Some bands have idiosyncrasies that its members cling to for easy gimmicks - wacky instruments, funny costumes, novelty cover choices - but Action vs. Action chooses its quirks wisely. There's the bassist with the fighter pilot helmet and then there's the singer playing the broomstick. And underneath it all is music that resembles its members: Clean-cut and ragtag, precise and scruffy. Action vs. Action plays pop for rock fans and rock for pop fans. Action vs. Action would like nothing better than a chance to give you the rock.
Gathered in a booth at the C.C. Club, the members of Action vs. Action - Bairndt Dittler on bass, Ben Krueger on vocals and rock stick, Mark Harrington and Tom Gerde on guitars, Turtle Hahn on drums - describe their band's past, present and future as serious business they love to conduct.
"We work the best when we don't have a finished product," Harrington said, nursing a beer.
The product in question is the band's first LP, a work in progress scheduled for release in spring or summer 2007. "Solid State Stereo," an EP, was released in 2004 - three years after the band formed.
"That was just a snapshot, to get something out there," Harrington said.
Why did it take three years to "get something out there?"
"We've always taken things kind of slow as a band," Krueger explained.
The Actioners speak on the importance of quality control, practicing, and keeping songs under wraps until they're ready. Though the group's Weezer-meets-Pavement-meets-late-'90s-Blur sound doesn't seem very planned, this is a band with a couple theory-trained musicians and a democratic songwriting process. Action vs. Action loves fun, but their fun has logic behind it.
Example number one: The rock stick.
It's a broomstick that Krueger clutches like every proud instrumentalist holds his instrument, all the while moving his fingers around invisible frets with his left hand.
"We were playing in our practice space one day and I thought, it's so cool these guys just get to rock ... I want to do that too," Krueger said.
So he looked around the practice space and found the stick. He picked it up and played with it and has never put it down. Some people see it as a jokey device to get peoples' attention and Krueger says he doesn't mind. But to him, it's as much a tool as a guitar or a snare. The rest of the band treats it the same way.
"For shows, there's a mental checklist, and [the stick]'s on there," Gerde said.
"It also has a remote control for light shows," Krueger added, though the band hasn't done any of those yet.
"That's definitely something we take pride in, making a rock show," Harrington said.
That rock show, in fact, is the second example of Action vs. Action's careful fun. Each song is written with each member's influences intact, including Dittler's international interests (before he served with Action vs. Action, he served with the Peace Corps).
"We have a Venn diagram," Krueger said, as his cohorts laughed knowingly. "The middle of it has a lot of common ground, but the outside is totally different."
It's telling that the only song to violate the band's unofficial no-cover policy is actually two: A mash-up of Fountains Of Wayne's "Sink to the Bottom" and The Pixies' "Where Is My Mind?".
As for the band's dislike of covers, Dittler explained, "They don't show anything about us, other than we listen to a lot of different music."
They're not listening to much lately, other than their own songs. Recording for the new record is scheduled for December, which means they won't have as much time for shows. The band seems to regret this, as playing for an audience is what they love most.
"I think people can tell we're having fun on stage," Harrington said.
Hahn nodded. "We're really excited about the energy of the live show; the live energy is the biggest connection we have," he said.
It's this energy that they're trying to capture for the new record, a factor about which the band has some trepidation. Some initial recordings, however - including "High Class Roller," a track scheduled to appear on the benefit compilation "Friends With Benefits Vol. 2," early next year - have provided some confidence.
In the meantime, fans can be entertained by one of the band's other unique assets: Great mailing list messages.
When asked about them, band members' faces light up and all eyes go to Krueger.
"I like joking around with people, that's my personality over e-mail," he said.
One e-mail from September references Nickelodeon's '80s show You Can't Do That On Television, Mr. Belvedere, and UFOs in the span of a few paragraphs. Another, from August, is titled "Andre The Show," in order to illustrate the giant nature of an upcoming performance.
See? All Action vs. Action wants is to entertain you. Who are you to resist?
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