What self-respecting college music scene can be deemed
“well-rounded” without a funky reggae-blues band to make summer classes
a glorified excuse for continued drinking, dancing and veggie-burger
barbecuing? Fortunately for Tucson, the band that calls itself the
Triple Double Band has just released its third full-length, Dot My
Eighths, a tasty, 12-song smorgasbord of toe-tapping musical styles
that may inspire a visit to a hydroponics shop on your way to buy
textbooks.
Lead track “Whatcha Do” possesses the perfect groove—all
chunky bass and bouncy drums—even as the chorus, “Only got one
go-around to live life through,” sung by the band’s three vocalists,
sums up Triple Double’s carpe diem attitude. For every
infectious, Caribbean-influenced number, there’s also a funky pop tune
like “Bright Light,” spotlighting the chops of keyboardist Alex
Sandweiss and bluesy licks of guitarist Jimi Cracovaner. Triple Double
has added some new musicians, too, with Alex Van Slyke and Connor
Clowers, sax and trumpet respectively, providing spectacularly brassy
horn charts. (Check out Clowers’ raunchy solo in “Classy but
Sleazy.”)
But the song that will have your Birkenstocks burning is “Keep This
Groove Alive,” an anthem for the jam-band set if there ever was one.
Even if you don’t enjoy this kind of music, you gotta give Triple
Double props for making fun music—and making it well.
This article appears in Apr 30 – May 6, 2009.