The Epilogues’ “My Misinformed ‘John Hughes’ Teenage Youth” represents more than just a song marinated in My Bloody Valentine-caliber juices. It’s a living and breathing allegory. Like Anthony Michael Hall going from geeky freshman with a wedgie to dating the hottest girl in school, drummer Jason Hoke sees some of the same kids who picked on him in high school grooving to his band at soldout shows.
“All of us relate to the John Hughes story archetype: the young nerdy kid that somehow ends up as the hero in the end,” Hoke says. “Those awkward moments in high school weren’t the fondest at the time but I think they shape you later in life. I was one of those kids that people look right past in high school. That’s a nice moment when you see it come full circle.”
The electro indie rock outfit – featuring Hoke, Chris Heckman (vocals and guitar), Nate Hammond (keys and synth) and Jeff Swoboda (bass) – has juicer things to brag about than making fans out of the high school quarterback and the prom queen: Last year, the music video for their amphetamine-paced “The Fallout,” off their latest record Cinematics, was picked up by both MTV’s and VH1’s websites. A day after the video was posted on MTV.com, it was the third most shared video sitewide.
Since releasing the genre-jumping Cinematics last November – their first full-length album since 2008’s The Beautiful, The Terrifying – The Epilogues have been touring non-stop.
“Being on the road as much as we have has been a highlight,” Hoke says.
Saturday they visit Planet Gemini.
“One thing we enjoy doing is not being tied down to a specific genre but just writing good music and music we enjoy making,” Hoke says.
The Epilogues’ sound has been evolving since its inception: While The Beautiful, The Terrifying oozes with dancey, electronic-heavy pop tunes, Cinematics offers up doses of intricate musical collages, honest lyrics and even low key, introspective space oddities with the essence of Radiohead’s In Rainbows.
“We’ve grown as a band and we showcase that on the album,” Hoke says. “We’re never content with what we’re writing. We always want to be better and we can always be better musicians and songwriters. I think with our next album there will be a big evolution – though I’m not sure yet what it will be.”
Risk-taking is one of The Epilogues signature qualities, and one of its most appealing. When they began in 2004 – the current line-up has been together since 2007 – they were scoffed at for using keyboards. Nowadays, big names like MGMT, Tame Impala and Beach House wouldn’t exist without keyboards.
“It’s been interesting to see people come around because they were definitely not believers in having keyboards in a band and now it’s almost routine,” Hoke says. “Now you also have things like banjos and mandolins becoming integrated and becoming very popular.”
THE EPILOGUES and THE LIGHTFIGHTERS perform at 10pm (after comedy) Saturday, June 15, at Planet Gemini, 2110 N. Fremont St., Monterey. $10. 373-1449.
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