Showcase Article—by Dave Richards

Fractured fun with Telefonics

You can't help but sing along with their songs, whether you're at their show, in your shower, or in their shower.

BY DAVE RICHARDS
dave.richards@timesnews.com

Remember "Fractured Fairy Tales," those offbeat shorts during "The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show"?

If they were set to music, they might feature the fractured pop of the Telefonics. The group's best songs are sugary and give you a sweet, blissful rush -- yet subversive, too, with how they fold in noise and feedback.

If Phil Spector produced Velvet Underground -- or Debbie Harry joined Jesus & Mary Chain -- they might make songs as gooey, catchy, and New Wavy as "Laser Beams" and "Cinema Poseur Photography."

"Strangest Places," the Telefonics' third CD, features the group's strongest hooks and most rousing choruses, the kind you can't help but sing along with, whether you're at their show, in your shower, or in their shower, which is where they draw the line.

In any case, the making of "Strangest Places" went smoothly, considering it's the band's first CD with singer-keyboardist Josh Zimmer and bassist Fred Krugger as full-fledged members.

"More than anything else, just writing a good pop song was the goal," Zimmer said. "They don't necessarily all turn out like pop songs, but at the heart of them, they're pretty much just written-on-acoustic-guitar pop songs."

When they come up with a hook they like, everyone contributes song parts, including guitarists John Johnston and Pete Burke, drummer Zach Haras, singer Gina Rullo, and Krugger.

"Josh adds some real interesting keyboard melodies and the play between the voices," said Johnston. "Pete's always coming up with great counter melodies and all sorts of things. Maybe it sounds lame, but we just write and the output really is a band effort."

Nothing is premeditated, said Zimmer.

"It certainly seems like there's no goal, as far as, like, 'We need to make this song rockin',' or whatever. That's the way it comes out when we all get in the same room and play it."

With Zimmer, Telefonics employ more male-female vocals than before. Rullo's soft, kittenish voice provides a nice contrast for Zimmer's full-throated singing.

"It seems like the writing is lending itself more toward the dual-lead vocal thing," Zimmer said. "Almost every song now, we kind of split verses, and it seems like it's working out pretty well. It seems like we sing well together."

Telefonics also beefed up the choruses with help from backup singers they dubbed the Telefonic Spree, a take-off on Polyphonic Spree. For Saturday's show, they'll feature six guest back-up singers -- who will also play percussion -- and a trombone player.

"I've been like totally influenced by Polyphonic Spree over the last six, seven months," Johnston said. "I'm just fascinated by the band. They seem like they're having so much fun, and it's just these big, big pop songs with big choruses."

Ironically, Zimmer prefers stripped down to blown up.

"I'm the antithesis of that -- very minimal. One vocal, no back-up vocals," he said. "He turns it up, I turn it down. We get the mix back, he turns it up, I turn it down."

But Johnston and Zimmer found a happy medium on "Strangest Places" that's best for each song.

"There was a lot of give and take, which is good. Stuff getting cut, stuff getting added," said Johnston.

"I think it turned out for the best," added Zimmer.

"Strangest Places" features more focused songs and also reflects Telefonics' gleeful free spirit. From the opening blast off "Laser Beams" through "Shut Up and Dance," you sense this is not a band that'll run for president.

On stage, they haul out toy megaphones and a slide whistle, played by Morbid Rob of the Trashed. On their CD cover, they depict themselves with doll faces.

"I've seen sooo many band pictures," Johnston said with a sigh. "Do you go for urban decay or slacker or hipster -- what method? We were like, 'Let's just take figurines.' So we had a bag of probably 50 or 60 old toys. We like more of the playful elements of music, like toys, candy, cartoons, 1960s sci-fi."

"For just life in general, we're not very serious people -- any of us," added Zimmer.

Not that their fun, fizzy songs are totally disposable. Try "Pop Song Reject," for starters. But they do prefer music that takes you away from the world instead of songs that beat you up.

"When it comes down to it, we like to have fun," Johnston said. "There's so much attitude and seriousness. You go see a band, and it's like, 'What happened to fun?' Just going up and having fun?"

They'll have fun, fractured and otherwise, this weekend In addition to Saturday's show, they will be interviewed and play songs on Edinboro's WFSE-FM 88.9 on Friday at 7 p.m.

Telefonics (CD-Release Party), Pegasus Unicorn, Dirt McGurtt, Styles for Modern Living, the Trashed, and Angry Wigs will perform Saturday at 9 p.m. at Forward Hall, 2502 Peach St. Tickets are $5. Advance tickets are available at Forward Hall, Karma Tattoo, and U Frame It. Note: This event is BYOB. It'll also feature a dance contest with prizes.