by Luke Baumgarten & r & & r & & lt;span class= & quot;dropcap & quot; & A & lt;/span & t The Inlander, we believe the children are our future. Teach them well, we say, and let them lead the way. Lead they did, in late February, when we were taunted by a bunch of LC scenesters for our failure to write about the coming of No-Fi Soul Rebellion. "Punk asses," we thought, initially. But we heeded their advice and were led to an ecstatic, melodious, hook-happy duo who run the aesthetic gamut from Motown to the Dead Milkmen while maintaining "no fidelity to any one sound," and throwing, sources tell us, the insanest live show in history. Mark Heimer sings and plays bass. His wife Andrea sings backing vocals while wielding the Soul System, an old bass hollowed out to hold the mp3 player that pumps out Mark's meticulously pre-recorded soul. Awesome.
We're as sorry we missed them the first time as we are glad Nora Taylor and her friends turned them on to us. In lieu of a regular interview, then, we had Mark Heimer reply to their loving recollections of February's show at Rock:
"When I found out that they were playing at Rock Coffee [in February], I showed up three hours early. They sound indie and New Age and are fairly unknown, which is good when you're trying to be as nonconformist as possible. Although the short length of the show was a disappointment, the band's ability to get everyone off their feet to the jivin' beats was well worth the three-hour wait." -- Nora Taylor
Thank you for showing up three hours early and for all the kind words, Nora. "New Age" is not a adjective we have encountered yet ... and we can only assume that it is meant in the nicest way. I blame the fact that at the end of our set we played "Return to Innocence" by Enigma. [Regarding the short set], physically, the show is like sprinting 100 meters and screaming at the top of your lungs the whole time. I tend to pop a lot of blood vessels around my eyes in those 30 minutes, so I can't go much longer than that or people might think Andrea's beating me.
"It didn't take long before No-Fi Soul Rebellion stole the show with their remarkable tunes and inviting performance in which they include the audience by stepping out into the crowd. Mark and Andrea Heimer are gods. They create music that is so irresistibly tasty, no one in their right mind can refuse it." -- Carlee Kassel
Carlee, we try to make our music unique and relatable. I wouldn't go as far as saying we are gods, maybe just kinda empathetic. We think we have some idea of what people want out of music and out of a show, and so we try very hard to follow those notions.
"I like No-Fi Soul Rebellion because they are different from everyone else. their songs are cool, original and also quite catchy. They also have cool live shows. They have a lot of energy, which is something that a lot of other bands nowadays lack. They have a developed and original sound." -- Sean McCotter
Guilty as charged. Thank you, Sean.
"I love No-Fi because they're amazing ... no other band will ever be as good as they are. I've never been to a show better than the one No-Fi puts on. Mark Heimer, a walking pair of glasses and sideburns, is sooo great. I'm in love with that guy. He'll come to where the crowd is standing and sing one inch away from someone's face. I swear, he was so close I could taste the sweat on his face. Yum?" -- Anya Klyukanova
Very flattering, indeed. Thank you, Anya. We use whatever styles and sounds we want to make songs because we like so many different things. I do get right up in people's faces because I want them to know that I see, acknowledge and appreciate their presence. As far as tasting my sweat, I apologize. I don't handle the heat very well and tend to sweat a lot. It's gross, but it keeps me from overheating.
No-Fi Soul Rebellion plays at Rock Coffee with Seaweed Jack and BRANTA on Friday, April 21, at 8 pm. Tickets: $6. Visit myspace.com/nofisoulrebellion or call 838-1864.