While most rockers would attribute their influences to legends like The Beatles and Led Zeppelin, Sebastian Thomson's carries his roots with him.
Growing up in Argentina and Brazil, and joining his first band at age 14 in Buenos Aires, Thomson incorporates his colorful and rich musical past into his band, The Frequency.
Fresh off the release of its self-titled debut album and in the midst of a tour that includes a stop at Buffalo's Mohawk Place on Thursday, Thomson admits the difficulties of putting together such meticulous music.
"It was tough at first, getting all five members together. We use keyboards, bass, saxes, drums and guitars in our songs, so getting it all organized was hard," said Thomson.
Luckily, it didn't take Thomson too long to get through the whole process. Two of the band's members, Aaron Claxton and John Warnock, are his good friends and Julian Thomson, the keyboard and saxophone player, is his younger brother.
Thomson shrugs off the transition from European to American music, stating that, "being in a band is being in a band." Wherever he goes to perform, he is determined to create his own style, incorporating what he learns from influential artists along the way.
"There was one band from Argentina in the mid-'80s called Sumo, like the Japanese wrestler type," Thomson said. "They were a band that did whatever they wanted to - new wave, punk, psychedelic stuff. They showed me that it's okay to have different styles to your songs."
The Frequency does display an assortment of musical styles to their songs, from pop-punk songs like "Moonburn" and "Erasing Myself" - the catchiest melodies of their album - to progressive techno with an '80s rock flavor in songs like their first single, "You're the Perfect Size." The album even boasts two Spanish songs, "Chicas" and "Zapatos Blancos." When asked what "Zapatos Blancos" means and what it's all about, Thomson laughed.
"It's a funny story. It means white shoes, and it's about a time I was at a photo shoot for Trans Am (an earlier band of Thomson's) and I needed white shoes. The shoot was at (Washington,) D.C. and I was coming from Miami, and apparently it's impossible to find a pair of white shoes in Miami in the winter. Miami isn't a square place by any means, so it's just like, 'How come you can't find a pair of white shoes?'"
Similar to techno acts, The Frequency features lots of improvisations on their more effect-heavy songs during concerts. They also allow for the younger Thomson to unleash sax solos during breaks in their songs. Sax solos at a rock concert may be an art thought dead, but they serve as just another way Thomson's band delivers its unique style to the audience in a fresh and creative way.
When asked for the major difference a fan may expect from listening to The Frequency's debut album and seeing them live, Thomson said, "More aggression, more feeling and a lot more chaos."
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
