Music

Underage

by Megan Seling

A couple weekends ago, I stood in the back room of the Vera Project wearing green tights, a red skirt, a Santa hat, and other elfish accents. I'd never been a Christmas accessory before, and there was no way I could pass up a possible career highlight when the club asked me to help with its holiday-themed show. So there I stood, Santa's little helper, snapping Polaroids of showgoers as they sat on the jolly one's lap and recited lists of records and entertainers they wanted to see under the tree on Christmas morning. I had a blast.

Almost as exciting as getting to play elf for a night was knowing that Roy was opening the show, as it's a local band comprising members of Harkonen, Botch, and These Arms Are Snakes. I'd heard them before, quite a while ago, but barely remember anything (it was a Tacoma house show, it was hot and sticky, and all my memories are of how amazing Against Me! were).

But as soon as Roy's set started, a warm, familiar mix of pop and alt-country made its way into the back room. You'd think that tossing together former members of the aforementioned bands would result in something that sounds a little... louder, maybe? Something a little more aggressive and urgent? But Roy is far from any preconceived notions based on the members' impressive resumés. There wasn't any sassy keyboard, there weren't any pounding bass lines buried under seas of cutting math-rock-inspired guitars. As far as I could tell, there wasn't any Harkonen, Botch, or These Arms Are Snakes sound in sight! And I liked it anyway.

The music stayed with me on my drive home that night (and returned when I finally found a chance to listen to the advance copy of their forthcoming debut). Images of Ted Leo & the Pharmacists danced through my head throughout the disc. Bouncy guitars, endearing harmonies, and easy rhythms made me tap my foot and bob my head without even thinking about it.

Roy's full-length Big City Sin and Small Town Redemption will be released January 27. It was co-produced by Matt Bayles (of Minus the Bear), who has also worked with the Blood Brothers, Pearl Jam, Waxwing, and the Murder City Devils, to name a few. Until it arrives, the best way to experience Roy is by picking up a copy of their latest EP, Tacomatose. Or, you could catch them live, and wouldn't you know it, they have another show this weekend. It's a benefit for Bandoppler magazine (www.bandoppler.com), with Mea Culpa and the sure-to-be-amazing original lineup of the formerly defunct Raft of Dead Monkeys at Studio Seven on Saturday, January 3 (7:30 pm, $8). I hear Damien Jurado will also be doing some sort of standup comedy act for the show. Man, those crazy Bandoppler kids. They sure know how to throw a party, even without the elves.

megan@thestranger.com

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