Grand Rapids’ zany answer to the British Invasion of the ’60s will uncork its ultra-energetic, throwback ditties during Friday’s Jammie Awards show at The Intersection. (Podcast, video)
Lovably vintage in every way.
Support our coverage of
West Michigan's music scene
From Tommy Schichtel’s 1959 Fender Jazzmaster guitar played through a classic 1956 Premier 120 amplifier (a favorite of rock guitar legend Link Wray) to the band’s delectably saccharine and effervescent pop harmonies, The B-Sides are the New Millennium’s answer to the British invasion.
Infused with boundless pop energy, instantly addictive hooks and a wacky sense of humor, members of the Grand Rapids-based band are musical amphetamines, psychoactive throwbacks to the ’60s, pumped up with an edgy garage-rock snarl.
Much of the band’s self-titled 2013 debut album – featuring songs that members started writing back in 2006 – was recorded in analog fashion at Schichtel’s Goon Lagoon Studios with retro-gear on reel-to-reel tape.
VINTAGE GEAR + HOOK-FILLED SONGS = THE B-SIDES
“It’s easier to get that fuzzy warm sound of the ’60s that way by having that kind of equipment,” concedes Schichtel, who’s also a guitarist with surf-rock’s The Concussions and garage-rock’s The FuzzRites. “But ultimately, it’s still got to come from the musicians and the songwriters.’
True, and The B-Sides have that in spades with Schichtel on vocals, guitar, bass and keyboards, his brother, Chris, on vocals and bass, David Stanton on guitar, bass and vocals, and Peter Curry, of Los Straitjackets fame, on drums and percussion.
Channeling the early years of The Beatles, The Kinks and The Hollies, The B-Sides ooze grin-inducing romps through three-minute tales of love, lust and love lost in songs written by Tommy Schichtel and Stanton, with Christopher Schichtel’s early era-Rod Stewart soulfulness balanced against his brother’s high-pitched, girl-hued timbre.
“That’s the music we cut our teeth on,” Stanton says. “We love the ’60s, what can I say? But it sounds modern at the same time. It’s a good blend of new and old.”
The band was even named after the pop and rock gems that often graced the flip sides of ’60s-era 45-rpm records. “The idea was to have a band that kind of nodded back to our favorite B-side songs,” says Schichtel, who recalls repeatedly playing one of those B-sides, The Beatles’ “You Know My Name (Look Up the Number),” as a kid.
Speaking of vintage, if any’s the band built for AM radio, it’s The B-Sides. So, three of the four band members – the Schichtel brothers and Stanton – dropped by the studios of News Talk 1340 AM (WJRW) on Wednesday for this week’s edition of Local Spins Live to chat about their music and play a couple of songs (their own “Everyday” and The Sonics’ “Shot Down”).
Listen to a podcast of the show here and watch a video of part of that performance below, along with footage from their 2013 CD-release party.
The B-Sides’ self-titled album is up for several awards at Friday night’s Jammie Awards show being staged at The Intersection by community radio station WYCE-FM (88.1).
And rest assured, The B-Sides are the only one of the two dozen bands performing at the mammoth celebration who are flying their drummer in from California for a 20-minute set.
TARGETING RELEASE OF A NEW ALBUM LATER THIS YEAR
“He really doesn’t like us playing with anybody else,” Tommy Schichtel says of Curry. “We were planning on recording soon, more songs, so we’re just kind of incorporating that into the weekend.”
Indeed, the band has a giant, pent-up arsenal of tunes to unleash. “We could actually do three records right away,” jokes Schichtel. “So now we’re just going to the Holiday Inn, and going to the pool and having a Mai Tai while we release three albums.”
In reality, The B-Sides – who are contemplating a brief European tour in 2014 – hope to wrap up work on their second album later this year, with a likely release date in late fall. “It’s far more psychedelic,” Schichtel says of the follow-up record’s sound. “And I was told that’s in now, so we’re not missing the boat this time.”
For a full schedule of bands performing at Friday’s Jammie Awards, check out this Local Spins feature. And read more about The B-Sides on their Facebook page.
Email John Sinkevics at jsinkevics@gmail.com.
Copyright 2014, Spins on Music
Haha, love that first photo.