Orange County-based band RX Bandits will play at Downtown Brewing, Co. on Sunday. Since forming in 1999, the progressive rock band has transformed dramatically in their 11-year legacy, and reinvention has seemed to be their driving force.
Constantly experimenting with sound while maintaining consistent song writing, the band has covered many facets of the rock genre, shifting from reggae-infused ska, to punk rock, to their current progressive guitar-heavy sound.
Listeners have a tough time categorizing their music, especially after transforming throughout their six album releases. Physics sophomore Will Schuur, who has been a fan since 2006, finds that their current sound is a mix of past influences.
“It’s a mix of experimental — a little punk, but a little harder. They don’t have a lot of parallels with other bands, but you can definitely see where their influences lie with the old guitar-heavy rock and the more modern ska-punk,” Schuur said.
In an industry where change may make or break a struggling band, RX Bandits have indeed come out on top, with their most recent release “Mandela” being one of the highest selling albums on Amazon.com in 2009. After dropping their horns from their 2006 release “…And the Battle Begun,” the band has graduated to a more serious sound.
Some fans agree that their reinvented sound has carried them forward. Veteran fan Eric Bach, a construction management sophomore, has been listening to the band since 2003. As an avid listener to their last three albums, he is happy for them to have progressed in a new direction.
“I kind of knew that their newest CD would be different,” Bach said. “Right off the bat I heard a song that they released before they actually released the CD, and I really liked it. I could tell it was going be a different CD, so I had that mind set.”
However, “Mandela” wasn’t received well by all fans. Schuur feels that their new album sounds more produced than their past experimental albums.
“It seemed more focused, which I kind of didn’t like. Back on ‘The Resignation’ and ‘Progress’ albums, they were more like ska-punk and it was all over the place, and once in awhile you’d get a guitar solo that you didn’t see coming, and I really enjoyed that,” Schuur said. “This one feels a lot more produced. I mean the guitar work and production – everything sounds good – it just definitely was a digression from what I thought was where they were headed as a band.”
Despite the mixed reviews over their new album, Downtown Brew is anticipating a sold-out show. Korie Newman, the booking and venue coordinator for Downtown Brew, knows that their show will bring high energy to the San Luis Obispo fan base.
“These guys have been playing in SLO for years and have a great local fan base. We (Downtown Brew and Numbskull Productions) love working with the guys and look forward to another great night together,” Newman said.
The band has been almost consistently touring internationally since the release of “Mandela” in July of 2009. Selling out shows from Australia to San Francisco, the band still maintains relationships with smaller venues. Bach believes that this can be attributed to their fan appreciation.
“Their music is all written for their fans. It’s always been about making music that they themselves really like and that they think other people will actually like. It’s not so that they can make money,” Bach said.
Despite their daily city-to-city commutes on tour, they still find time to talk to fans after the show. Biological sciences sophomore Cate Webster recalls meeting the lead singer Matt Embree when she and Bach saw the band last fall at Downtown Brew.
“We went outside after the show, and Eric was like, ‘Cate come on!’ And he just runs down the ally and I’m just like all amped like, ‘Alright whatever, what’s going on?’” Webster said. “… and I look and there’s the lead singer Matt Embry! Eric was like, ‘Dude can I have a hug?’ Then I was like, ‘Can I have a hug too?’ And he was like, ‘Sure darlin’, come here!’ And I like, died. I was like, ‘I’m changing my name to Darlin’!”
Their upcoming show should prove to be another exciting performance, packed with both die-hard fans and restless energy. Schuur, who has seen them three times, said they deliver a unique performance.
“The last two times I saw them, they started off with a drum intro that was really intense. All four members were playing a different drum set and so it sounded like something very tribal and powerful, and then they went into a song,” Schuur said.
Webster is also excited to see how they will change up their set this time.
“Each show I’ve been to, they’ve done something a little different,” Webster said. “Sometimes they’ll just shut off all the lights and just get one acoustic guitar and have everybody sing one chorus over and over again. You just feel like you’re lifted up by this awesome unity of music.”
Doors open for the all-ages show at 7:30 p.m. with openers Zechs Marquise. Pre-sale tickets are on sale for $13 at Boo Boo Records or ticketweb.com. Tickets can also be purchased at the door for $15.