2008 Woodie Awards
Phaser — like Star Trek, only cooler
Josh Justice
Issue date: 2/12/03 Section: Arts and Entertainment
- Page 1 of 2 next >
by Josh Justice
Walking into the 9:30 Club on a cold winter’s night, I was expecting to see some standard indie rock fare and to check out how good Interpol is live. My expectations for opening bands, especially those in less mainstream concerts, were never very high and I always felt they were, at best, a good distraction until the band I came to see walked on. Phaser proved to be the exception.
Walking into the club after getting my hands stamped (by the way, as far as under-21 stamps go, the 9:30 Club’s is by far the coolest) my friends and I began to hear the first opener finishing up the beginning of their set. Our passage across the floor to an open spot right next to the stage was a surreal experience, a moment taken out of High Fidelity. Everywhere you looked there was some combination of sideburns, long hair, body piercing and goatees, often all four, on the others watching the concert. And when the first opener started into their next song, I was blown away.
Phaser, a local D.C. indie rock band, was as the pun goes ‘set to stun.’ The foursome — brothers Boris (vocals, bass) and Siayko (vocals, guitar, keyboard), Paul Wood on guitar and Ritse Dejong playing the drums — was an explosion of strangely enchanting vocals and epic climaxes. The closest thing to compare Phaser to is something between the spaciousness of Radiohead and the quasi-pop of Oasis, a mix of sounds that draws you in and keeps you wanting more. Boris’s haunting vocals and ability to shake the roof when on bass defy explanation and the talent seen in Siayko as he switches from keyboard to guitar and still rocks the vocals on several of their songs cannot fail to surprise.
A band this good live is a rare thing; Phaser’s chemistry on stage is the best I have ever seen. The rest of the acts, even the lead act Interpol, could not compare with the energy and skill with which Phaser rocked the house. Every song had this amazing epic build to it, starting out slow and gradually gaining speed till the vocals were dropped and the band let loose with phenomenal energy. To see Phaser live and in the flesh is an awesome experience and it will only make you want to search out and find one of their CDs and listen to it all night.
Walking into the 9:30 Club on a cold winter’s night, I was expecting to see some standard indie rock fare and to check out how good Interpol is live. My expectations for opening bands, especially those in less mainstream concerts, were never very high and I always felt they were, at best, a good distraction until the band I came to see walked on. Phaser proved to be the exception.
Walking into the club after getting my hands stamped (by the way, as far as under-21 stamps go, the 9:30 Club’s is by far the coolest) my friends and I began to hear the first opener finishing up the beginning of their set. Our passage across the floor to an open spot right next to the stage was a surreal experience, a moment taken out of High Fidelity. Everywhere you looked there was some combination of sideburns, long hair, body piercing and goatees, often all four, on the others watching the concert. And when the first opener started into their next song, I was blown away.
Phaser, a local D.C. indie rock band, was as the pun goes ‘set to stun.’ The foursome — brothers Boris (vocals, bass) and Siayko (vocals, guitar, keyboard), Paul Wood on guitar and Ritse Dejong playing the drums — was an explosion of strangely enchanting vocals and epic climaxes. The closest thing to compare Phaser to is something between the spaciousness of Radiohead and the quasi-pop of Oasis, a mix of sounds that draws you in and keeps you wanting more. Boris’s haunting vocals and ability to shake the roof when on bass defy explanation and the talent seen in Siayko as he switches from keyboard to guitar and still rocks the vocals on several of their songs cannot fail to surprise.
A band this good live is a rare thing; Phaser’s chemistry on stage is the best I have ever seen. The rest of the acts, even the lead act Interpol, could not compare with the energy and skill with which Phaser rocked the house. Every song had this amazing epic build to it, starting out slow and gradually gaining speed till the vocals were dropped and the band let loose with phenomenal energy. To see Phaser live and in the flesh is an awesome experience and it will only make you want to search out and find one of their CDs and listen to it all night.