Local Spotlight

Basement: From the Bottom Up

originally published October 3, 2001

local-basement.jpg Photo by Meghann Riepenhoff

With plans on the table to record a full length album by the new year, Basement has been pretty busy playing shows across the Southeast lately. "This is what we do," states bassist Jim Coley, "so we try to get out as much as possible."

"We" includes Coley, along with guitarist Matt Weiss and drummer Matt Martin. What "we" do is high-energy instrumental music inspired by a large array of influences ranging from blues to electronica. Each song flows through dynamics, delicate harmonies, guitar effects and syncopated rhythms. The elements feed off each other, creating a rollercoaster feel.

"We have this one song called 'Horseback Catherine,'" explains Weiss. "It's absolutely different from anything else we play. It's like this weird Slavic feel. It's great ’cause we'll play a drum'n'bass thing, then we'll play a more traditional jam, and when ['Horseback Catherine'] comes out you can just see the total reaction shift. We have to convince them in the first couple of measures. But then they're like, ’Oh, okay.'"

"We kind of work it like a jazz band," explains Weiss. "You have a basic idea or concept throughout the song and spaces within the music to give the ability to move around and change. Some songs are pretty straightforward but don't sound necessarily the same every time. My favorite thing about instrumental music is that it doesn't hit you right off the bat. It leaves so much to your own personal imagination. A song can mean to one person one thing and something totally different to another... I like challenging an audience enough [so they] have to really understand it for themselves. People ask us what our songs are about and we're like, ’Whatever it is to you.'"

Basement plays at Tasty World on Wednesday, October 3.

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