The Nautics, Pheonix, OR
Born out of the small coastal town of Medford, Oregon is the surf rock quartet The Nautics. It's not a coincidence that the four share the last name Seus--they're all family, and I don't mean in a "godfather" sort of way. The band has a long history as the guys have known each other since birth and have been playing as a band since before they could multiply. However, they're nothing like The Partridge Family or The Jackson 5--they're just a rock band whose members happen to be related.
After cousins Mike and Joe Seus had taken a few music lessons, in guitar and drums respectively, they decided the next step was to form a band. At recess, Joe propositioned his younger brother Matt to join as the bassist and the trio began dreaming of the spotlight and screaming fans. One year later, Paul joined the band to play lead guitar as the youngest member of the group at age eight. Twelve years later the lineup hasn't changed--Mike sings lead vocals and plays guitar, Paul plays lead guitar and sings backing vocals, Matt plays bass and sings backing vocals, and Joe plays the drums.
While many young boys grow up dreaming of being rock stars, it's rare that a band can play for twelve years, and record, write and produce a 10-track LP all before the lead guitarist's 21st birthday. The guys grew up listening to music by The Ventures, The Beatles, and The Stray Cats and so began gravitating to a classic and surf rock style. When they began writing original material, The Nautics, combined their roots in classic and surf rock with modern rock. The result is their 2010 release Black Light Doves.
The record was recorded in Portland, Oregon, just a short drive from their hometown of Medford. The album reflects both the band's history and their dreams of the future. Joe's splashy drum beats, Matt's propulsive bass lines, Paul's resounding guitar tones, and Mike's vivid lyrics give their first studio album an exciting and pelagic tone.
The inspiration for Black Light Doves spawns from topics as everyday as women, parties, and summertime to those as thought-provoking as insomnia, film, and nostalgia. They chose the title Black Light Doves before the title track was even written. The song opens with a heavy drumbeat and early-Beatles-esque guitar tones. Their goal was to capture the sensation of running through a dark hallway in the middle of the night. This track set the mood for the rest of the record.
"Save Your Money," the second track on Black Light Doves, was written to be the single of the record. Mike sat down with a box of Mike and Ikes and scribbled out the lyrics in 5 minutes. The result has hints of early Elvis and the soundtrack from "That Thing You Do." The band hoped with this song they could reach a wider audience with the theme of falling in love in everyday circumstance.
