The lights are low. Its three hours till midnight at O’Malley’s Pub and Grill. The Band is set up on the stage at the newly completed patio. Friends sit at round metal tables enjoying rounds and catching up with each other on a relaxing Friday evening. Fresh off of their homecoming show on Western Carolina University’s UC Lawn, Almost Kinetic are ready to rock the house until the rafters split and the roof collapses.
It’s a struggle to define the sound of the band. It’s impossible not to hear the influence of late 1990’s garage rock. Bands like Third Eye Blind, Fastball, the Wallflowers, Incubus come to mind, but none of these seems to do justice to the music of a band that was born and bred right here in the Cullowhee valley. Almost Kinetic have a sound all their own, and it’s a sound that has to be experienced personally.
“Can’t you see, oh can’t you see? What that woman, she been doin to me?” The band begins with a cover song for the sound check. There are musicians who would criticize a band for playing other people’s song, but there’s something to be said about a band who can take a song they didn’t write and make it their own. Almost Kinetic does just this, every time and without fail.
“Everybody doin alright? It’s Friday!” THe band goes into a rendition of “You can’t always get what you want” by rock legends the Rolling Stones. Mick and Kieth would be proud.
Almost Kinetic has the power to communicate with an audience like no other band in the area. When they play a song, they mean it and they let you know they mean it. The bass and drums work together like a wall of rain that seems to get closer and closer until the lead guitar parts the clouds to bring forth the downpour. Then we all get rained on together, and somehow all the problems we thought were so big seem to all melt away and are dissolved in the river of emotion, leaving us on the shore of a brave new world in which we become something more than what we were.
Almost Kinetic is Adam Blythe (Lead Guitar) Sam McCarson (Bass) Mike Cannon (Drums) and Joe Basile (Vocals/Rhythm Guitar).
After the show, I had a chance to sit down with Almost Kinetic and ask some questions.
PM: So tell me about your band.
AK: Our band began playing together in 2003 under the name Sperro. At the time we were still trying to find our sound. We played a brand of Pop Rock that was unique to the area, but it really wasn’t our style. Almost Kinetic was born almost one year ago when Joe joined the band. We had him memorize about thirty covers in the span of a week.
JS: It was pretty hardcore, still not sure how I did it.
AK: Anyway, we’ve been playing together as Almost Kinetic for about a year. Our new CD is called Pieces and it should be out around Halloween. Check out our website at www.myspace.com/almostkinetic
PM: Can Music save the World?
AK: Yes
PM: Can you elaborate on that a bit?
AK: Music has the power to save one person at a time. If it has the power to do that then yes, we believe that music is the cure for a world full of broken and alienated people.
Almost Kinetic have a new album with a tentative release date set for October 31, 2008. The album is called Pieces. Check them out at www.myspace.com/almostkinetic
