THE PUSH STARS
“Sometimes you have to seek quality out,” the Push Stars’ unabashedly passionate lead singer/songwriter Chris Trapper said in a recent phone interview.
And, for a band that has tried to reject a world where record companies, as Trapper said, “try to find a closet they can fit your act into,” quality control is clearly paying off.
One year removed from a tour with Matchbox Twenty and fresh off the release of their fourth record, Paint the Town, the Push Stars have gone from being an unknown Boston band to a solid indie favorite in five years.
Trapper, who is also the lead guitarist, is joined by bassist and pianist Dan McLoughlin and drummer Ryan MacMillan, who both also provide vocals.
Perhaps the Push Stars’ success can be attributed to the band’s ability to play so many different kinds of music. While they appear as a rock band, the group has skillfully managed to avoid blanket emo-indie-rock classifications which often isolate listenership. On Paint the Town, songs such as “Freedom” and “Keg On My Coffin” have a distinct folk feel which Trapper said “came naturally through playing.”
Trapper added his writing always finds assurance in MacMillan and McLoughlin, who provide the singer with a reliable and talented rhythm section.
“[They] can jump around,” Trapper said – a necessity in a band that plays everything from country-infused folk to emo.
The Push Stars are returning to the Middle East – the music venue where the band first played eight years ago. They are still headlining there today because, Trapper said, the band has “never changed [its] sound.”
The Push Stars play at the Middle East on Friday, Sept. 10
-Sara Hatch
THE SCISSOR SISTERS
Roll call for all drag queens, dancing queens, hipsters and music lovers.
The Scissor Sisters, New York’s latest part-homosexual and part-heterosexual glam pop outfit, are landing in the Boston area, ready to glitter the stage with sweet harmonies and even sweeter outfits.
Despite being falsely pigeon-holed as a gay disco band, the Sisters’ edgy, danceable pop radiates inspiration from acts such as Elton John, the Bee Gees, David Bowie and George Michael. Additionally, their flamboyant fashion choices, which amplify the band’s kaleidoscopic sound into a fabulously over-the-top image, recapture high glam-rock of the 1970s.
Not lacking in the personality department, the Sisters’ names speak for themselves: Jake Shears, Paddy Boom, Babydady, Ana Matronic and Del Marquis, and each carry a style of their own to match (don’t be shocked by furs, feathers or fedoras).
In their self-titled debut album the gang cranks out 11 songs, including a disco cover of Pink Floyd’s “Comfortably Numb.” And with the album’s potential hits, it’s possible that the Sisters will push the envelope out of the honorable but frustrating box of American indie and into mainstream radio.
The Scissor Sisters have already penetrated the United Kingdom, gaining the praise of such celebrities as U2 lead singer Bono and members of the Vines. Like other England-conquering New York bands, the Scissor Sisters must patiently wait for listeners in the States to adapt to their gender-bending sound.
And if you’re ready to hear the glamorous Sisters live, you can come as you are or mix a boa into your outfit, but remember to bring your dance moves in case things get a little sharp.
The Scissor Sisters will play at T.T. the Bear’s Place on Thursday, Sept. 9.
-Rachel Baker
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