Also this issue: The Sound and Di Furia Photon Band art scholar hears colors, sees sound. -Brian Howard Heller High Water A Philly expat talks about the end of Philadelphia as he knows it. -A.D. Amorosi Ours -A.D. Amorosi Marianne Nowottny -Patrick Rapa Aimee Mann -Nicole Pensiero Kool Keith -Elisa Ludwig Hail Social -Hillary Rea Har Mar Superstar -Brian Howard

December 5-11, 2002

music

Fads Will Tear Us Apart

POL POSITIon: ãWe donât want to be lumped into [the NYC garage rock scene] because we existed before it and hopefully, if itâs up to us, weâll continue after it,ä says drummer Sam Fogarino.

NYC's Interpol swims against the next wave.

by John Vettese

“We don’t want to be lumped into [the NYC garage rock scene] because we existed before it and hopefully, if it’s up to us, we’ll continue after it,” says drummer Sam Fogarino.

Over the past year, the phrase “Joy Division” has appeared more than any other in reviews of Interpol’s debut CD. It’s a waste of precious ink.

Sure, this moody New York rock quartet possesses an admittedly post-punk quality. Songs on Turn on the Bright Lights (Matador) are progressive and sweeping with more than a mere touch of film noir atmospherics. But not only does Interpol shake with hints of ingenuity that surpass the current retro push -- jangling piano, quirky sound loops, a formidable incorporation of white noise -- "retro" wasn't even a factor in their forming; three quarters of the band doesn't even own a Joy Division record.

"Daniel [Kessler, guitar] spearheaded the whole thing because he was intrigued by everyone's personality," says Interpol drummer Sam Fogarino. "Really, there was no premise of ŒWhat kind of bands do you like?' It was much more along the lines of ŒI think you're interesting. Let's not talk about anything, go into a room together and see what happens.'"

It was 1998 when Kessler pulled together a handful of NYU chums -- singer/guitarist Paul Banks, bassist Carlos Dengler and a drummer named Greg -- to do just that. The group gigged around the city, recorded demos and honed its sound. Unfortunately, the mysterious Greg's goals didn't mesh with the rest of the band and he departed in early 2000.

Fogarino, a friend and follower of Interpol, promptly came aboard to fill the vacant drummer's seat. "I got a call from Daniel, one of many calls I had over the previous two years saying ŒWe should get together and play, we're having drummer problems,'" he says. "Finally I took it seriously."

It wound up being a prime time for him to join, with Interpol's early demos getting picked up and released by the Scottish label Chemikal Underground as the Precipitate EP. Keeping true to the tradition of the U.K. picking up on promising new American bands well before America does, Precipitate generated a buzz and the band flew overseas for a John Peel Session and a few high-profile festival slots.

"That really primed us for what was about to happen," says Fogarino. "Around the same time the NME had their sights on New York as the next big thing."

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By the time Interpol was inking their deal with Matador in the early part of this year, the all-eyes-on-New-York garage-rock hype explosion was in full effect, a distressing thing to a band who had been playing in the city for four years. Biting lyrical quips like "You've supported me for a long time/ somehow I'm not impressed" from Bright Lights' dirgy centerpiece, "NYC," met with frustrated comments in the press and left some wondering if Interpol was lashing out at their hometown. Fogarino insists that the band has nothing but respect for their city and their contemporaries. "It's not that we want to remove ourselves from the scene, but I think we want to remove ourselves from the part of it that can be construed as a fad," he says. "We don't want to be lumped into [this movement] because we existed before it and hopefully, if it's up to us, we'll continue after it."

Whatever the case, Interpol is back in New York City -- for a couple of days anyway -- taking a short breather from a long time on the road before they start up a mini-tour at Gasoline tonight. "We've probably done about 80 shows between the U.S. and Europe," says Fogarino. "It's funny because we're the exact opposite of being tired after playing 80 shows. There is definitely massive energy between us."

The rigorous road schedule has paid off, however, since Bright Lights has managed to move 60,000 units since its September release. The band plans to take a month off before hitting the road again in late January, this time tackling mid-sized, 1,200-capacity venues for the first time. And while he's keeping mum on the details, Fogarino says there will be a splash of new material introduced into the live sets in the coming months. "That's really what we're concentrating on in the very little time we have off in between tours," he says.

With a promising road ahead of them, Fogarino has already seen positive development in the band. He said Banks' vocal range has become more reaching, and interaction between the quartet is increasingly comfortable.

They're evolving, something Joy Division never really got to do. "A band can either implode or grow," he said. "Luckily enough, so far, we're growing."

Interpol plays Thu., Dec. 5, 8 p.m., $10, with Calla and Phaser, Gasoline, Eighth and Callowhill sts., 215-925-1900.