For the four members of sea knight, it is all about making music. Not rock music. Not pop music. Just music. “Whatever we write is whatever we write,” explains guitarist Patrick Andrews. “Musically, we come from all angles.” That unique approach has a lot to do with the San Francisco- and Santa Cruz-based band’s influences, which Andrews says run the gamut, and help him and his bandmates—Linda Sao (vocals/guitar/piano), Cory Aboud (drums), and Sami Hiromi (bass/violin)—keep an open mind creatively.
“We all listen to pretty diverse styles of music,” he says. “Some of us probably don’t even listen to the style of music we’re playing all the time, so the songs that come out just happen without any of us thinking about what direction we’re going to take it.” While the band’s just-released debut EP, WHERE ARE YOU, appears to be an atmospheric rock record on the surface, the tracks have significant sonic layers beyond the traditional guitar, bass and drums. Piano and keyboards appear throughout, and on the opening track, “Chasm,” Hiromi adds a violin to the mix. Almost all of these layers were added in organically. “Sami lends herself more to being a bass player at this point, so it was sort of like pulling teeth for us to get her to want to contribute the violin,” Andrews laughs. “I think we knew ‘Chasm’ had potential for violin, and then, at some point, she heard the original tracks of that recording and was like, ‘OK, you guys are right. I’m going to go get my violin.’” That violin will be performed live at the band’s EP release show at Moe’s Alley on St. Patrick’s Day, where they will open for Marty O’Reilly and the Old Soul Orchestra. Andrews assures concertgoers that while sea knight’s music tends to have shadowy tones, it won’t dampen the festivities. “Our music might be considered darker or moody, but we’re generally pretty happy people,” he laughs.
INFO: 8:30 p.m. Monday, March 17. Moe’s Alley, 1535 Commercial Way, Santa Cruz. $7/adv, $10/door. 479-1854.
