Tribe

This is a band that blew up faster than it took to write this sentence. What about a musical group is it that causes them to be sky rocketed into stardom just as they are at their beginnings? Listen to Sound Tribe Sector Nine (STS9) for a perfect example of the heart-stopping, toe-curling, fist clenching sound that can take a group as far as fast as Sound Tribe has done. This is an instrumental band that is renowned for their live performances (this is beginning to seem like a theme with my blog). The group is rooted in instrumental rock and electronica, with influences of funk, jazz, and hip-hop. STS9 consists of Zach Velmer (drums), Hunter Brown (guitar/laptop/midi keyboard), Jeffree Lerner (percussion/laptop/handsonic) David Murphy (bass/laptop/midi keyboard), and David Phipps (keyboards/laptop). They got their beginnings in Atlanta, Georgia, but quickly relocated to Northern California in an attempt to take their sound where it may get more recognition. A live STS9 show is almost a theatrical production, including the stunning music, visually spectacular light shows, and elaborate stage decor. Since all songs are long journeys of instrumental improvisation, it allows every listener their own interpretation of a song. A well known fact about Sound Tribe is that the audience influences the performence greatly. If the audience is going wild for a track STS9 is playing, the group will often choose to extend the song, and add in more excitement and intensity. This is a great idea because it makes the performance a group effort on the part of the musician and the audience. Last time I saw STS9 was at the Rothbury Festival of Music in Michigan. Sound Tribe played a mind boggling three and a half hour show. An interesting piece of information that I recently came across was that this particular concert was taking place right after the headliner of festival, Dave Matthews Band, at a stage that was almost a mile from the main stage. Tribe turned out full capacity crowd before the show even began, and left the road from the main stage to theirs blocked with people. This means that a full capacity crowd, myself included, did not go to Dave Matthews, and instead went to an empty stage to wait for Tribe to begin. Another awesome fact that I recently learned about Sound Tribe is how environmentally conscious they are. Beginning in Fall 2006, STS9 traveled in a carbon neutral tour bus, and powered all their concerts with renewable energy. On top of this, they wanted to offset 100% of the carbon dioxide emissions from the tour by raising donations from their partnership with environmentally friendly companies. This is another example of an astounding amount of musical talent coupled with the desire to better the planet we live in, a rare characteristic that benefits fans and the world alike.