New York based Les Savy Fav are a part of the ock revival"" talking place in the Big Apple and throughout the United States, but do not assume they are the new Strokes. They rock a lot harder with nowhere near the amount of press.
When asked about where they fit in to this movement, bassist Syd Butler responded, ""I think we're slightly different than the Strokes and the Walkmen and the like. Yes, they're from New York, but New York isn't really a place with one scene.""
Instead, Les Savy Fav is trying to do something a little more original. Butler says, ""We're not trying to replicate any other bands. We're evolving, we're not playing three-chord punk-pop. We're trying to be fresh, not do what other peope are doing."" He acknowledges The Clash and Joy Division as big influences, though.
Among those in the know, Le Savy Fav live performances are legendary. Lead singer Tim Harrington needs to be seen to be believed, and the rest of the band are similarly propulsive, but their albums, while similarly spectacular, are different. Butler elaborates, ""I think that both are art forms. I think when you do a live show, you're creating an experience. When recording, I don't think you can do the same thing. You can't recreate the experience. A lot of people have emailed us saying 'Why don't you record your album like your live shows?' and I just think it's really difficult to do that. The live show is so personal that the reinterpretation on the record has to be different. We try to do something completely different, to create something that lasts forever.""
And about that name. Pronounced Lay Sah-vee Fahv, it is nothing less than intriguing. Butler clears up the mystery. ""Originally, it meant nothing, like Haagen-Daaz, but then it developed into this abstract definition. Whenever you listen to the album, that's what Les Savy Fav is. When you see us live, that's what Les Savy Fav is. It's sort of your own interpretation, like abstract paintings.""
Anyone looking for an original, down and out rockworthy show this weekend, then, would be well-served to check out Les Savy Fav at The Catacombs Coffee House, 731 State Street, Friday night at 8 p.m. The similarly rock-oriented Apes will open, and tickets are $8.
