Local favorites Irradio have never had it so good. With the release of their slick album Make Up For the Inaugurated, produced by studio guru Ben Moore (Hot Snakes, Rocket From the Crypt), these five virtuosos are finding their way out from the fringes of the local San Diego scene toward a broad acceptance of their offbeat sound.
Fresh off the heels of a triumphant “mini-tour” that found them spreading their tunes nationwide, Irradio will play a free show at Porter’s Pub on March 5. Musically, Irradio are all over the place, yet somehow manage to wear their radio friendliness on their sleeve. Funk, reggae, jazz and occasional electronica weave their way through each song like individual fish, but thanks to the punk sensibility of Dan Dasher’s energetic vocals, the school is well behaved and catchy as hell. In addition to holding the band’s sound together, Dasher also provides Irradio with their greatest chaotic element: Along with fellow guitar wielder Paulo Zuniga, the duo form a guitar matchup unlike anything you have ever heard. Their odd, lilting guitar melodies are simultaneously in time and out of time, hummable yet incomprehensible, the musical equivalent of hooking up an electrocardiogram to an amplifier. To top it all off, the entire musical package is wrapped up like an origami crane with the Zen-like silences offered by a lack of fuzzy distortion pedals and the occasional ethereal organ arrangements courtesy of the band’s newest member, Edgar Alminar.
If this artsy description sounds like the latest audio masturbation from the likes of Modest Mouse, pay heed: Irradio are still punk, and still rock, but it’s punk to bump and grind to, as opposed to punk to the shatter-somebody’s-collarbone-in-a-mosh-pit variety. This sexiness endures, thanks to the fat rhythms of brothers Chad and Collin Tuthill on bass and drums, respectively.
If the musical composition of Irradio seems to be an exploration of variety, the band’s political message is along the same lines — harmony and the use of diversity (musical and otherwise) for the greatest possible good. Nowhere is this more evident than on their soaring single “One Sound,” which has been featured on various compilations and encourages everyone to dance to the one universal human song and consider other political concerns such as “the best of free trade.”
Whether you’re interested in hearing a bit of political post-punk, want to see some serious musical chops or are just interested in a free, energetic live show, Irradio’s March 5 offering will not disappoint.
Arts-and-crafts types might be interested to know that the show is designated “Dasher Jacket Charity Night,” where the somewhat legendary shredded leather duds of Irradio’s front man will be replaced by the best submission from the audience, an “American Idol” contest of sorts where the prize is Dasher’s torso. So be sure to bring any starstruck clothing you may have lying around.
