Spazmatics and Bravesoul

The Spazmatics: The Spazmatics were born in the spring of 1983 when physics professor Kevin Stigwood of Alta Dena High in Thousand Oaks California, lost a debate over String Theory to an upstart pupil in front of the entire student body and faculty. As agreed to by both parties, the loser would have to do anything that the winner demanded, and the victorious prodigy demanded that Mr. Stigwood perform “She Blinded Me With Science” by Thomas Dolby during half-time at an upcoming state basketball championship game. Having no musical background and desperate to not go down in total humiliation, Professor Stigwood formed The Spazmatics by tapping the genius of electronics teacher Sidney Baderman (AKA “Sid Sonic”), who had achieved international acclaim in 1981 for his invention of “robot” drums. When Baderman (who was also the girls water polo coach at Alta Dena Middle School) explained that most of the music could be generated by computers, and that all he needed was a couple of decent musicians to complete The Spazmatics, Stigwood was ecstatic. To make The Spazmatics complete, Stigwood brought in his special needs brother Curtis on bass, and teacher’s assistant Rusty A. Woosmeir (AKA “The Raw”) on guitar. When The Spazmatics took center court that evening, members of the hip elite began heckling them with jibes of “geek” and “nerd,” while everyone else howled with laughter. But once they broke into the opening salvo of “Science,” the nonbelievers were stunned by the group’s authenticity of production, world class musicianship, and tight choreography. The Spazmatics performance came to a climax when Stigwood grabbed one of the cheerleaders and began doing the “Belinda” up and down the court with her in tow. When it was all over, the crowd rose in a standing ovation, and The Spazmatics were born. From the creators of the Fabulous Boogie Knights comes the Spazmatics. All the awesome sounds, styles, and way cool dance steps from the 1980’s decade we’d love to forget. Complete with skinny ties, Brill Creamed hair, and horn-rimmed glasses, The Spazmatics recapture all the best of the worst. Outstanding musicianship combined with creative flair and style makes for an evening of pure energy and entertainment. So tonight we’re gonna party like it’s 1999; only it’s not! The Spazmatics.

Bravesoul : New school roots with old school soul. That's how famed rock guitarist Peter DiStefano (Porno For Pyros) described their sound upon first listening. Bravesoul was born out of Los Angeles, CA. It is the latest project that singer/songwriter Marty Rod and bassist/songwriter Eric Noble have been carrying around in their psychic space for five years. As musicians with deep roots in a variety of styles, they've worked in numerous signed and unsigned bands, carving out a soul-driven sound and writing style that has been ignited by the straight-ahead, power-rock drumming of Jason Baksh, a seasoned LA drummer who joined the trio in early 2011. Their first EP, scheduled for release in the fall of 2011, brings to the greater public songs that have been incubating in the rehearsal space for months, that have taken on vastly different forms and sounds and are now crystalized into their most exhilarating and coherent states of being. As popular music blog SOBSU.com described it, "they have an unusual depth of taste and groove that promises to hit the modern pop music landscape with surprise." With songs crafted with the same combination of pop-accessibility and heartfelt authenticity that anchors the music of the legends, Bravesoul is poised for great things in 2012. Extended Bio: Bravesoul, a soul-pop band out of Los Angeles, California, thrives on experimentation and combination. Experimentation and widespread appeal have a complicated relationship in popular music. The pressure to serve to the public a neat package or "brand" in line with the current tastes is rising as new bands struggle to make a name for themselves in the veritable avalanche of new music that pours out of home studios onto Itunes and cell-phones. In this competitive but exciting environment, Bravesoul seizes the opportunity to find it's true voice, a style that is unafraid of mixing influences ranging from Otis Redding to Incubus. It's first EP, the tentatively titled THE SIDEWAYS GUIDE TO LOVE, is a passionate exercise in stylistic honesty: listening to the complete work, which includes "Heartbreaker", "Promise You", "Trouble", "Keyhole", and "Build It Up", involves the listener in a range of styles, from 60s-ish R&B; Soul to dark country rock; the band's serious interest in an underlying foundation of strong traditional songcraft, poetic lyricism, and sultry rhythmic pulse, brings it all together. Diverse tastes are often born out of one's upbringing, and this is especially true for Bravesoul's three founding members. Marty Rod, singer and guitarist, will recall with a certain level of nostalgia days spent listening to both Persian classical music and 60s-70s Soul-R&B; with his parents, Iranian immigrants to the San Fernando Valley. Eric's parents were music omnivores; he spent hours dancing as a young child in their backyard to fusion jazz artist Pat Metheny, West African Soukous, folk-pop hero Tracy Chapman, and Bach. Jason Baksh's playlist has roots in years of both listening and playing with artists in the modern LA rock scene; his favorite bands include Sevendust and (Hed) PE, but he can definitely get down to some Whitney Houston and Celine Dion. A high level of musical diversity is brought together through the dynamic musicality of these three accomplished musicians. Marty's soulful baritone, Eric's soul-groove bass, Jason's straight-ahead pulse, are present in songs that seem to come from disparate cultural landscapes, from the traditional pop-soul feel of "Heartbreaker" to the British-dance rock pound of "Keyhole". Their aim in releasing such an eclectic first EP is not merely to test the waters and see what sound will hold water in the marketplace; they just felt these were their best songs up to date, and ones they like the most in this moment. With the support of producer Mikal Blue, who has earned fame through his work with the likes of Colbie Caillat and Ryan Feder of OneRepublic, Bravesoul is entering into a very exciting part of their career: the very beginning. Marty and Eric have worked together for a number of years, honing their soulful, pop-driven writing style, collaborating in various project with talented musicians of all influences. Jason, whom Eric met at a jam in a private aircraft hangar, has worked the LA rock circuit. They all agree that THE SIDEWAYS GUIDE TO LOVE is the best music they have made so far in their lives. Marty and Eric's soul-driven and jazzy style of playing guitar and bass has, in a real sense, been crystallized, re-focused by Jason's power-pop drumming. Together as a trio their music has a sense of urgency, a desire to make honest statements of who they truly are as musicians and as people. These are exciting times.