Skybox - Arco Iris (2006)So I feel like I've already talked a lot about working in college radio and previously about the funny circumstances in which I first really met Skybox, but it's still kind of a funny story so I'll give you the cliffs notes version.
1) Booked local band Skybox for a show in 2005
2) Loved Skybox
3) Booked Skybox for very first episode "The Basement" in 2006 to promote their upcoming CD release.
4) Told Skybox to get to the studio at 7:30PM for the 8:00PM show.
5) Get a call at 7:30AM that morning because they were standing outside the studio.
6) D'oh!
7) Band goes home and sleeps, comes back at night and we all have a good chuckle.
8) Band's performance had me so floored about having live music on the air that I eventually had a live performance every week for the next 2 1/2 years.
As you can see, this band left a dent in my life (in a good way of course) So much so that their CD release show the Friday after they came to The Blaze has gone down as one of my all-time favorite shows ever. They had a sound that was so unique and definitely not in the tone of what was happening in Tempe at the time. We were all sort of weary after the post pop/punk explosion and still existing in the jangle pop shadow of The Format and Gin Blossoms, so the direction was in our hands. Skybox's sound is best compared to that of Jellyfish or the new record from Fun. ; a sort of campy, flashy, poppy, almost musical-esque sound, very well produced and vibrant.
While the album didn't play out like a "musical" per say in being a cohesive story (at least I don't think so?) the band carefully crafted their CD release to paint the picture of each song with props, costumes, people dressed as disco dancers during "Disco Duck" and a young Sean Brennan from (then) Ember Coast wielding a sword during "The Lass The Bitch and The Butcher". There were people passing out cupcakes in the audience and a giant explosion of confetti near the end. I had just gotten a new camera and grabbed a quick shot of the show that I think sums it up pretty perfectly.
Skybox explodes with every ounce of joy you should find in music. The songs are expertly crafted and the hooks are incredibly smart. It truly takes you on a journey, deliberate or not, and the attention to detail in everything from the lyrics to sound bites between songs to their over the top release show is proof of the kind of care the band takes in every aspect of their music.
They have since moved out of Phoenix and to Chicago, changed their lineup and are working on their upcoming release which (says Wikipedia) is due out in early 2010. The first song they released, "In A Dream" is an absolute smash, in every sense of the word, although quite different from the tone of Arco Iris (but still completely awesome. seriously, I'm so ampd on this song). I have no doubt in my mind that with the kind of savvy that they possess in everything they've fone so far, they can stretch those boundaries and make a huge impact. Just wait.
Fun! Found a cool video from the CD release show, even though the beginning's kind of cut off. Such a great experience.
And because people need to hear this song, "In a Dream":
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