Twelve years of dedication, dreaming and rocky member-relations are finally bringing due success to five Southern California rockers. The band evolved from the daydreams of a middle schooler envisioning himself on MTV, and it seems as though his teenage dreams might come true.
Unwritten Law is a band of refreshingly rowdy sophistication. Combining diverse musical elements and rambunctious lyrical styling, their newest release, Elva, is sure to find its audience.
The band will have the opportunity once again to find fans in Buffalo, with their appearance at the Showplace Theatre on March 1. Unwritten Law has visited Buffalo twice before, both times travelling with the "Warped Tour." It's been four years since their last concert here and even in that short time the band has gone through a lot of changes.
"We've evolved a lot as songwriters," said guitarist Rob Brewer, "we've evolved in every way."
Some of their success can be attributed to their work on surf video soundtracks. The videos' wide distribution contributed to Unwritten Law's fan base enormously. "That's sort of been our crowd," said Brewer.
The bulk of Unwritten Law's emerging triumph in the music world they've facilitated themselves. Scott Russo (vocals), Steve Morris (guitar), Wade Youman (drums), Rob Brewer (guitar) and Pat Kim (bass) integrate their personal talents and musical preferences into one solid entity of dense and dynamic rock. The diversity of their music is represented by the diversity of the members themselves.
Elva, released in late January of this year, contains influences of reggae, punk, rock, and even a trace of folk music. While the band's primary influences have come from the So-Cal pioneering punk rockers they recall from childhood, the band draws its inspiration from everything and everywhere.
"We just write music we like," said Brewer, "it's all just titles, we think it's all rock 'n' roll basically."
"Mean Girl," the first track on the album, is one of Elva's more aggressive tunes. The hard rockin'of synthesisers and heavy guitars is balanced by the addition of a melodic hook as Russo sings about a weakness for bad girls.
The harmony-driven "How You Feel" and the pessimistic "Evolution" are both infused with the same punk/reggae sounds the band's forefathers Sublime mastered. In fact the band worked on this CD with Michael "Miguel" Happoldt, close friend and often-producer for Sublime.
The lyrics of "Elva," the album's title track, provide little insight into what exactly "Elva" is. "There's no meaning, it's just a name . Elva," said Brewer, going on to add that it's actually a fusion of Elvis and Elvira.
"Blame It On Me" sounds like a track recorded by an angry blues musician on speed. The incorporation of raucous guitar riffs and lyrics like ". I've been chastised, deprived, she's got my skull filled with sentimental lies ." makes it one of the band's darker relationship songs.
The comical and light-hearted "Actress, Model, Whatever ." brings to mind the silly lyrics of some of the current punk/pop bands, most notably Blink 182. The song is in the form of a letter to mom, the author revealing his experience of dating an aspiring star and how her habit of "acting" gets in the way of their relationship.
"Rest of My Life" and "Rescue me" are the eloquent ballads of the album, both pleas for companionship in one sense or another. The first is a throwback to a more classic style, with a gentle guitar lead and finale. The latter is a bit heavier with a twist of ska and some mesmerising harmonising on the chorus.
In its entirety, Elva is a cornucopia of rock and attitude with enough styles to appeal to anyone with a taste for real rock 'n' roll. Variety is an important piece of Unwritten Law, but can it carry them into the future on top?
"It's hard to say, music's an unpredictable thing," Brewer said, "we're just gonna continue playing music as long as we enjoy it."
Unwritten Law will be playing March 1 at the Showplace Theatre along with Mest. Doors open at 7 p.m. Tickets are available through Ticketmaster, Movies Plus, Kaufmanns, Home of the Hits, and New World Records. For more information call 447-1271.
