Three roommates, all musicians, decided to start a band. They named it Basic Radio because, “We didn’t need some band name with a ‘deep’ meaning, we just needed something that would stick,” says Brandon Eisenbeis. The result is a lot more classic rock sounding than the poppy name implies.

“We wanted to start something different than mainstream music but at the same time kinda catchy,” explains Eisenbeis. “We do take a lot from classic rock and stuff from the early ’90s and stuff that went on around here. We wanted to bring back how rock used to be, a little bit simpler.”

The lineup is Eisenbeis on vocals and guitar, Dan Bach on bass and Josh Georgiades on drums.

Basic Radio believes that bands should cater to themselves, not the ideals of others, and that they should just have a good time. Sort of a variation on the stay true to yourself musically and the rest will take care of itself philosophy.

It seems to be working out for them because the band is preparing now to embark on a tour in June. They also plan to record a full album later this year.

“We have a great chance to record at Seattle‘s Studio-X and have just booked a great tour for this summer,” says Eisenbeis. “Our first release is actually a six-song EP due out some time early August.”

The band will travel down the coast to Oregon and California, then swing over to Nevada for a stop in Vegas and then to Idaho before returning home to Seattle.

Eisenbeis says the band’s number one goal right now is building its fan base. Like all bands, they’ve been exposed to the inevitable comparisons to other bands despite their objective to be different.

“We’ve had [people compare us to] everything from the Foo Fighters to Green Day, so go figure,” says Eisenbeis. “Everybody seems to have such a different outlook on our music.”

Basic Radio will do three high energy live shows in the South Sound this week. The first one is at McCabe’s, which is known for being a country bar but just last week started having rock nights on Thursdays. Eisenbeis says McCabe’s has one of the best sound systems in town.

According to the band, each live show is a unique experience.

“Our music may just be the greatest thing since ‘Purple Rain,’” says Eisenbeis. “Seriously.”

Listen up now at www.myspace.com/officialbasicradio. — Angela Jossy



[McCabe’s American Music Café, Thursday, May 31, 8 p.m., 2611 Pacific Ave., Tacoma, 253.272.5403]

[Cedarwood Sports Bar at the Dome, with Lurid, Friday, June 1, 9 p.m., 7404 Pacific Hwy. E., Milton, 253.922.5727]

[Jazzbones, part of the Northwest Music, Bike and Tattoo Art Showcase, Saturday, June 2, music at noon, Basic Radio around 3 p.m., 2803 Sixth Ave., Tacoma, 253.396.9169]