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Before forming Rogue Wave, Zach Rogue was in a San Francisco band called the Desoto Reds who really liked Guided By Voices -- so much so that their early demos were often panned as derivative. When 90% of the new businesses by the Bay went belly up, Rogue was one of thousands laid off, so he went to New York City with a head full of songs and nothing but time to put them down on tape. Apart from drums, he played every instrument and sang every song on what would become the debut album of the band he put together with four friends after moving back to San Francisco. Rogue Wave worked their asses off at the grassroots level, garnering a dedicated following and the momentum of a giant avalanche until Sub Pop had no choice but to sign the band before another label picked them up. Live, the group effortlessly approximates the stellar arrangements found on their debut, but they also add their own trademark flair and style, changing instruments every other song much like the Coctails did in their heyday. While the songs still display vestiges of a love for G.B.V. (as well as Built To Spill), Rogue's soaring inflections and song structures elevate the listener to unpredictable plateaus. Winding guitars, pulsing rhythms and lovelorn lyrics pull from a myriad of genre influences (folk, psychedelia, post-punk), while sustaining what is fast becoming a trademark sound.
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