Thunderbirds are Now!

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Thunderbirds are Now!

Rock group

Taking influences from contemporary independent bands such as Les Savy Fav and Brainiac, as well as 1970s and 1980s post-punk rock groups, Thunderbirds are Now! (TAN!) had few expectations but to play local shows, but they got serious in 2002. After ending up on a record label owned by a member of Les Savy Fav and having an album produced by a former member of Brainiac (as well as tours with the bands that influenced them), TAN! were so energized—and modest—at the beginning that it made their natural progression and success all the more worthy of respect. In 2006 TAN!'s third full-length album, Make History, made Rolling Stone's list of the Top 50 albums of 2005, and reflected a more melodic and mature band. Rolling Stone described the band's sound in 2006 as "perfect for anyone who believes complex song structures are best served by punk attitude and pop amenities."

With the international success of The White Stripes and The Von Bondies, by 2001 Detroit was known worldwide for its blossoming garage-rock scene. Record scouts were traveling to the Motor City in search of the next big rock band, and music fans around the world were eating it up. But out in the suburbs of Detroit, there were dozens of kids in their early twenties creating their own distinct styles. After playing in the indie rock band Red Shirt Brigade, brothers Ryan and Scott Allen (the latter still in high school at the time) headed off to start their own band. For their new venture, Thunderbirds are Now!, Ryan Allen moved away from the drums and up front to guitar and lead vocals, with Scott on keyboards, tambourine and auxiliary percussion. The pair were joined by drummer Mike Durgan and bassist Marty Smith, to create a fresh band that took post-punk beats, razor-edged guitar lines, frenetic vocals and playful, loud lyrics, to produce an exhilarating new sound.

Culling their name as a twist on the British 1960s sci-fi marionette film Thunderbirds are GO, the quartet of Thunderbirds are Now! blasted off in the Detroit suburbs with their 2002 recording Doctor, Lawyer, Indian Chief on the Ohio label Action Driver. Ironic titles included "Kitchen Orgy," "Pink Motorcycle Helmet," and "Babygirl, I got Ten Kids (Let's Not Make it Eleven"). The band's outrageous live shows were an integral part of the band's local success.

Even the Village Voice caught on to this unknown, un-garage-like rock and un-Detroit band. "Thunderbirds are Now! are what the DNA-Mars side of the old No New York no wave compilation should have been: fast-spazz singing, guitars falling from the sky, electro beats in a crossfire with drumbeats," wrote Frank Kogan in the Voice. Energized by their momentum, TAN! released the EP titled Another One Hypnotized By., for Flint, Michigan, label Acutest. The band then tightened up their sound for the 2005 EP Necks.

In between albums, TAN! played shows in and around Michigan, creating dynamic live performances. From the start, it was always important to TAN! that there would be no separation between the band and their fans. "I always look at it from the perspective of being an audience member and a fan of music," Ryan Allen told Brian McKinney in a cover story for Modern Fix. "If I was at the show, what would I want? So we try to deliver that. I want a band that's going to surprise me. … I have always been into the idea of an inclusionary atmosphere at a show where the audience and the band has no barrier at all, physically or metaphorically." Ryan told dB Magazine's Eddie Chan, "It's very important that there's an exchange going on between band and audience."

After earning recognition and respect in Detroit, the band was noticed by Syd Butler, the bassist of New York's Les Savy Fav, who owned the independent label Frenchkiss Records, and in late 2004, TAN! signed a deal to record albums for his label. "It was a goal of ours to get on the label and we are happy with the way things turned out," Ryan told McKinney.

TAN! entered a Michigan recording studio to lay down tracks for their Frenchkiss debut. The new material had more of a pop structural element to it, and it wasn't as noisy or cluttered as their earlier songs. The new tracks had some personal and political themes, and there were more harmonies, which gave their fans a chance to sing along. "I'm glad we started with an experimental approach to rock songs and then branched off," Ryan told McKinney, about their developing sound. "It gives us the opportunity to do what we want." In March of 2005, TAN! released their second full-length album, Justamustache. Bassist Marty Smith soon quit the band and was replaced by Howard Chang to tour for the bulk of 2005, and many shows included the former Brainiac member's band Enon.

With its layers of synthesizers and danceable beats, hints of 1980s new wave were heard on Justamustache. In a review of the Frenchkiss debut, Exclaim! writer Cam Lindsay wrote, "The four-piece have forged a distinct sound hinting that some young men haven't taken their Ritalin in a while. Justamustache is a remarkable sophomore effort." The Allens, drummer Durgan, and new bassist Chang toured nonstop to promote the record. The band played shows across North America with bands like The Hold Steady, The Constantines and Les Savy Fav. They closed out 2005 with a U.K. tour.

For the Record …

Members include Ryan Allen , lead vocals, guitar; Scott Allen , keyboards, vocals; Matt Rickle , drums; Julian Wettlin , bass. Past members include Mike Durgan , drums; Howard Chang , bass; Marty Smith , bass.

Group formed in Detroit, MI, c. 2002; released Doctor, Lawyer, Indian Chief, 2002; released EPs Another One Hypnotized By., 2003, and Necks, 2005; signed to Frenchkiss Records, released Justamustache, 2005, and Make History, 2006.

Addresses: Record company—Frenchkiss Records, 111 E 14th St., Ste. 229, New York, NY 10003, Web site: http://www.frenchkissrecords.com. Web site—Thunderbirds are Now! Official Web site: http://www.myspace.com/thunderbirdsarenow.

The band's endless touring schedule tightened their live shows, which was key to their broadening and more mainstream success. Trial and error allowed the band to keep their shows both unexpected and exasperating, but still sounding great. Ryan told Chan, "I think we're all pretty animated live, and because Scott doesn't have an instrument attached to his body he gets the opportunity to just run amok. It's awesome to see, and it's really fun to watch him play."

In January of 2006 Mike Durgan left the band and was replaced by Matt Rickle (of the Detroit band Javelins). The band was soon off to record their second album for Frenchkiss. Recorded in New York and Philadelphia, the band's sophomore album was produced by Enon's John Schmersal (formerly of Brainiac). With the Allens, Chang, and new drummer Rickle, the band was joined by members of Les Savy Fav, and there were some small appearances by Saturday Night Live comedian Fred Armisen. The record's melodic tracks offered the most mainstream style that TAN! had ever recorded. Ryan said in an interview with Alternative Press, "You can only do a jagged, delayed, guitar part so many times before you start to wonder, ‘What am I doing this for?’."

In October, Frenchkiss issued Make History. The independent album charted at number 40 on Rolling Stone's list of the Top 50 Albums of 2006. URB's Chris Pacifico wrote that the album proves that "the ‘album feel’ in pop music isn't extinct just quite yet." Shortly after Make History was released, Chang left the band, and Javelins' bassist Julian Wettlin took his place for their upcoming world tour. In March of 2007, TAN! appeared on the cover of the Detroit weekly Metro Times, catching the band at the tail end of their tour. "The sharp corners of post-punk have influenced their own sound as much as brittle new wave and the rush of 1990s indie rock … while the pop-derived melodies in their newer material reveal an affinity for the sounds of right now, right through to the radio and video hits of the last 20 years," wrote Johnny Loftus and Walter Wasacz in the Metro Times article. TAN! pulled everything they had learned for Make History. "I don't feel the pressure to live up to some ideal," Ryan told Loftus and Wasacz. "I'd rather our music end up in a library somewhere, be something my kid can point to one day and say, ‘My dad did this.’ That's more validating than some … link to a great review. … We get satisfaction playing shows and writing songs together."