For A.I. band members and brothers Nick and Zack Young, growing
up in a collegiate setting like Westwood has been both educational
and influential in their musical aspirations.
Though extension courses are the extent of their academic
relationship with UCLA, it seems the men have done their homework.
A.I. will play in the free-of-charge Acoustic Live Showcase Series
with Alexi Murdoch, Gabriel Mann, Raining Jane and That One Guy at
the Westwood Brewing Company this Sunday at 6 p.m. It will be the
three-piece band’s most musically bareboned performance.
“It won’t be 100 percent acoustic,” third band
member Milen Kirov said. “We’re going to be as acoustic
as possible. It’s a different approach from what we’ve
been doing. We get to experiment with our songs a little
bit.”
Fans who have heard the band’s debut album,
“Artificial Intelligence,” know that A.I. thrives on
experimentation. Listeners can expect to hear the band deliver a
spacey, electronic sound.
“We’ll do a ton of songs from the album, but also
some jazz improv,” said Nick, the group’s vocalist and
guitarist. “Zack’s going to play some tablas,
Milen’s going to play the piano, and I’m going to play
acoustic guitar.”
Ex-Nine Inch Nails drummer Chris Vrenna produced the
long-awaited album, which features Pablo Manzarek, the son of
former UCLA film student and legendary keyboardist for The Doors,
Ray Manzarek. The Bulgarian-bred Kirov, who also came from a family
of musicians, has since replaced Manzarek as keyboardist and synth
bassist.
Both of Kirov’s parents teach Bulgarian folk music, and
the Young brothers (the children of award-winning documentary
director Robert Young), plan to tour Europe through Kirov’s
connections.
“When (Nick and Zack) called me and gave me the music, I
liked it because I couldn’t really label it,” Kirov
said. “I personally think that labeling should come after
listening, not before. The music should speak for
itself.”
The band’s sound is truly hard to pin down. According to
A.I., the Police and the Jimi Hendrix Experience were influences on
not only the number of members in the band, but also its philosophy
of discovering new forms of self-expression.
“In the beginning, we messed with a lot of trippy
sounds,” Zack said. “We kind of went into outer space
for awhile. We realized we had to bring it all back to earth. The
best way to do that is to start writing songs.”
Listeners may find the music eclectic to a fault, but A.I.
believes musical progress can only be made through these various
audio explorations.
“We feel that the music has a soul and voice that the
style can’t touch,” Nick said. “Bruce Lee mixed
together different martial arts ““ taking the best of this and
the best of that. A lot of people saw that as not being
disciplined, but that’s the only way for things to continue
evolving.”
After touring with Money Mark of the Beastie Boys last year,
A.I. has been cruising in their spaceship (van and trailer),
playing locally with an all-star band featuring members from
Fishbone and Black Eyed Peas, and awaiting word on its Lollapalooza
bid.
Their chances may rest on local radio airplay. According to
Nick, KROQ’s Jed the Fish has been a huge supporter. The
radio DJ has one slot, “Catch of the Day,” where he has
played A.I. on several occasions.
“There are certain people who stick their necks out and
try playing something new and different,” Nick said.
“Some people are scared to do that. Nothing is cool in this
town until someone cool says it’s cool. God forbid someone
should like something on their own.”
Westwood Brew Company is at 1097 Glendon. For more information,
call (310) 209-2739.