The Suex Effect

originally published January 10, 2007

The Suex Effect - (L to R) Ricky Barrett, Jonathan Daniels and Miles Karp - is playing at Amici on Saturday, Jan. 13.

Back in October, on a weeknight at Tasty World, a skeleton, two butterflies, a ninja and a dude from Honduras named Richard Sotomayor filed in with a pimp, a cop, a skank and the clown who had already staked claim to stage-front real estate. The Suex Effect could've launched into “The Freaks Come Out at Night,” but instead, the young three-piece - named for a housecat and comprising guitarist-vocalist Ricky Barrett, drummer Jonathan Daniels and bassist Miles Karp - covered “Electric Avenue” to open a Halloween-themed show. After honoring Eddie Grant, the trio tripped into a Live at Pompeii-ish jam that Pink Floyd may have used for a soundcheck - but then again, Roger Waters & Co. were never this danceable.

The Suex Effect is a local jam band with roots in metal, and also in Augusta, GA. As the story goes, Barrett’s uncle studied exotic percussion techniques all over the world before coming home to break Ricky from his metal leanings and introduce him to the headier jams the kids and cultures overseas were celebrating. It wasn’t until Barrett and the boys arrived in Athens that their current creative endeavor was born in early 2006.

Since last summer, the trio has been gigging around town, playing with surprising frequency at places like Tasty World and The Library, often paired up with other young fusion-minded bands. The downtown Italian eatery Amici has also provided a friendly home to the act. Flagpole recently bought the guys a few beers and, apparently, intimidated the shit out of them during their first interview (proper or otherwise).

Flagpole

A soft porn or a dark comedy?

Ricky Barrett

Can’t they be both? I mean, can’t they really be the same thing?

Flagpole

School lunch money: spend it on lunch, or spend it on something else?

Ricky Barrett

I can’t even begin to recount the number of things that I’d spent money that was supposed to go for food on…

Flagpole

For instance?

Ricky Barrett

A six-string fretless bass guitar.

Flagpole

With lunch money? That’s awesome! So: Zaxby’s or Guthrie’s?

Jon Daniels

I can’t… I’ve only been [to Guthrie's] that one time. It was after a baseball game…

Flagpole

You play baseball?

Jon Daniels

It was a Georgia game.

Flagpole

"Jam band" - cool scene or evil tag?

Jon Daniels

Oh, fuck. That was a damn good question. People… you sit there and try to explain what you are, and I can’t ever figure out what to say, so it ends up coming out, "We do a lot of jamming, aw fuck, we’re a jam b… no, fuck… improv, yeah, we’re an improv band." Throw that word out there to avoid the bad tag of a "jam band."

Flagpole

Waffle House or Huddle House?

Ricky Barrett

That depends on what state you live in. In the state of Georgia, I’d go with Waffle House, absolutely. Outside of the state of Georgia… dude, have you ever been to a Waffle House in South Carolina? Ooh, holy hell no. You don’t want that trip, man!

Flagpole

Chelsea’s or Topper’s?

Ricky Barrett

Ooh, neither one, man. Gross. Uh-uh. There’s no way I’d pay money to see what those women would want to show me.

Flagpole

There goes any chance of establishing a local stripper fanbase.

David Eduardo

Spotlight is biweekly feature looking at newer or emerging local acts. Next up: Bear.