Broadcaster

   Broadcaster makes their home in Providence, aside from the recent arrival of their drummer Rainy, who hails from scenic Worcester, Mass. They have been active on the scene since 2008, and were voted 2011’s Breakthrough Artist of the Year in the Providence Phoenix.

  Creating this review was an interesting experience for me, because I have been able to experience two distinct incarnations of the band. One is the band itself, four members, captured by recording technology and placed online for the enjoyment of all. The other version of the band was the one I saw performing at 121, a three piece, recontextualized in the moment, and presenting the music in a different way.

     In comparing the two, I find an interesting paradox, in that there was something more raw and fundamental about the band live. The layering of two guitar parts was missing, and the space created seemed to spawn and extra element of ferocity. At the same time, the sonority generated on the recordings by the interplay of the two guitars creates an extra dimension of poetry in the musical presentation.

     This band has found a nice balance between songwriting and noise, two things I happen to enjoy. Listen to the squall at the end of Drunkard’s Walk, and the way it contrasts the vocal line and the riff writing.

     Another aspect of their sound that provides a nice sense of variety is the country influence. Their ability to contrast this with a more straight up indie rock type of sound is demonstrated to ample effect on Passerby, the first track of Drunkard’s Walk. Listen closely to this song for a study in stylistic variation.

     Moving to the second track (Choke) demonstrates their versatility, mostly due to the fact that while the personality of the band is squarely intact, the aesthetic evoked is nothing like that found in the first track. Here, as elsewhere, the band demonstrates its understanding of guitar tone as a songwriting tool. Their ability to utilize a couple of types of tone colors at different points in a given song goes a long way towards aiding the development. This also makes itself felt in the relationship between Chris’s vocals and the guitar. They complement one another. In another sense, the guitar tone seems to capture the entire essence of the band in itself.

     The members of the band are currently Rainy - drums. Moe - guitar/backing vocals. Derek - bass/backing vocals. Chris - guitar/vocals. From what I understand, this band is mostly the brainchild of Chris; the impression I got watching him go off onstage was of a man exposing his own personal mode of catharsis. Although angst-ridden, the vibe emitted isn’t nihilistic or hopeless. It is the angst of emotional release. In the end, however, the resulting sounds are the product of focused effort by a group of people, and the personalities of the musicians involved enrich the proceedings in a way inimitable by anyone else. Such is the way of things with good bands.

     The band has three webpages. You can find them on:

Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/BroadcasterRI)

ReverbNation (http://www.reverbnation.com/broadcasterri)

BandCamp (http://broadcaster.bandcamp.com/)

Their BandCamp page is especially rich with streaming audio. In addition to the two studio recordings, three live bootlegs can be found. They’re definitely worth checking out.

     These guys are fairly busy as a unit right now, seeming to play a couple of shows a month. Their show dates are all readily available on their webpages. Go see them. They kill it live.