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Artist of the Week - Rubber, the band, from Philadelphia





An ironic set of results when you Google,Rubber the band.  The useful office staple pops up. This useful educational article appears
There is also a 2010 movie entitled Rubber. ´Rubber is a 2010 English-language French independent, satirical horror film about a tire that comes to life and kills people with its psychic powers.” Apparently it’s based on a true story.

Rubber, the band, from Philadelphia consists of Andrew Loper (Singer/Co-Writer) & John Della Franco (Producer/Co-Writer). This amiable duo is quickly gaining steam and streams.  They are playing in several local Philly venues drawing crowds with only 2 secured singles out. They say an EP is coming soon.
“Contol” snapped and popped into my finely tuning auditory system. The level of sophisticated twists in this melodious song about contemporary angst is right on point. The aspect of pretending to be in control anchors this self admittedly personal track. The songs bleeds with contemporary torment of facing an impending serious relationship. The thought of intertwining your life with another person can be frightening. Coupling while going though mental issues anchors this level track about being unleveled. A steady diet of prescribed pills, self-meds, insomnia and insecurity leave the protagonist of this song in a weary state. Andrew’s vocals are eerily reminiscent of one of his faves, Frank Ocean. This is not a bad thing in the least.  This singer, trapped in 2019, could easily have descended from another era.  The slick production begins with a start stop motion. It is reminiscent of a hazy hangover morning complete with a couple slaps at the snooze button. The shimmery tap on the cymbals lightens the song and sets the gauzy mood. “Take a shot/ Take hit/ Don’t worry/ It won’t hurt a bit.” Potent. He ends it by rolling out his last “I have connnnnntrollll”. Fake it til you make it.

The idea of letting go of your depression by giving it to the Universe and allowing your friends to lift you up is at the heart of “Won’t Come Back”. That’s my take on this song with anthem like positivism as well as ethereal chorus like backing vocals. Take me to Church (of your buddies) and let that shit go. This track begins with a tip toeing of chime. His voice definitely sits about the cloud like music. Unlike shoe gazing, his style of singing is crisp and calculated in the finest manner. A clear nod to Frank O comes at the resolution of the song. He warbles the words "Won't come baaaack no more". The rise and fall or the timbre is a sensual way of discussing one's troubled mind. Frank said his three octave voice "encompasses both the baritone and tenor vocal ranges".  Some smooth tunes for the jagged times.  Let Rubber, the band, snap in your ear, clear away the drama as you sing along.

The guys kindly answered some of my burning questions


Thanks so much for sending this over! Here are the responses to your questions. We really appreciate all of your kind words - it means a lot. Let us know if you need anything else from us

Hope you are having a grand Sunday. I noticed on your cover for control there is a smudge stick. Tell me about the art work? I like it very intriguing.

It’s a care package from a far away place, things collected with intention. There’s a lot of spiritual and ritual 
imagery. Control is about moving from one stage in your life to the next, breaking with one ritual and forming a new. The cover art is a multimedia exploration of that idea.

How did you get started and what made you want to form a duo? Do you play with other musicians?

We were connected by a mutual friend who wanted to form a band. Things never quite got off the ground but we found that our writing styles worked really well together so we continued to write and eventually decided to record the songs as a duo. John creates the soundscapes and Andrew creates the lyrics and most of the melodies. There is collaboration in both directions though. We do have a network of musicians that help us out when they can. 

How did you come up with name Rubber? Just to let you know when you google Rubber band well you know what comes up :) Rubber bands!

Well, we started of as Andrew Loper & the Only Memories. We wanted to change it since it was too long and no one seemed to like it. We were brainstorming for a while and there were a bunch of names in the mix but one that stood out was Andrew & the Rubber Band suggested by our keyboardist Drew Cluff. We decided to shorten it to Rubber after watching the movie Rubber, about a tire that comes to life. It’s not very deep or meaningful or anything, it just felt right. 

The song "Control" is deep. What message were you trying to convey?  

It’s not a message as much as it is a story. All of the songs are stories about my (Andrew) life. People can take from it what they want. The story is about the beginning stages of what I knew was going to be a serious relationship. I was in a bad place mentally at this time of my life and so the song is me navigating the struggles of intertwining my life with someone else’s, exploring the idea of routine and what happens when it’s broken. 

How did you come up with arrangement?  

All of the production is spearheaded by John with some creative input from Andrew. We are lucky enough to have some truly gifted musicians on the tracks as well who helped bring our vision to life but not without their own creative input. Charlie Smythe played synth on this track and Matthew Chenery played drums; both incredible creative minds and gifted musicians who breathed their own life into not only Control but the rest of the songs we’re working on. Gianni Brown our sound engineer and Drew Taffe our manager (and also a sound engineer by trade) were also vital to the process.

I really like the vocal style. Do you have any musicians that you looked to for inspiration?

Between the two of us we have a wide range of musical influences ranging from Metal to Gospel but as a vocalist I (Andrew) am inspired by artists like Kim Burrell, Jessie J, YEBBA, Frank Ocean, and Nai Palm (The lead singer of Hiatus Kaiyote) to name a few. 

Any fun facts about your band?

Andrew studied Economics and Anthropology in school and had plans to pursue a PhD in Urban Studies before Rubber signed to Belltower Records. 

John only learned how to play guitar when we began working together so we could write songs. He grew up playing the upright bass and considers electric bass his main instrument. 

When can we expect new music?  

The next single dropped 7/26. They promise an  EP will be coming out not too long after. 



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