The artist of the month: Street Drum Corps
PUNK / EXPERIMENTAL / ROCK
The drum has always been the backbone of any successful group. Hell, go further back in time, when
drums were at the center of any tribal ritual. It’s carnal. Primeval. A good song hits you in the
head. A good beat nails you in the stomach. So in an era of squeaky-clean, polished production, Los
Angeles’ Street Drum Corps (SDC) are more important than ever.
Since their formation four years ago, the group has constantly refined their sound on the road, blowing
away audiences at nearly every major U.S. festival with their combination of thunderous percussion and
visual stimuli. SDC’s shows are a primordial, stomping blast of energy, theatricality and passion.
There’s a reason why members of No Doubt, Bad Religion, and Revolution tourmates Atreyu all want to
play with them. Why Conan O’Brien invited them to perform on his show. And why The Used’s Bert
McCracken has practically adopted them as his pet band. SDC are more concerned with rhythm than
genre. In their performances, one hears tribal, rock, punk, dance and industrial, all somehow
blending together in a chaotic, beautiful mess.
“If you’re blind, you’re gonna feel an amazing rhythm coming from us ‘cause we are all drummers first,”
says Bobby. “If you’re deaf, you’re going to see a lot of flashiness and a lot of energy from what we’re
doing stomping around on stage. We take a lot of the theatrics from groups like Mötley Crue, Jane’s
Addiction, Blue Man Group and Stomp.”
As the group’s members have extensively toured and evolved, so has their sound. For their Interscope debut,
the drums obviously remain, but now horns, keyboards and more make their way into the mix. Drawing from
such diverse influences as Adam and the Ants, Led Zeppelin, Jane’s Addiction, African Burundi drummers,
and Siouxsie & the Banshees, the album’s varied sounds ensure that this will not be just
“that record with all the drumming.”