If you're half as entrenched in the music scene as we are, you're undoubtedly tired of seeing the same bands in girl pants and suspenders hailed as the "next big thing," only to find that their music is an ear-stabbing sonic abomination. To offset the balance and provide a better alternative, we present the first installment of CraveOnline's Sound Spotlight series - a place to find great new music while sidestepping the empty hype. If we're talking about it, it's because we believe in it and not because some hipster indie blog has deemed it 'not lame'. This is our official seal of approval.
Alfonzo could be the best blues-revival rock quartet you've never heard, pushing the bar-brawl rock n' roll envelope with a filthy rich rhythmic core and a classic rock callback sound. Having formed a few years ago in Edinburgh, Scotland and recently signed with Glasgow-based D Set Records, they've readied their debut album with award winning Scottish producer Jim Sutherland, and are ready for their time in the sun.
Check out "Blind As Faith":
Like a raucous '70s blues rock engine, Alfonso - Daniel McGeever (Vox, Keyboard), Mikey Cook (Guitar), Chris Cook (Bass), Andrew Innes (Drums) - make high-energy music that demands dancing, drinking and the belligerent confidence that a hangover in the morning is likely inevitable. Think of them as The Who meets The Black Crowes with a shot of scotch - in fact, Alfonso would make a fine middleman on that bill.
Having gigged in the main venues around Scotland and with the likes of Snow Patrol, Doves and Feeder, they're climbing the ranks in the industry and starting to turn the right heads. That's why we rang up bassist Chris Cook, to get a feel for where the band's coming from and where they're headed.
CraveOnline: Where's Alfonso based?
Alfonso: We're still in Edinburgh, in Scotland, but the record company's based in Glasgow, so we're bouncing between the two cities at the moment.
CraveOnline: How would you guys pinpoint yourselves, musically?
Alfonso: We're a bit of a throwback. We were just having this conversation, actually. I'd like to think of us as a sort of charged-up rock n' roll blues. We were really fortunate to have George Marino master our album, this incredible touch into the past for us, because he worked on all those Led Zeppelin and Jimi Hendrix albums. That was lovely.
When we first wrote it, it was an all-out rock n' roll album. We didn't want to lean too heavily on Hendrix and The Who, but more attention needs to be paid to those legacies, and without thinking sometimes we let that bleed in a little. So some things change and grow on their own, but for the most part it fit the vision we had.
CraveOnline: Nobody's selling very many CDs anymore. Being in the position you're in as a band with something to offer, trying to rise above the white noise, what are your thoughts on the file-sharing issue?
Alfonso: I think from a matter of personal experience that, no matter what, it's not easy when your hard work gets taken away from you, after you've spent all that time writing an recording and mixing and mastering and getting it just right. But then there's the argument that at least this music's getting out to people. I think opinions really tend to sway depending on where you are on the ladder of success.
CraveOnline: Understandably. If you're hungry for exposure you can't demand that everybody open their wallets before they hear you.
Alfonso: Right. Then there's the argument over the physical format, where when an album is released, you're not holding anything in your hands, there's no grand unveiling of the thing. I think there will always be people who prefer the physical experience.
CraveOnline: Vinyl's making a resurgence as well. It was bound to happen, with music being such a disposable, invisible commodity, the pendulum has to swing the other way. The iPod kids nowadays who have never had the experience of going to a record store, buying and taking home an album, to open the packaging so carefully and look at the artwork and liner notes as you first put the thing on. That interactive personal experience is something you can't have with a download, not the way things are presently.
Alfonso: For sure. We're a young band involved in all this, but we're very aware that this is as good of a shot as we're going to get. And what's going to be the best way to get everyone to listen to us? The single became available on iTunes, and I downloaded it straight to my phone, and there it was as a wee icon on my phone. And it's funny because I can't touch even touch it. It's not there, it's just this digital blip that represents my work. But it's accessible. We'd also like to keep making vinyl as well, though.
CraveOnline: And that lends itself towards a certain vinyl calling with you, because you don't come from a disposable pop foundation.
Alfonso: I imagine I could sit down and write a three chord wonder, but really what's the point? I think you can probably take from this that none of us came in with a business approach. We're four friends that love our music and have known each other all our lives. This is the kind of music that we've wanted to play, for us first and foremost.
CraveOnline: How did you decide where to take your sound?
Alfonso: We knew what bands we really liked, and we thought of where we wanted to take our inspiration based on our appreciations. Pearl Jam's Ten was absolutely huge for me. I just thought, wow, as a band, if they're pulling that out as their first album, then it's all still possible. There's a lot of inspiration to be found out there, but never do we want to lean too heavily in where we pull our influence.
CraveOnline: I think comparisons to other bands can be a bit of a double-edged sword. When we were first approached about you guys, you were presented as The Black Keys meets Wolfmother. The Keys are fantastic, but Wolfmother's really not a band you want to be compared to in terms of originality. They're hopelessly derivative and unmemorable, and just by their inclusion my first instinct was to skip it and move on. But I was curious about the reference, so I clicked your MySpace link, "Blind As Faith" sucked me in and here we are.
Alfonso: Well I don't want to come across as conceited at all, and all respect to whoever we're compared to, but you've gotta have a little bit of belief and confidence in your creation, and I think we're a bit deeper than Wolfmother...
CraveOnline: Couldn't agree more.
Alfonso: (laughs) Thanks, really kind of you. But really, if they put us on tour with Wolfmother, that's absolutely great. That's a hell of an opportunity. It may be a lot of nice-sounding noise, but we'll answer that call.
CraveOnline: It feels great to be in the position where we can find a band we haven't heard of before, and none of our friends really know about yet, the record's yet to lift off and so on. It's a fascinating experience to see what bands stand tall on the platform we as publishers give them, or don't quite live up to the expectations you set for them.
Alfonso: We're sort of like bugs under the glass then, aren't we? (laughs)
CraveOnline: Sure, but I suppose that's what the whole game is about. Will we see you in the States anytime soon?
Alfonso: SxSw is being mentioned right now, so we'll see how that develops.
CraveOnline: Cool. Best of luck! We'll shout this from some rooftops for you guys.
Alfonso: Thanks man, it's been great. Hope to see you soon.
To hear more from Alfonzo hit up www.myspace.com/alfonzomusic
