The Eyes sound was distilled from British hard rock of the late 60s and early 70s, filtered through Anglo-American 70s punk and new wave, and served with contemporary American indie-rock attitude. Combining pop sensibility, psychedelic ripples, hard rock riffs, stoned grooves, glam majesty and a healthy dollop of fringe aggression, The Eyes were: heavy, but not metal; catchy, but not insipid; arty, but not inaccessible. Steeped in the music of the likes of The Who, XTC, The Kinks, Guided By Voices, Television, King Crimson, Cheap Trick, Led Zeppelin, Talking Heads, and the Buzzcocks, The Eyes brought technique and craftsmanship to writing and arranged diamond-studded rock songs with more hooks than a bait shop. They then delivered those songs with the intensity of a herd of rhinos at a planetarium laser show on lab-grade acid.
Born of providence in early 2006, The Eyes debuted before a startled audience later that year paying homage to the recently departed Syd Barrett with a live performance the band can only recall as a collective out-of-body experience. Subsequently, the group has not looked back. Cited as a “Local Standout of ‘06†by Atlanta music magazine Stomp & Stammer, The Eyes played critically acclaimed and audience-lauded shows in the Atlanta area for the next 2 years.
Comprised of four seasoned Atlanta music vets, the band’s roster was a cross-section of the local indie-rock scene. The Eyes were fronted by Rickenbacker-wielding singer Jenny Hutton (ex- Charm School ), whose 24K voice lends an aura of the post-punk chanteuse–an impression only belied by her instrumental prowess. Lead guitarist Mike Goldman (ex- Indicators ) embraced his inner guitar god to searing effect, enabling the pair to frequently engage in Television-esque interplay, thus creating an aural wall of six-stringed joy visible from outer space. Skins man Alex McGill drummed with exquisite precision and uncommon musicality, holding the structure together with muscle, brains, steel and wood. Andy Tegethoff ( Solution Science Systems , The Taybacks ) propelled the band with a thunder-and-lightning bass guitar engine.
As an ensemble, the quartet was capable of intricate subtlety, evocative moodiness, infectious energy and sheer ferocity. Two- and three-part vocals zapped stacked melodies through and across controlled chaos. Searing guitar solos punctuated songs that defied categorization by blending classic pop and hard rock moves with an avant-garde sensibility. The Eyes were better heard than seen -- but under no circumstances were they to be missed.