Chattanooga Pulse

Amazingly enough, I’ve been around a great many musicians. Whether it was an internationally known talent, or the local musician/waiter who plays the open mic night on Tuesday, I have held many conversations with those who see themselves as musicians. I have also interviewed a few, so I have found myself asking those artists what they think about their music, the music of their peers, and what makes their music different.

There are two distinct groups that, generally, every answer can be lumped into. The two groups are: Old-School Influenced and Changing the Face of Music Forever, One Badass Riff at a Time. Every musician will admit to influences. How could you not have influences, unless you’ve been living in a soundproof room and just happened to be a musical prodigy?

However, the Old-School Influenced group will pretty much craft its music to keep a particular familiar sound, as if paying homage to a hero. The Changing the Face of Music group is more based on the idea of originality. It’s “influenced” by several different genres, but is convinced that with its switching around of musical compounds, it has concocted a new formula for music that no one has figured out yet. There are a great number of musicians in this group who never succeed in that breakthrough, regardless of countless valiant efforts.

When I went in to interview another band, Thief, for this week’s article, I wasn’t expecting to get anything different from the norm. Thief is an idea started by Brennan Walsh and Matthew Tub. The two became friends around 10 years ago. While learning from mistakes and fads from their earlier bands together, the two built a taste for exactly what they wanted.

After a couple of different drummers and bassists, they found a bond between two long-time friends, Ryan Hart and Steve Janson. Hart took the role of bass, and Janson, percussion. After a few rough jam sessions and arranging old ideas, Thief fell into place. This Nashville band, Thief, had a nice little spin on the idea of music and their musical talents, which might prove to define a new group: Clever Little Thieves.

Hellcat: I have to ask: What gave you the idea for your band name?

Matthew Tub: We had got a show date before we had a name for our band, so we had to come up with something quick, and when we started talking about it, we came up with “thief”, because a good musician is just a clever thief.

HC: What do you mean? What exactly are you a thief of?

Ryan Hart: My favorite musicians are Jimi Hendrix, The Black Keys, Led Zeppelin, Tool, Kings of Leon, etc. It’s hard to say we didn’t get touched by it, or influenced by it.

MT: Everyone says they are influenced, but it’s a lie to say you didn’t take from them in some way. You’ve just heard it before and you take little pieces from all of it and mix it into something else.

HC: I see, I get it. Thieves. Interesting way to look at it…possibly more unusual to approach it so blatantly. I like it. So, how long have you been a band?

MT: In its current format, three years, but the idea for the band has been about ten years. Brennan and I are from the same hometown, same high school, same everything.

HC: What hometown?

MT: Raleigh, North Carolina.

HC: What is your idea of a perfect world in the next year?

MT: Playing for anyone willing to listen and loving it.

RH: Making people realize that some of the best musicians are in your backyard, so that they’d give local musicians a chance. There is a lot of really great music struggling in a failing industry. Maybe changing people’s mind about music, but more realistically just being able to live on what you do.
HC: Ah, yes, the American Musician Dream.

RH: In the next year it would be pretty awesome if we got a publishing deal and a touring deal, possibly taking over the world, but we aren’t being given the chance to. So, I would go with finding a good band to go on tour with and build support.

HC: A parent band. ALL right. Have you played in Chattanooga before?

MT: No, we’ve been to The Low Down and saw a pretty rocking show, where the crowd was really amped, but musically, no, we haven’t gotten the opportunity until now. We love Chattanooga though; we go there often.

HC: Really? Why?

MT: We’re mountain climbers, and we all go there to climb, kayak, hike, and camp. I mean, we’re all Tennessee boys.

HC: Anything else you feel like expressing?

RH: Just that we love to have a good time with music and rock and roll.

HC: Awesome.

Come out and see if these boys have put their little stolen nuggets in all the right places. They do sound a bit like Radiohead, but I like Radiohead—so good job. They will be at Riverhouse Pub this Saturday.