Groove. I am feeling thoroughly grooved. The band Innercombustion can lay down a groove. I know what your saying, every Red Hot Chili Peppers wannabe and George Clinton cover band can lay down a groove to make a frat party move. For Innercombustion, it’s a combination package; the combo that Inncercombustion presents makes Pepperoni Pizza Combos blush.
Innercombustion brings the funk, but along with the funk comes a more serious tone, with pieces of industrial and prog instrumentation. The blending of styles is seamless on their four-song effort just released for F Nice records.The band truly wears moon shoes because they are jumping in and out of a plethora of styles.
The track that most epitomizes their mix is single To the Hills. It opens with some flowing chords and then kicks into a more established groove with lead singer Patrick McConnell crooning in a lower emotive tone. The beauty of the song stems from constant dynamics in the instrumental arrangement and the vocal harmonies done by McConnell. Though the songs structure comes of as more experimental, Innercombustion still hits us with some standard rock characteristics that no one can argue with like guitar solo in To the Hills that opens with a searing line based on McConnell’s vocal melody.
It’s no surprise that the band has a diverse sound. Their members hail from various locations such as the lovely lands of Southern New Jersey, L.A., and Jerusalem. Further, I did a little detective work with McConnell I was able to get some info out of him on where the band recorded, “Well, lets just say, we were able to get into a few high profile studios when no one was looking.” He says, “What we couldn’t get done there we recorded right in the F Nice studios.”
Though diverse in styles, they have a sound that is unique to Innercombustion. McConnel writes the songs and then brings them to keyboard player Paul Lo Prestie, bassman Dylan Jackson, drummer Moses Eder and guitarist Gadi Caplin to beef them up. McConnell cites influences such as Joy Division and Peter Gabriel but states that he is more influenced by local favorites such as Ros Raskin and the Rice Cakes and Dead Bat Dead Rat. He says, “I am interested in what’s being created around me” concluding, “Bands don’t break, scenes break”.
Innercombustion finds value in a tight knit music scene, and their music is equally tight knit. The arrangements are smooth and each note is played with intent. Upon further speaking with McConnell, I learned more about where the tight knit feel of the music comes from. “Three of the members went to high school together” says McConnell. He continues, “I am a multi-instrumentalist, mainly focusing on vocals and percussion. When I write music, I arrange each instrument as if it were a drum.”
So, we have a band who believes in melding styles, a tight knit music scene, and are releasing a four song EP this month. Intercombustion offering an explosive release to the Boston music scene this month is the best thing that has happened to March since Mardi Gras, and I can guarantee that these guys won’t have to throw beads at you to convince you for a little flash action.
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