Audiences were captivated and swept into a blues, R&B and psychedelic rock trance as the base guitar, drums, vocals and a guitar painted a smooth transitioning soundscape for audiences to groove to.
With only three musicians but a very diverse sound, an independent rock band from Portland, Oregon, The Resolectrics, performed at John’s Alley Tavern on Oct. 25.
As a trio, it’s sometimes a challenge for the band to mix up their sound and add variance to their music. They draw on a legendary psychedelic rock trio, Band of Gypsies, as an influence to add power to their rhythm — and a decked out pedal board to change up the melody of their guitar on a moment’s notice. The guitar is the band’s only melodic instrument and it’s easy for it to sound the same, said the band’s guitarist Tate Peterson.
“I think of it as colors on a pallet that I can use to create different vibes and colors and ideas, musically speaking,” Peterson said in reference to how he uses his pedal board on stage.
Some of their other psychedelic rock influences include artists like Jimi Hendrix, Pink Floyd, 13th Floor Elevators, MC5, Tame Impala and Unknown Mortal Orchestra. Much of the Resolectrics’ funky and soul powered rhythms draw influence from R&B and soul artists like Lee Dorsey, Allen Toussaint, Booker T & The MGs and Etta James.
In the spirit of these bands, the trio enjoys playing music for various reasons. Peterson enjoys the challenge and calls his playing a form of meditation and one of the happiest places to be because of their music’s authenticity.
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John Becher, the drummer, enjoys playing because it forces him to push himself and continually gives his brain a workout.
Bob Dunham, the bassist, enjoys playing because it gives him an outlet to express himself and hear others express themselves. He also enjoys the communicatory aspect of music.
“Music is kind of like a language, even sometimes on like a subconscious level,” Dunham said. “Between the band we’re communicating, and between the audience.”
The three of them all agree however, playing music provides them an opportunity to continuously grow. Sometimes too, challenges they face as a band also provide that opportunity. Some of these challenges present themselves when the band is on the road.
One of the bigger challenges for them is going to a location where people don’t know them. People may not come out when they don’t know the band, but the trio works hard to win them over and grow their fan base. The band’s goal is to always put on a good show, no matter what and do the best they can. Once they’ve built a fan base in a town, it starts to feel like home Becher said.
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“I think a challenge can be to keep the perspective that every place — even the places where you’ve got a great crowd — it took a while to get to that point,” Peterson said.
When they play, The Resolectrics try to create a meditative perspective, especially in their more improvised psychedelic sections, where their audiences can join them in the moment. They want people to flow, feel comfortable, feel good with the music and draw their own meanings from it.
“If you get everybody in the moment, that’s the goal,” Becher said. “It’s like everybody forgets what happened before, any troubles of the day, worries about the future, the government or anything like that, if everybody can get into the moment for just a little while.”
The Resolectrics are grateful for their audiences and enjoy it every time fans come out, buy some merchandise, dance or bust a move. It lifts their spirits, and makes them want to keep performing for crowds, Peterson said.
“We promise to dig deep every time for you,” Becher said.
Next week’s Alley Chats will feature another band from Portland, Far Out West. They’re a jam quartet that fuses rock, funk and Americana. No concert of theirs is one in the same, as they have a lot of improvising on stage.
They have a powerful yet soothing female vocalist and guitarist, Liz Chibucos, drummer Forest Carter, bassist Matthew Holmes and on the electroacoustic mandolin Chad Kimber.
They’ve performed at many events like Northwest String Summit, 4 Peaks Music Festival, Beltane Music Festival, Juniper Jam, Schweitzer Mountain’s Fall Fest and Oregon Brewer’s Festival. They’ve also played with artists like Becca Stevens, Jeff Austin Band, Dirty Revival, World’s Finest and Jelly Bread according to their Facebook page and their website.
To hear more about what to expect, check them out on Spotify. They will be playing at 9:30 p.m. Nov. 1 at The Alley.
Sam Bruce can be reached at [email protected]