Typically, I use a certain amount of caution when it comes to devices
that account for 5,000 fires a year. After entering the ever-packed Che's
Lounge on Saturday night, overcome with a warm and fuzzy sensation, I
felt happily, worry free. The Electric Blankets light up the stage with
an inviting spark that ignites your boozey
energy into a dance that could very well set the place on fire. The
guys are just too damn nice to do that, raising their beers to the
crowd and extinguishing any hazards with a warm word and catchy hook.
The
local four piece has been steadily earning fans with their melody
driven rock and roll. Each of its charming and talented members comes
from a different schooling and experience with music, resulting in an
eclectic pool of styles to dip into. Whether its a well thought-out
cover or a catchy original track, the guys have an openness that you
draws you into them. They are accessible to the people they perform to.
In return, the audience is receptive and appreciative with their
offerings of free beers and sing alongs.“Me and Eric met trying to date the same girl and then none of us ended up being successful. Eventually, we decided we wanted to start making music together. I had melodies, he had guitar. He had a history with bands so people started to hit us up around town. Tadj came around because he heard we wanted to start something. Then we convinced Romo to be a part of the band,” vocalist Raul Michel, says of the band's start. Drummer Steven Yanez Romo adds, “our first practice was love at first drunk. We all kinda came from other bands and all came together.”
The band employs what bassist Tadj Roi calls, “a big time unorthodox way of writing music,” to create their material. “We're actually just kinda writing music we want to listen to. Its kinda
cool that were playing music that we wish was out. That's our standard.
That’s what we set ourselves to.” The tunes start off in Raul's head.
“They [The songs] start from a little melody I come up with on the way
home from work or when I wake up. There's like 50 of um and out of those
50 will come like one and then I'll show Eric, I like that one. Lets do
something with that.” Guitarist Erick Bornmann
then takes that melody and makes it musically plausible, “I'd figure
out what key he was singing in. He was already in a key but he just
didn’t know it.” He doesn't have the musical training that the rest of
us do. So, he comes up with a melody in his head and he'll come to us
with it recorded on his phone or something then we'll go and record it
on a computer or we'll just sit with an acoustic guitar and figure it
out. We said we would write songs the way we like to and for someone
else to say I really like that, is so great."
I could see the sense of accomplishment in Erick right away as he reminisced on the set. “Tonight at Ches, I saw people singing “Little Boots”. I saw people singing along with Raul. I’m there, playing, looking around, and there are 4 or 5 people singing along. Some of them I knew, but some of them I didn't even recognize! That's great. Its so reaffirming.” Romo also cherished the support of their well earned fan base. “Its flattering for people to come up to us and say I’ve had your song stuck in my head all day.
Erick told me they have just written two new songs and will be working on a six song EP over the summer which they are hoping to release around September. Along with that, the band is preparing for a short tour to California. For all their friends in Tucson, they will be performing at the Surly Wench with The Mission Creeps on 4/20.
The Electric Blankets really did look like they were having this rehearsed, somehow spontaneous, blast in the small bar where we all grooved around them. They have crafted diverse music that wraps you up like a snugly blanket all night and then as you open your eyes to the harsh sobriety of the morning after. I pushed aside the hair-of-the-dog technique for a light dosing of “Little Boots”- the band's most popular song. Throw back an Advil, drink a gallon of water, listen to that, and it will all be worth it. The Electric blankets have taken the best pieces of themselves and put them together to create one of the catchiest sounds of Tucson.
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