PB & Jam

Among the musicians who frequent the Renaissance’s stage, Matt “MattRock” Roberts stands out as a would-be rock star. Generally lumped into either the indie or the equally generic and all-encompassing underground scene, he defies the connotations both tags carry.

Balding at 24, Roberts is more often than not found in shorts and sandals. He rides a bike wherever he can, commuting from his Downtown residence to his Downtown employment even during the summer months. Nearly three years into vegetarianism, he sees himself progressing toward a vegan diet, if eggs and cheese would loosen their hold on his palate.

Likewise, in the circles that play Renaissance, his band, The PowerBoxx, is an expectation-busting anomaly. On the same stage where local and touring heavy bands play, The PowerBoxx bucks the implications of underground scene with clever, sticky sweet, hook-laden alt. pop that recalls 1960s pop or the faux pop of the ‘80s. Their Hang Out Now, dropping this week at The Renaissance in a BBR Creative designed package, is a playful record with driving rhythms yet well-played harmony. With a full band — three guitars, drums and keyboardist — and the backing vocals of Jessie Lalonde, Meghan Dooley and Drew Campbell, The PowerBoxx possesses a sound lost on modern rock and pop.

“I’ve thought about this a few times. I think it’s more that I’m older than my age, in a way. I like a lot of music that probably older people would like and not necessarily the young people that are my peers,” says Roberts.

Admittedly, some of his friends and fellow scene makers have given MattRock & The PowerBoxx a try or two, but sign off that it’s just not their thing.

“It’s just that I never got into the aggressive thing, and I think that’s what more people are into — aggressive music. It’s not that we don’t discuss the same things or even concentrate on the same subject matter or, even for that matter, play the same chords in our songs,” says Roberts. “It’s just that we’re more musical and happy-go-lucky than aggressive.”

Instead, Roberts looks toward bands that present a deep message within an easier-to-swallow, more pop-market palatable pill, such as Violent Femmes, Elvis Costello and Talking Heads.

“With The PowerBoxx, we aren't out to prove anything new, nor are we trying to compete with the current hot sounds 'n' style,” asserts Dallas Griffith, drummer for the band. “We are just trying to sit back, keep it simple, write good songs and have as much fun as possible. We aren’t interested in hearing, ‘Bruh, that bass playah can throw down, yo! That shit was so complex that it made my head hurt!’ The only analysis we seek is ‘Jesus seffering f**k! That shit was fun!’”

Before forming the band, Roberts roadied for bands, including Griffith’s (the) Frames of Reference, to earn free show admission. On the side, he recorded projects for local musicians at his house. After what he admits was “a lot of farting around,” the sessions inspired him to start an acoustic solo performance. For six months he performed solo acoustic shows, gigs his mother said sounded like Buddy Holly just with more swearing. At the time, Griffith warned a band might ruin his sound, yet Roberts started foundation work on The PowerBoxx. Another six months later they played their first gig, the first annual Indie-pen-Dance Day Festival.

Beyond the perceptions of what a Renaissance band should sound like, their look and stage presence doesn’t fit into the parameters of local music. At their first gig, the band donned fast food uniforms, with Roberts as a short-sleeved, tie-wearing manager, to make a point about the marketability of their music. Shows that followed all featured a different theme, with The PowerBoxx members decked out as lumberjacks, New Orleans cops, superheroes and in togas and thrift store suits. Until the summer temperatures, Roberts retired guitarist Brandon Gary into a pink ill-fitting jumpsuit that suggested someone’s grandmother was deprived of her morning run.

“The PowerBoxx, besides just being a musical vehicle, is a show vehicle and a performance vehicle,” says Roberts, adding he has a theatrical mind. “I think that the music moves us to perform, without ever really planning anything out … We all like to dance and like to have fun, so its real easy for us to be up there and have a great time together and just really put on a show, as well as play music.”

Arguably the most memorable nights saw the band recreate Robert Palmer’s videos. The band, guys and girls alike, slipped into little black dresses and pancake make-up a la Palmer’s backing in Simply Irresistible and Addicted to Love.

“On dressing up like a girl, I have a history of it,” says Griffith. “I like to throw on a dress every once in a while. I really enjoy seeing the whole band dressed in a theme, whatever it happens to be for a particular show. It makes it more real and gets the best out of us. Whenever we get dressed, it’s like putting on our game faces.”

Roberts kept the helm, playing the role of Palmer.

“It’s not just a recital. People come to have fun and to dance. And that’s what we like to do.”