Radar Bros.

The Los Angeles band, the Radar Bros. recently released Auditorium — a confident and engaging record that has the band embarking on a new musical approach. Comprised of guitarist Jim Putnam, bassist Senon Williams, and drummer radar_photo
Steve Goodfriend the Radar Bros. have been making music since 1994 with the release of their self-titled LP, followed by Singing Hatchet, And the Surrounding Mountains, and The Fallen Leaf Pages. With over 15 years in the industry the band has received critical praise, flattering comparisons to Pink Floyd and Neil Young, and a “melodic slow core” title that is constantly evolving.

Most recently the band released Auditorium, an album that found Jim Putnam encompassed in a different writing process. Putnam explained, “I try to keep all channels open in terms of writing while still learning new methods.” The album also addresses universal themes opposed to the inspirations from nature that were found on previous records. The tracks on Auditorium contain stories and moments from life such as on “Warm Rising Sun” — a musical interruption of the battle of Iwo Jima as told by an American soldier from the desert of Southern California. Other tracks like “Watching Cows” and “When Cold Air Goes to Sleep” leave listeners with a beautiful fusion of melodic and dreamy lyrics. Auditorium contains a collection of these songs partly from Putnam’s vision as he attempts to take a more objective stance than an emotional attachment seen on previous records.

This album shies away from the personal elements that Putnam made a conscious effort to eliminate. “I was inspired by certain themes at the time that were less personal. I wanted to try and take a break from writing about personal experiences,” he explains. “A lot of times I would write lyrics that I figured were just random thoughts, but then later I would realize that they came from personal experiences that were swimming around in my subconscious.” This separation is apparent on more the politically minded tracks like “Happy Spirits” which address the soldiers in Iraq and “A Dog named Ohio,” which explored election fraud.

Putnam does pay attention to what critics have to say, which fortunately for him as been positive, but he doesn’t even truly know what his fans think. “I don’t really know what they think of us. We always seem to be making new fans, and possibly losing some,
he says. “The great thing is that we've been making records for 15 years or so, and there are still people all over the world who discover us and become our biggest fans yet.”

Following the recording of Auditorium the band separated, which is now encompassed of all new members. Putnam takes a positive stance on the situation by stating, “I think things with the old band were great, but it was getting a little stale. Some of us were getting tired and cynical, and didn't want to go on. It takes great commitment to make music that could be doomed for obscurity, and sometimes the "is it all worth it" question can come up.”

Putman put together a new band, semi-reluctantly at first where he found a new energy to the music making process: “I was suddenly working with enthusiastic people again, which has rubbed off on me.” The new members are working on an album that encompasses a whole new catalogue of sounds. “I’m now trying to write more before entering the studio,” he explains, “exploring new methods while out in the world, not in the bubble of recording.”

- Serena Norr

http://www.myspace.com/radarbros
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