There are dozens of faceless alterna-acts
that look, sound and think the same. And then
there's Neve. Their conformity-countering Columbia Records debut, Identify Yourself,
sidesteps cheap thrills and shrink-wrapped hype by focusing on simple yet
brilliantly crafted pop arrangements.
In other words, it's all about the songs. Laughs guitarist Michael Raphael,
"It sounds funny
to say, here's a band that concentrates on their music - it's like, wow, what
a concept. But
these days, a lot of bands seem more concerned with having the right
haircut than writing a decent hook. Haircuts eventually go out of style.
Good songs have the potential to be timeless."
Neve's talent and unapologetic love of pop songcraft comes through loud
and clear on Identify Yourself, an album that's pure ear candy, all
creamy-in-the-middle-and-crunchy-around-the-edges. Produced by Don (Eve
6) Gilmore, the record bristles with gritty guitars and gripping hooks,
evoking influences ranging from Kiss and AC/DC to the Cure and Love and
Rockets. "Michael and I come from two completely different worlds,"
says vocalist
John Stephens, "He was raised on the guitar rock of Aerosmith while I grew
up listening to stuff like New Order and Echo and the Bunnymen. Our
songwriting reflects those disparate influences, blending aggressive
guitars with a background of various layers and textures. It's the best of
both worlds." Lyrically, Neve songs like "3 Years" and "Absent"
explore feelings of love
and loss and the struggle between heart and mind. But there's also a
theme, an ode to individuality, that tends to surface throughout the
album's grooves. Says Stephens, "Songs like "Digital On, Same Old
Story" and the album
title are similar in that they all deal with finding and expressing
yourself. Why be just another face in the crowd when you can stand up and
identify yourself to the world? Be unique. Be yourself. That was the
approach we took when we put this band together - we wanted to stand out.
We've applied that to everything from songwriting to our live show."
At the suggestion of a friend, Stephens and Raphael hooked up in the
summer of '97 and began to exchange demos-. "We had each spent years
kicking around in various local bands that never went anywhere," says
Raphael. "Personally, I was really frustrated by the fact that I couldn't
find musicians who shared my drive and passion for music. When I first
met John, he was already playing with Tommy (Gruber, Neve bassist) and
looking to put together a band. I was running my own recording studio and
really wasn't sure whether or not I was ready to join another group. I
just didn't want to deal with any more disappointments. But as soon as we
started talking, something just clicked and we immediately began to flesh
out ideas. I knew right away that we had the potential to put together a
band that could really make some noise. When we brought in drummer Brian
Burwell, who I knew from the studio, everything just seemed to fall into
place. We started writing and gigging right away - we didn't waste any
time. The reaction we got was phenomenal. People flipped out over us."
"It seemed too good to be true," laughs Stephens. "But I think
we
satisfied a hunger to be entertained again. People want to see a
high-energy show and we definitely give them one."
"We weren't lighting ourselves on fire or anything like that," says
bassist Tommy Gruber, "but at the same time, we weren't giving the typical
stare-at-your-shoes performances."
"John is our secret weapon," adds drummer Brian Burwell. "Here's
a
vocalist who can really sing both in the studio and onstage. Most bands
can't recreate their CD live, but we don't have to rely on any studio
gimmickry because John is the real deal. He takes our live show to a
completely different level and that played a huge role in us getting
signed." Indeed, after what seemed like a lifetime of dues-paying, the
newly-formed
Neve was attracting attention out of the starting gate. Just a few months
after getting together, the band had developed a monster-like buzz, and
consequently inked their deal a few months later.
"Call it whatever you want," says Raphael, "fate, luck, karma
- it all
boils down to the chemistry between the four of us."
Not surprisingly, Neve's good fortune continued even after signing with
Columbia. The story goes that a friend of the band was working at a Los
Angeles car dealership when KROQ program director Kevin Weatherly walked
in. At the time, Columbia had just released the soundtrack to "The
Faculty," an album featuring Neve's lead single, "It's Over Now."
"Apparently, Kevin wanted to test-drive one of the cars," recalls
Stephens, "So our guy who just happened to have The Faculty soundtrack
with him, popped our song into the disc player and asked Kevin to check it
out. To make a long story short," he laughs, "Kevin liked the song,
bought
the car, and within a few weeks, we were being played on KROQ, one of the
most influential commercial alternative stations in the country."
While some would think the band's rapid rise is almost too good to be
true, Raphael puts it all into perspective thusly:
"Yes, as a band, everything came together very quickly for us, but as
individuals, we've been working toward this all our lives. So while we're
now expected to say things like, I can't believe all this is happening,
our real reaction is, damn, it's about time."
