(10.07.07) Many moons ago in a land far, far away, electronic impresario Randy Garcia was a hard rockin’ kinda guy. A staple in countless south Florida bands, Mr. Garcia honed his skills across a gamut of various instruments. Equally skilled in guitar, keyboard, and drums, Randy eventually found his way over to the burgeoning electronic scene exploding around Miami. Throughout his tour of duty with Nophi Records and r_garcia, Randy never forgot where he came from and where his true musical love was born.
It is this mentality from which The Nerd Parade was born. The former r_garcia grew somewhat tired of making everything with Buzz tracker, and performing with a laptop was often less than exhilarating. Driven by the desire to rock the fuck out on stage with a full band, as well as a love for positive, quality songwriting, he enlisted the help of fellow troubadours Rich Wilson and John Jacobus. No rock band is without a vocalist, and The Nerd Parade found their muse in Ms. Abby Wren. The culmination of their joyous union is their debut release on Headphone Treats called “A Delicate Bashing”.
This is a solid rock record, reminding the listener to younger days in the early 1990s. Reminiscent of bands like The Rentals, The Toadies, and other post-grunge melodic contemporaries, A Delicate Bashing is firmly rooted in song writing rather than repetitive riffage. Each song elicits specific emotion, clearly evidenced by their powerful live show. Since several of the band members have spent time in the electronic trenches, hints of electronic production can be found within the golden, dream-like track list; yet, they augment the rock tracks rather than stick out like a sore thumb.
Highlights of the record include “Smedley,” a Weezer-like crunch fest coated with light riffs, dual vocal harmonies between Mr. Garcia & Ms. Wren, and lyrics that shift the bright emotion of the music to a melancholy yearning. “Crude Polygonal Space Fighters” sees Mr. Jacobus taking the songwriting lead with slow tweaked-out electronic beats beneath a computer voice telling the history of growing up jaded in south Florida and finding solace in any easily available distraction. “Resolution Day” showcases the vocal range of Ms. Wren as well as the production talents of Mr. Garcia.
The songs here are catchy without being irritating; they showcase a mature wisdom of the bittersweet nature of life itself. A Delicate Bashing sounds like the soundtrack to a non-existent film that would have been the definitive period-piece of the early to mid 1990s. While the r_garcia material seems to display less repetition, this foray into rock and roll is a solid debut for this motley crew of musicians. There is an addictive happiness in this record.
A Delicate Bashing is out now on Headphone Treats. [Purchase
