July 15-21, 2004

music

The Kid Stays in the Picture

This Radiant Boy comes into focus.

by Patrick Rapa

rock/pop

There were countless opportunities for Mike Guggino to give up on This Radiant Boy. His little power pop project had some rough formative years. The original lineup fell apart soon after it was put together in 1997. After that, the singing-songwriting frontman would show up at Philly and Jersey basement punk shows flanked by "whoever else had a keyboard or drums or whatever," he says. "And we would play as many songs as we could."

It's a hazy, scrappy, indie rock way of doing things, with the sound and the roster always in flux. Most "bands" like that don't last very long. But Guggino didn't scrap his dream band or its curious moniker (which is inspired by a British ghost story; if you see that Radiant Boy you will soon experience great joy followed by sudden, horrible death!).

Things started coming together in '99 when Guggino hooked up with Bucky Lang and guitarist Dan Verechia. More members were added in recent years: keyboardist Rick Hass (who actually had a previous stint playing bass with the band), vocalist Jamie Udinson and bassist Adam Herndon. These days This Radiant Boy sounds like a firm and established sextet. Just about every song sports a catchy hook and a big resounding chorus.

"It's more of a collaborative thing now," explains Guggino. He brings the words and the basic concepts to his bandmates, who develop their own arrangements. He's not even the band's only lyricist, now that Hass has been showing up to practice with his own songs.

Their new Shakedown at the Russian Disco EP — self-released on the Extracurricular Records label — is five tracks of spirited, unpredictable power pop. It starts with "We Can Pretend," a catchy, punchy tune that packs a lot of volume and melody into two minutes. Next is the twice-as-long "I Miss Ol' Miss," which adds a touch of danceable Motown to the indie-pop formula. "(I Once Felt) Broken Eyeballs," has the requisite soaring refrain, but, as the title would suggest, the lyrics are utterly enigmatic. The mystery demands repeat listens.

Still, while Shakedown is a smart, driving rock CD, it doesn't paint the whole picture of This Radiant Boy. Whereas the EP is tight and fierce, the live shows are brash, fun exercises in coloring outside the lines. The sweet and sour combination of Udinson and Guggino's voices sprout up between Lang's pounding rhythms. The band likes to make an event out of its loud, sweaty live shows, often getting dressed up — as cowboys, pirates, ninjas, Raggedy Anne dolls — for the occasion.

"We want to be very accessible to the audience," says Verechia. "It takes away the pretentiousness of the situation."

While the band's irrepressible pop skills demand attention, it's clear This Radiant Boy models itself after their '90s indie rock heroes, whose greatest joys came from simply making music.

"This band exceeded my expectations years ago," says Lang. "It's kind of been like candy since then."

This Radiant Boy record release show, Fri., July 16, 9 p.m., $8, with Dragon City, Fivehead and Regina Hexaphone, Tritone, 1508 South St., 215-545-0475.