Rock born of shoe phones, sideburns

The Ottawa Citizen, 21 Sep 2006. (Scan)

By Fateema Sayani

The Reverb Syndicate began on a lark: Let's make scores for film scenes, they said. The idea grew into a healthy appreciation for '60s film, surf rock, Get Smart reruns and what Jeff Welch calls "Austin Powers without the tacky" -- but maybe with the sideburns.

It all comes together on Operation: Jet Set! The Ottawa band's 11-song debut has songs such as On to Checkpoint Bravo and Zis Is Kaos! It's a chi-chi romp of surf and sass with a huge nod to Ennio Morricone.

Welch is the Syndicate's bassist and goes under the cheeky handle Reginald Goodthrust. His imagined alter ego is a billionaire weapons
expert with international status. He's joined by his co-characters: the suave gadget expert Victor Tremolo on lead guitar (Mike Bradford), the Soviet turncoat and ladies' man Casanova Red on guitars and keys (James Rossiter), and the mysterious utility man The Fixer on drums (Mike Rifkin). They are big personalities on stage, but they stay zip-lipped on the album. The only vocal is an airport terminal passenger call.

"We wrote each song as a theme to a movie scene," Bradford says. "We
thought, 'What do we want to convey with this scene, what kind of drama do we want to show?'"

Welch explains the process: "We thought, 'What's in a spy movie?' The car chase, of course. That's how Oil Slicks and Ejector Seats came about." In true form, there's the screech, the vroom, and the refrain that revs up as the song progresses until -- ta, da -- the car crashes and burns (or whatever's supposed to happen in this imaginary film). They kick up the schmaltz for Shake Don't Stir and the album ends with ... And the Hero Gets the Girl.

It may have began on a lark, but the band takes its mission seriously, hoping to bring some fun to the clubs, get people to dance and appreciate another time. "In the '60s people seemed less concerned," says Bradford. He catches himself, and notes that his only experience with the decade is through movies and television. "You went to your job, came home and had a martini."

The Reverb Syndicate CD release party takes place at Zaphod Beeblebrox, 27 York St., 9p.m. Saturday with the Solid Senders. $6.

(c) 2006 The Ottawa Citizen.