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The Reverb Syndicate Debut Spy-In-Space Concept Album

ChartAttack.com, 29 Nov 2007.

By Caitlin Crockard

When we last checked in with Ottawa's only spy-themed surf-rock band, The Reverb Syndicate had completed one imaginary soundtrack, a live radio drama and a few jaunts to nearby towns. Now, a year later, the band boast of success in New York, a main stage set at Ottawa's Bluesfest and a new record of more spy themes - this time based in space.

Surf music has what bassist Jeff Welch describes as "very intense, very out-there and very passionate fans." Welch and bandmates Mike Bradford, James Rossiter and Mike Rifkin experienced this first-hand when they received a personal invitation to appear at a monthly surf rock showcase in New York City hosted by DJ Unsteady Freddie.

"We were jazzed when we were given the headlining slot, until we found out the slot was at 1:30 a.m., which in Ottawa would be the kiss of death," Welch says. "But in New York, the party is just getting started."

This wasn't The Reverb Syndicate's only U.S. breakthrough. They can also claim to being bootlegged by a popular American surf music blog. It may have reduced sales of the band's first record, Operation: Jet Set!, but it increased awareness across the continent about the danceable, irreverent songs contained within.

When it came time to release another CD, Welch says The Reverb Syndicate "didn't want to plagiarize ourselves. It made it more difficult to write."

So how do you make spy-themed surf-rock more original? Make it happen in space, of course.

"Honestly, it was a joke when we were in the studio for the last record," Welch says, explaining that a band member suggested the space theme in jest. But it stuck, and the result is Sputnik A-Go-Go, an album of more robust, tighter - and, yes, spacier - songs.

As with the last record, The Reverb Syndicate have a narrative running through their head. The songs form the soundtrack to a cheesy '60s spy movie of their own creation. Press for specifics, though, and it's clear that the band want listeners to create images of their own. Welch will, however, describe the general progression of the album.

It starts with the introductory - and, again, spacey - sounds of "This Is Not A Test," he explains, where the credits would likely run. "Then you've got the jump into action right away with 'Lunar Attack,' and then you move on to 'Sputnik A-Go-Go,' where we meet our heroes in the go-go lounge, and it kind of just flows from there.

"This is definitely the action movie of the installment. The songs have a little more speed to them, a little more gumption... We're getting much better at being ourselves."

Despite the high-concept nature of the album, the band's faux-bio of espionage history and monikers like "Agent Sovtek," there's one thing The Reverb Syndicate take very seriously: getting a crowd of people up to dance.

"When we go to a new city, that's always the test," Welch says. "Ottawa is weird because it doesn't feel cool enough to dance, and other places are too cool to dance. We're looking for the middle ground."

The band have been slowly building up a strong fan base of eager dancers thanks to their energetic shows. And it sometimes helps to have a little extra flash. For their Ottawa CD release party, they were accompanied by "Natasha and Tatiana Gogodancevitch," two lovely ladies who helped amp up the energy in the room and lightened the mood even further.

"If you still have a little swing left in your hips, come out to dance," Welch says of the group's performances.

You can dance along to The Reverb Syndicate and The Havocs at Sudbury's Townehouse Tavern on Friday night.