When a powerful snowstorm shut Albuquerque down last winter, Botnix fired up."We were just trapped inside and all we could do was drink and record," says Botnix lead singer-guitarist Tim O’Brien. "The storm was the best thing that ever happened to this band."It’s not surprising the members of Botnix do well when cooped up together. Their interactions reveal a playful camaraderie based in sarcasm and mutual respect, but these rockers don’t let their kinship get too sappy. (Jokes about urinating are commonplace around this campfire.)O’Brien and drummer Steve Merriam have played together for more than half a decade, but the band’s full formation and new CD ,de-fe-‘ni-shens/ wouldn’t have been possible without bass player Cardo Trujillo. "Cardo’s really musically well-rounded," O’Brien says. "He plays anything he picks up and plays it well. He speaks ‘bass’ but he also speaks ‘guitar’ and ‘drums,’ so it’s easy for him to communicate what he wants us to do if he has an idea he wants to try." ,de-fe-‘ni-shens/ doesn’t have the analogue ring of garage-rock, but it’s sopping with classic rock’s raw power. Merriam is all over the drum set, relying on his toms as much as his snare. Trujillo paints the framework with pounding, precise bass lines that have room to breath without a second guitar eating up his sound. "It’s a home recording and it’s not like we waited for airplanes to pass or anything like that," Trujillo explains. "We just had a good time, got drunk and went for it." It’s hard to think of another local band that matches what Botnix is going for sonically. As its members point out, Botnix isn’t all that punky, it’s not metal and it’s not what could be readily described as indie. Fortunately, its sore thumb status suits Botnix just fine. "The Albuquerque music scene is a great thing," O’Brien says. "We’re not sure where we fit in, but that’s a really good thing because we’re bringing something new to the table." Botnix has enlisted a whole mess of bands to help it birth ,de-fe-‘ni-shens/ this Friday, Jan. 11, at the Launchpad, including Feels Like Sunday, SuperGiant, The Ground Beneath, Pan!c, Scarless and Mechanism of Eve. The $5 cover to the 21-and-over show gets you a free Botnix shot glass. Find Botnix online at www.myspace.com/botnix.
Cd Release: Botnix Cd Release Party
Alternative Rock Conceived In A Snowstorm
3 min read
