Some bands cram their songs with meaningless lyrics because they think they need to. Other bands can say more with a few lines and some dynamic instrumentation than those who crowd their music with words.
This is the case with Ampline, a Cincinnati-based threesome whose music is almost entirely instrumental.
The group will be playing in Pullman tonight.

“(The group) started as an instrumental band,” said guitarist Mike Montgomery. “We always liked bands like The Ventures … we sort of stem from that.”
The group plays a mix of surf, punk and progressive rock while still keeping the songs melodic. Ampline avoids the loud and heavy sounds of hard rock in favor of a smoother style.
Ampline started 10 years ago with Kevin Schmidt (bassist) playing with other founding members in basements. After various changes, the band ended up with its current configuration of Schmidt, Montgomery and drummer Rick McCarty. The three have been playing together for seven years.

Ampline Keith Klenowski/Courtesy Photo

“We usually try to purposely not have anything before we go to practice,” Montgomery said of their composing process. “If someone stumbles across an interesting series of notes, we try to flesh it out from there.”
Montgomery said the group is a bit like a democracy “(It) keeps everyone more interested if they all get a say in the writing process.”
This is the reasoning behind why the group doesn’t have a defined front-man or a singer.

“There are no real people who are backup singers,” Montgomery said.
This leaves the group free to just play and compose songs that don’t have to accommodate a vocalist.
While the group has toured the west coast before, this will be their first time visiting the northwest. Montgomery said they are looking forward to meeting new people and seeing parts of the country they’ve never seen before.

The group is making a stop in Pullman because of the work of Malice in Wonderland Productions.
“The group found us through Myspace,” said Cris Maxey, president of Malice in Wonderland Productions. “We’re starting to get a big network of bands to come and play. We’ve had bands all the way from Mobile, Alabama. It was a mutual find because one of our house bands played with them.”
The Pullman Moose Lodge is starting to draw a wide range of talent from several different genres.

“We have everything from jazz and country to punk rock and death metal,” Maxey said.
While Ampline may not fit neatly into any particular genre, they don’t seem to mind.
“I don’t think we set out to change the world or anything, we’re just out to play music,” Montgomery said.
Ampline will perform at 9 p.m. tonight at the Pullman Moose Lodge on SE Kamiaken Street. Doors open at 8 p.m. Admission is $5. The group will be selling their latest albums for $10 and will also be offering albums from other bands under the Shake-It record label.

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