The Susceptibles play authentic punk rock, free from Hot Topic fashion statements and MTV marketing schemes. Their sound is raw and youthful, homegrown in a Northern Colorado basement and built on the principals that originally pioneered the punk scene: boredom, unease, small towns, and friendship. But when punk antics and inspirations usually fall to the wayside with time, the last four years have groomed the Susceptibles into a fast-paced musical force with a history of driving live performances and slapstick antics.
Clayton Loper (front man/lead vocals) promises a “soft and mellow jazz set … and a song about Jesus.†Thankfully, he delivers a energetic performance and a song about emo girls. Loper plays his far-reaching vocals to the extreme, wavering frantic between raw screams and vibrato wailing. He fronts like an accessible Jell-O Biafra and emcees like deviant Johnny Carson. “This is a little song by a band called the Misfits,†he straightfaces, “ I don’t know if you’ve heard of ‘em … they’re a band from the east coast.â€
Loper’s punk rock yodel leads a charge of untreated guitar and hyper-active drumming. John Chaffee (guitar/back up vocals) and Seth Bruce (bass/back up vocals) lay down reckless, drudging guitar lines that invoke old school spitfire. The band stands apart with clean, technical drumming that’s pristine by punk standards. Zach Hicks (drums/back up vocals) fancies up the Susceptibles backbone with driving, structured and double-timed drum work that flaunts like metal-heads only wish they could do with a guitar pick.
Their old school influences are apparent, but the Susceptibles aren’t about building monuments. They’re just putting it into perspective for a new generation, spitting the straight up rock of the Nobodys and Queers with a modernized and hybrid style that’s outgrown the garage. With a strong home-town following, the Susceptibles are starting to take on grander prospects, touring their recently-released EP, Too the Bone, and building a bigger fan base with wise-crack and rock. They’re thankful to have shared the stage with the likes of The Independents, Michale Graves and The Nobodys and are eager for an even bigger playing field for Loper to pick on. The new material is fully endorsed, (“New songs are the shit!â€), and just a taste of a new full-length due by the end of the year.
The coming months mean more road and more rock for the Susceptibles. It may sound humble, but these guys are truly fueled by the music, the fans, and the friends that are rocking their own basement rehearsals. They’re not here to make a scene, just keep one going.
