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.
Rubber the movie... so weird
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