let loose and delve into the music. Though they’ve
only been a band for about six months, they have performed together
over a dozen times.

“I know that we all get into the music, I just try and get
lost in the lyrics,” Ridel said. “When I see people at
the shows getting into it, that’s just an instant
reward.”

The approval of the fans is one of their top priorities.
Ridel’s and Higgins’ experience with Peel taught them
that the approval of rock critics and music industry executives was
ultimately unimportant.

“I just spent so many years caring about what record
labels thought. Fuck them! If they don’t like it, whatever.
I’m just all about the music and the people who like the
music,” said Ridel.

In regards to their stage presence, Higgins made a point of
saying that everything they do is not scripted.

“Nothing is acting, sometimes you’ll find us all
shoe-gazing, sometimes you’ll see us all really getting into
it. It’s wherever each individual is,” said
Higgins.

They have made a habit of playing at one of their favorite
clubs, Spaceland. Starting Feb. 28, they will be regularly turning
the L.A. site into their own Club Static. The monthly event will
feature performances by AM Radio and a few other bands, followed by
Ridel’s favorite DJ spinning the rest of the night away.

“I just tried to put together what my version of an
ultimate show would be,” said Ridel. “I said to myself,
“˜Let me set it up so that I’ll have the best time
imaginable.'”

With other performances approaching, including a Feb. 12 show at
the Troubadour and a Feb. 14 appearance at Eskandalo, which will
feature a special Valentine’s Day Kissing Booth, the quintet
is anxious to further explore their group dynamic on stage.

As a longtime friend of Ridel, Rivers Cuomo, frontman of Weezer,
helped get AM Radio started and now works as their manager. Ridel
and Higgins agree that he has been incredibly involved in and
supportive of their recording process. His hands-on approach to
management has helped him foster a close bond to the band.

“He just wants us to do whatever we want,” said
Moore. “He makes sure you’re having fun, makes sure you
do what you want to do, and I like that.”

Cuomo will also help in furthering AM Radio’s exposure by
again including them on a Weezer tour this May traveling to Japan.
After that, they hope to tour in the United States and venture
further from L.A. than their previous shows in San Diego.

Signed to Blue Records, AM Radio has spent almost a month laying
down the tracks for their new album, scheduled for a March release
and tentatively titled “Time of My Life.” The studio
has offered the band a creative outlet for its music, as well as a
site for countless Scrabble competitions.

Hanging out in the studio as Ridel doubled some lyrics, Dunlap
sat perched at his mixer, Higgins and Moore relaxed and grooved to
the tunes, and Robertson scrutinized every note, it was obvious
that the five men were truly happy to be in that exact place at
that exact time.

“That’s where I got the title for this album,”
said Ridel. “People were asking me, “˜How’s the
band?’ and I was like, “˜I’m having the time of my
life.'”

MUSIC: AM Radio is playing Feb. 12 at the
Troubadour and Feb. 14 at Eskandalo.