Wednesday, July 23, 2008

Swift Tracks: Orange Peel Sunshine and The Fellow Americans

By Brenna Rushing

This week I’m venturing into the genre that never ends, indie/alternative rock. There seems to be so many bands that fall under this category, and it makes it hard to choose just two. But some how I pulled through, and the lucky winners are Orange Peel Sunshine and The Fellow Americans.

Not only does Orange Peel Sunshine stand out for their name, their sound also comes out on its own. “Second Story Affair” is one of the groups’ oldest tracks posted on their Myspace, but oddly enough it has the best quality. OPS sound isn’t the cause, it just seems that they picked the wrong studio or studios to record in.

Orange Peel Sunshine

The varying beat demands your attention from the beginning, making you think drummer Joey Johnson is really having to work. Frontman Josh Campbell takes over vocals and guitar, but his vocals are a bit drowned out because of the guitar. They seem to be using a speaker box effect on the guitar, which helps make the song a little vintage. Chris Skinner takes over on bass.

There are fleeting (very fleeting) moments where Josh’s’ voice resembles Green Days’ Billie Joe Armstrong and Brandon Boyd of Incubus. But since these moments are short, I’ve come to the conclusion that he has his own sound.

Unfortunately "Second Story Affair" is an unreleased track from 2005, so you can only enjoy it on their MySpace. But they do have two albums out, Stamp Covered Suitcase (2008) and Apple (2000). They will be playing at the Prophet Bar on Saturday, July 26.

The Fellow Americans bring some heavier tunes to the table, in a garage punk sort of way. Their song (which also starts with seconds) is called “Seconds Out.”

The Fellow Americans

Even though their guitar is more intense than OPS, lead singer Matt Hickey is still able to come through clearly. As soon as I heard FA, I pictured guys in tight black jeans with long hair and possibly some face piercings. But alas, when I checked their pics out they looked like three average guys who happen to be in a band.

The group also uses the speaker box effect but on the vocals instead of guitar. Most of the tracks on their MySpace have this effect, so they seem to like it. All of the songs resemble each other, telling me that they are going for one specific sound. It’s not a bad thing; they seem to have it down pretty well.

The strongest element of their music is the guitar. In “Seconds Out” it leads, making the song jump out at you to keep your attention. It has just the right amount of intensity; two guitars at this level would be too loud for my ears.

Fellow Americans have a lot of work to display: two full-length albums, a promo, and a 4-song cd. “Seconds Out” is on their soon-to-be-released album. Their next show is at the Moon Bar also on Saturday, July 26.

Since both shows are on the same night, I’ll leave the fight as to who to go see up to you and your friends.

Related stories

• Pegasus News Week in View: Hello Dolly edition (July 24, 2008)

See more stories in:

• Arts > Popular Music > Alternative / Indie
• Arts > Popular Music > Punk
• Arts > Popular Music > Rock

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