For those of you who missed out last spring, The A-Sides are an up-and-coming band from Philadelphia made up of four college-aged guys living the dream of any aspiring musician. The band members met at Drexel University with absolutely no intention of becoming a serious band.
"That's actually where our name came from," said Jon Barthmus, lead singer and guitarist of The A-Sides. "I showed some stuff I was working on to our drummer, and he said, 'Man, we won't even have enough material to make it to the B-side of the record.' "
Obviously, the drummer was mistaken. The A-Sides are signed to the start-up label Prison Jazz, based in Scranton, which is also the label of previous Roustabout! act Okay Paddy.
The A-Sides' music has a definite Beatles-feel, which is exactly its goal. In fact, the band members admit their original aim was to "be the Beatles," Barthmus said, but they certainly have other influences.
The band lists James Bond movies and the smell of warm blueberry pie as key motivations, but musically speaking, they draw from The Shins, The Ramones and Velvet Underground, to name a few.
"There's been a definite progression in our music," Barthmus said.
The band is getting ready to release its debut album, Hello, Hello on March 29, and State College is the last stop before its record release show March 26 at The Khyber in Philadelphia.
They're sharing the stage tonight with The Bonapartes, another group of indie-rock persuasion.
The band was born about eight months ago in Washington, D.C., when various members of other bands, including Roustabout! favorite The ShakeDowns came together.
Despite being young, the band is ready to take on State College.
"This is the first time we have played a show out of the D.C. area and we're hoping it will lead to big things," said Ben Griggs, guitarist for The Bonapartes. "We are very serious about it."
Griggs describes the band's sound as reminiscent of The Fall, The Replacements and Guided by Voices, with a definite rock 'n' roll vibe.
Van Fossan expects The Bonapartes' sound to go over well in State College's music scene.
"I've heard some really good recommendations about them from other venues down in D.C., " Van Fossan said.
The Bonapartes are shopping around a demo and gearing up for upcoming shows in the D.C. area, but tonight, the band's focus is State College.
"We are really looking forward to playing with The A-Sides," Griggs said. "We've heard that they are really good."
