Reykjavík Grapevine - 20.10.2007, Page 8

“We were looking for something abstract and memorable,” Andreoni explains. The actual story
of the !!! moniker has been told too many times to warrant another repetition here, but it is hard
not to agree with Andreoni when he says: “I still think that when we get past the point where
we always have to explain it, it will stand out. At the end of the day, I think it is better than any
name out there.”
!!! is an eight-some of the dance-punk variety that has slowly but surely acquired a repu-
tation as one of the most exciting indie rock acts around. Their unique musical concoction
combines house music, funk, indie rock and post punk influences to create a conflicting layer of
sound that will confuse you at first, until you give in, stop wondering and start enjoying.
The band emerged in 1996, from a little place called The Loft in Sacramento CA which !!!
members frequented. “There were maybe 100–200 people who knew about the Loft,” Andreoni
says. “Just about anybody who had a music act could perform there for the other people who
went there in the early-mid nineties. We were all in bands that played there, so when we started
this was our crowd, we knew everybody there and shared this niche, this clique of people, who
wanted to see something different. There weren’t too many rules.” Andreoni explains.
“There are a lot of bands in Sacramento,” he continues, “but not too many that make it out
of there. Probably the two biggest bands out of Sacramento are The Cake and The Deftones, two
opposites really. There is no Sacramento sound, just people who form bands and happen to get
lucky. The scene we came from doesn’t even exist anymore.”
!!!’s 2004 offering, Louden Up Now, was distributed in Europe by the respected Warp
Records label, the pioneers of electronica and dance music. Their latest album, Myth Takes,
is distributed by Warp worldwide. Andreoni says the band was pleasantly surprised by Warp’s
interest. “Coincidently, we had been listening almost exclusively to a Warp compilation CD on
tour just before they contacted us, so it was a nice surprise when they called and asked to put our
stuff out,” he explains. “We knew their place in music history, right from the mid-90s. When we
were cutting our teeth in dance music, their bands influenced us a lot, as far as what we wanted
to do as a band, to sort of play dance music with more traditional rock instruments.”
One of the bands early successes was the 12” Me and Giuliani Down by the Schoolyard, an
obvious wordplay on a Paul Simon classic (does anybody remember Spud Webb in the video?).
On the band’s latest album, Myth Takes, song titles include Bend Over Beethoven, and All My
Heroes are Weirdoes – two more obvious word plays on famous titles. Andreoni admits that the
band tries to create such word play in their titles. “This is a conscious effort. A lot of the time
these are just working titles. The song titles and lyrics are usually the last thing we do. We just
end up like… when we talk about stuff, we try to build on what people are talking about, and it
gets taken in another direction. Our singer has always been a great at this, just riff on something
ordinary.”
!!!’s is known as a great live act. By design, their patent mix of dance music and rock n’ roll
is all but destined to get the crowd moving, no matter which element they prefer. At any rate, the
crossover potential is great. Andreoni says the band does not specifically work on their live rou-
tine. “The only thing we work on is the set list. Other than that, we just try to maintain people’s
attention,” he says, but adds: “We just have fun playing together.”
Words by Sveinn Birkir Björnsson
!!!
!!! plays NASA, tonight at 00:00
Interview
“It is definitely in the top two,” answers !!!’s guitarist
Mario Andreoni, when asked if every interview opens
with a question about the band’s name.