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The local trio is just
happy to be out of the hospital
(Written by Linda Koffman Tuesday,
13 January 2009 )
“There’s some sort of curse going
on with the band,” frontman Nate Lieby says
of 300 Pounds’ long history of mishaps.
“We’re always recovering from some
sort of grievous injury.” The latest in
the string of injuries happened when bassist John
“Pecos” Davis broke his neck mountain
biking. No light concern. After six years of rockin’
without too much reward and the band at a major
standstill, Lieby says the trio of nerd rockers
was on the verge of calling it quits for good
as the new year approached. And then, in true
indie fairy tale form, the curse lifted. In the
middle of their six-week layoff, with Pecos out
of commission, Lieby got a call “out of
the blue” from DC-Jam Records. Weeks later,
they’ve just inked a deal and are set to
record their first full-length US release on the
small label based in Missouri.
Lieby and drummer Jon Moriconi have performed
together for 15 years (their previous outfit being
Sneaky Creekins), and joined by Pecos’ funk-influenced
bass lines, they’ve found a formula for
quirky garage rock dampened down with disco wah
pedals, slower ska riffs and the singer’s
whimsical lyrics, that all comes together as music
for the rock channel-surfer. The band, ironically
named because, as the singer describes, “We’re
all skinny dudes trying to bulk up,” posted
the EP The Emeryville Project on the net for about
a year. DC-Jam picked off the standout track “Butcher”
and decided to pursue. Now, 300 Pounds are getting
set for Trail of Numbered Days, the upcoming album
featuring remixed songs off the EP, three new
tunes, and tracks from their previous self-released
album. This week’s big Inauguration Celebration
show at Moe’s will also feature Wet Umbrella,
and will no doubt turn into a chance to celebrate
300 Pounds’ own signage. So does Lieby feel
the band fits well on the label’s roster
of skate-punk bands? “Well, the first of
our injuries over the years was when I broke my
ankle skateboarding,” he correlates humorously.
“So I guess the skateboarding gods are now
smiling on us.”
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