Feature

Band: XBXRX, Abstract Artimus, Hence the Plagues, and Lightrunner

Date: May 29, 2007 with doors at 9 pm

Venue: Cell Block, 216 Dauphin St., 431-0186, www.myspace.com/cellblockbar

Tickets: $6 at the door

Though they remain in the dark obscurity of underground music, Mobile’ s own XBXRX has toured extensively in the U.S., Europe, Japan, Mexico and Europe, have caught the attention of major magazines and a who’s who of alternative icons. When they play their hometown these days, it’s not uncommon for them to pack the house no matter how big the venue.

With their latest release on Polyvinyl Records, XBXRX is on the road once again with drummer Michael Clark (Nuees Ardentes, Difference Engine, The Amazing Coincidence) returning to their constantly changing line-up.

XBXRX made the Mobile scene in 1998, the musical era between the Culture Shock and Cell Block when all the scenesters frequented a downtown venue called The Splash. Still in their very early teens, brothers Vice Cooler and Steve Touchstone formulated an improvisational, chaotic brand of hardcore in reaction to the common sounds around them.

After laying down tracks in the studio for “Greatest,” XBXRX began the first of nearly 30 tours complete with an extreme stage show featuring balloons as well as broken instruments and bones. Crowds ate it up.

When they played Mobile, the reaction was less than spectacular. “There wasn’t a reason to stay,” Cooler explained. “All of our friends had moved. We were doing shows for really important bands like Lightning Bolt, Deerhoof, Quintron and Miss Pussycat, and no one cared. I remember we did a gig for Black Dice and Animal Collective at The Splash, and kids were walking in, spitting on them and then walking out! They actually thought it was cool to pay to get in, walk into the room, spit in their faces and walk back outside.”

Though there was no hometown love, others took the band seriously. XBXRX released their first full-length “gop ist minee” in 2001, a result of studio sessions with iconic alternative producer Steve Albini (Nirvana, Pixies and P.J. Harvey). XBXRX’s sound attracted other underground legends such as Ian MacKaye (Fugazi and Minor Threat) who produced their EP “Clear.” Influential figures in the alternative scene not only took time to work with XBXRX, but some became fans including Sonic Youth’s Thurston Moore, who featured them as openers for Sonic Youth.

“Thurston came to a show when we were 15,”Cooler said. “I ran into him again in New York when I was on tour with Wolf Eyes. We have kept in touch over the years just through mutual appreciation. He loves music and obscurity.”

Through their travels, the band developed a bond with the West Coast. With their worldly experience and hostile hometown, XBXRX shifted bays and moved to Oakland, Cal.

“We identified with the overall culture more and had large support from the Bay Area friends and artists,” Cooler said. “So, we spent a summer out here to decide. The weather was better. We could get part-time jobs doing things we already did for free. The warehouse we ended up moving into was full of people making things all day like records or paintings. It was a much healthier zone to be in.”

XBXRX found a home at Polyvinyl Records and released the widely popular “Sixth in Sixes” to much critical acclaim. This was followed by their latest release on Polyvinyl, “Wars,” centered around the theme of personal battles involving emotions, social status or politics. This one even caught the attention of “Spin” who called their music “pugnacious punk.”

“I always have believed that I should write about what I know,” Cooler explained. “We have a tremendous awareness of poverty, mainly because none of us have any financial backing from anyone. All of our friends are poor. At the same time, the record isn’t ever about doom and gloom. It’s about trying to make the best of that and being aware that your positive output into the world is more important than any amount of money that could ever be given.”

Though it differs from “Sixth in Sixes,” the band takes a big picture approach to their albums. “I wouldn’t say that it’s that different,” Cooler said. “It’s more like a book moving chapter to chapter. It uses different colors than ‘Sixth.’ That album had a unified lyrical agenda. I would say this new record is much less locked into a ‘hardcore’ template than the last one.”

“Wars” begins with “Center Where Sight,” an epic plunge into oblivion with frantic drums and guitar riffs led by alto vocals laced with anxiety. “In Veins” delivers punch after punch with its driving instrumentation and vocals.

Despite its connection to previous releases, Cooler is the first to admit their sound has gone through a metamorphosis since their days at The Splash. “There’s been an evolution in the band’s music,” Cooler says. “Some people will hear it; others won’t. We work mostly within a rock-based idiom, but we’re interested in pushing different parameters and variables to see what we can make that is new. This is what keeps us interested in the project.”

This boundaries-free approach to their music is best witnessed at their live performances. Improvisation is a big part of an XBXRX show and they plan on capturing it with an all-improv release “Sound,” due out this summer on Important.

With their spastic body movements on stage, it’s not uncommon for either audience members or band members to get hurt, but this tends to be quite appealing to their underground disciples as well as the band. “The wildest thing is when the audience gets really involved, and this vortex of energy gets created,” Cooler exclaimed. “It’s like a blast of positivity, and it’s hard to describe!”

From Mobile, XBXRX will continue to traverse the world spreading their Port City sound though they now call Oakland their home. Their one goal is a very simple one- reaching even more people with their music as well as continuing their progress and self-improvement as musicians.

Stephen Centanni is Lagniappe music editor. Contact him at scentanni@lagniappemobile.com.

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