TRUCKASAURAS
Old-School Circuitry Meets the WWF
By Evan “The Bug” Williamson; photo by Kyle Johnson
It’s not so much a patronization of American pop culture as it is a satirical glorification of it that’s manifested in Truckasauras’ intuitively addictive dance tracks. Nor is it coming out of a laptop.
Known throughout Seattle for their old-school circuitry and ironic WWF-inspired visuals, Truckasauras frontman Adam Swan explains, “We aren’t really trying to target any specific crowd, we’re just showing the ridiculous nature of American pop culture while kind of embracing it in a way.”
The group’s recent music video, “Fak!!!,” illustrates it best: a cheesy all-star cast of Jaqueline Stallone, Joey Travolta, as well as two Joe Estevez’s introducing a truly bizarre and glitched-out spectacle of a WWF match with Hulk Hogan sadistically dominating his opponent. It’s comically interrupted at points with a soaring, semi-translucent eagle super-imposed over the fighters.
“I think we were all obsessed with at least some of this stuff when we were younger, and still are,” says Swan. “Now we see the humor in it and try to make it as funny for people watching. We aren’t trying to take ourselves too seriously, even though we take the music and visuals very seriously.”
Equipped with an arsenal of analog weaponry, a projector and a stock of keen ears, Truckasauras have been stirring up the local music scene and encountering deservedly huge reactions both at home and on the web. Live and in real time, they bring bone-rattling bass, swirling synths and catchy 8-bit beats to the (literal) table at their shows. It’s a spectacle to watch, even without the monster truck rallies or 1980s action icons projected behind them. However, it was three years of teasing ears with these live shows before Truckasauras released their first album, Tea Parties, Guns and Valor. The album itself boasts 17 epic videogame-esque tracks with seven remixes (one by Marius Libman of Portland’s Copy – a former junior high school buddy), a cover of the theme song from ‘80s television show Airwolf and nine original tracks.
Defying tradition and their own affinity for the old school, Truckasauras decided to release this debut as an exclusively digital online package. Swan remarks, “It seems like since CDs were invented, and now with the iPod, album artwork has become kind of a lost art. With this release, you get a 10-inch by 10-inch 10-page album cover to go with your download. Something tangible that looks good, while still adapting to the new way of digital music distribution.”
The release arrived with the help of Seattle’s innovative and eclectic artist collective Fourthcity, a vast spectrum of talented and passionate contributors to the local scene. The cast includes DJs, emcees, graphic design artists and others who don’t necessarily fit into such categories.
It’s interesting to explore the history of the band; its deep roots and longevity contribute significantly to the sound and feel of its music. “We all met in elementary school and grew up together in East Seattle,” says Truck’s Ryan Trudell. “We all played music in various bands and we eventually started Truckasauras when I got a Nanoloop, which converted my Game Boy into a drum machine.” This Nanoloop – a cartridge that basically turns a Game Boy into a lo-fi synth – along with a Roland 808 and a Sequential Circuits TOM drum machine, a Korg MS-20 and a Roland SH-101 vintage monosynth, a Roland TB-303 Bassline, a Future Retro Mobius sequencer, an Elektron SidStation and two mixers together make the sound that shakes the ground on which Truckasauras stands – be it at local stages or just about every major Northwest music festival this year.
While it seems implausible and totally counterintuitive, Truckasauras have actually taken it to the streets too, surprising onlookers with their guerilla-style (semi-)acoustic outdoor concerts. “Street Truck” features Tyler Swan (brother of Adam) on drums, Trudell and his Game Boys plugged into a battery-powered amp, and Adam Swan on melodica. “We usually set it up outside of shows on Capitol Hill and draw crowds of drunk people walking around. It’s a lot of fun and the songs translate really well,” says Adam.
An inescapable thumping force, armed to their sharpened teeth with wires, wrestlers and undeniably catchy songs, Truckasauras are not only making a refreshingly unique contribution to the underground music scene, but humbly making us realize just how stupid we’ll seem to ourselves in the future.
www.myspace.com/teapartiesgunsnvalor |
