Known for their one-of-a-kind shows, Medford, Ore.-based rock band Impulse Control released its first album last year and is on its first tour. The band performs today in Moscow.
The group is led by Spokane-native Tim Duryea on guitar and vocals. He is joined by Max Malcomb on drums and John Johns on bass. We checked in with Duryea by phone to find out more about the band and its Moscow show.
360: How would you describe your sound? Duryea: We are a three-piece rock band. We’d like to think we sound like Foo Fighters, that’s what we’d like to think when we go to bed at night. We write songs kind of in that mainline alt rock vein of the 1990s, that’s kind of our sweet spot. And then we’re stealing inspiration from modern rock music. Both Max and John are really into metal, so every once in awhile we throw a little metal into things.
360: And what about the content? What are your songs about? Duryea: Most of the songs that I write are pretty serious in subject matter. Lots of having to do with big transitions that’ve happened in my life over the past few years. And then, a nice handful of them are just ridiculous fun songs either about nothing or nonsense.
360: For most shows you perform original music except for an audience-selected cover. How does that work? Duryea: What we do at the show is present them with three options of the artists that we cover, and whatever they vote for is what we play. The fan favorite is a progressive punk version of Britney Spears “Toxic,” and then the other ones are a pop-punk version of Taylor Swift’s “Trouble,” and then we have a rock/metal cover of “Let It Go” from the Disney movie “Frozen.” I like the dichotomy between the kind of music we genuinely try to play and then the content of the pop songs.
360: You guys also write and perform a brand new song during each show. Tell us more. Duryea: We take audience members and we ask them some multiple choice questions and they give us everything from the tempo, to the key we’re playing in, to the subject of the song itself.
360: So you really compose on the spot? Duryea: Yeah, in high school and college I was in the improv troupe, so it’s my one way to exercise that. And the other guys are confident, professional-level musicians, so they keep up just fine. It’s something that sets apart the recorded material from the live show.
360: It sounds like you guys put on a fun show. Duryea: Yeah, (a fellow musician recently) told me that we make it very apparent that we have fun doing what we do. The shows are an invitation to join in on that party.
IF YOU GO: WHAT: Impulse Control with Griffey and Runaway Octopus WHEN: 8 p.m. today WHERE: Humble Burger, Moscow COST: $5/person; must be 21 years or older
