|
 There
are, according to F. Scott Fitzgerald, no second acts in American life.
The New Cliché-
Alixx Gruber, Brian Blackwood, and John London- seems to not notice this.
Perhaps they do, aware that with their impending re-launch they will be
adding a new wrinkle to the band's history; perhaps they don't; or maybe
they just don't care.
Regardless of the view the band (or anyone else) chooses to take, The New
Cliché has been afforded a second chance at the stage.
A chance contact with the management representing alt-pop darlings
The Format led to
an offer Gruber couldn't refuse: opening for the band's Oklahoma City date
in August. After the better part of the year in limbo, the opportunity
would provide the band with a very high-profile chance to kick off its new
direction.
Personnel changes have been a constant for The New Cliché, with members
joking about this being the tenth lineup. Previous incarnations have
included members of
Minutes Too Far
and Iowa rockers
An
Airbag Saved My Life. Presently, the band is in search of a bassist.
"We spent a whole day playing with a guy who I could tell right away was
not in The Orb," London says over bites of his enormous plate of
chicken-fried steak and mashed potatoes (which he eventually shares with
Blackwood.) "He was such a Magoo."
"Magoo" is part of the group's inter band code language which peppers
their conversations. "The Orb," in New Cliché speak, is the nucleus of the
present version of the band. When it is declared that only the three band
members present are in The Orb, Blackwood's girlfriend takes offense until
he relents and admits that she is present in the social Orb- but not the
musical one.
With the departure of founding guitarist Aaron Charnay- who left on
friendly terms to study dance- the band has been reduced to a three piece,
with Blackwood handling guitar and programming ("He makes fresh beats,"
London beams) and London providing drums and, eventually, samples.
"I wish Aaron was here," Gruber says.
"If he were here," Blackwood adds, "he'd hump something."
"Or drop his pants," Gruber shoots back.
 Blackwood, rail-thin and bearing a passing resemblance to Uncle Tupelo-era
Jeff Tweedy, was formerly a member of
Roma Secrets,
a band with a reputation for a harder sound than anything normally
associated with The New Cliché. Nothing about the transition has struck
him as odd- he notes that, as one of Roma Secrets principal songwriters,
he would regularly sneak pop sensibilities into the bands songs. He points
to his solo recordings as evidence of his pop tendencies and is quite
proud to announce that two of his songs have found their way into The New
Cliché's setlist.
London, in contrast, has a pedigree in the genre. He served stints in
local stalwarts 13 Stars
during its space punk phase (his new outfit calls itself intergalactic
pop) and alt-pop veterans
The Stellas, where he first met Gruber.
Gruber dresses the part of riot grrl, but calls to mind something closer
to the Material Girl in spirit if not exactly sound; a devoted cheerleader
for the present lineup, she uses the words dance and pop
without hesitation when describing the direction the band seems to be
taking.
In all fairness to all parties, The New Cliché does not, in fact, sound
like Madonna (though it is amusing to note that she did once drum for
post-punk dance pop outfit The Breakfast Club.) Rather, the previous
iteration of the lineup bears a more discernible resemblance to
Rainer Maria's
earlier work, with Gruber's voice echoing a more girlish version of
Caithlin De Marrais. (The New Cliché will share the stage with Rainer
Maria when both bands open for The Format.)
The sound of the new lineup is the MacGuffin in the room. The Orb concedes
that pop plays heavily into the newer material, although with cryptic song
titles like "What Are You, a Bear?," it might seem that the band is
angling for a blurb on a hipster-baiting blog.
"I like the boy/girl vocals," London continues, "but [Blackwood] never
brings a fuckin' mic [to rehearsal]." Blackwood defends himself, claiming
that, as he doesn't own a PA, he doesn't feel the need to own a
microphone.
Still, the band believes that the set being prepared for the show is a
strong one, solid enough to promote with a string of events including this
interview and an upcoming appearance on
94.7 FM's
Buzz Born and Bred program, which may include an acoustic
performance of "What Are You, a Bear?"
Along with the challenges inherent with restarting a group, other wrinkles
abound. In the past year, the band has built up a certain degree of
notoriety, which begs the question: is there an audience for The New
Cliché?
"I don't know," Gruber replies tartly, "look at the Oklahoma Rock forum."
She refers to a flame war which erupted in February, during which much was
made of the soon-to-be seventeen-year-olds personal life while
comparatively little dealt with the band's music. Gruber tempers this with
a sense of optimism, however.
"I hope people will give the music a chance this time."
Check out The
New Cliché online:
web site
/
myspace
/
purevolume
-
Michael Ross, 08/08/06
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