Bumtech
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Loop-happy, guitar-happy, and you’ll be happy
by Matt Driscoll
Mar 06, 2008
There are lots of “cool” things coming out of Portland. There are plenty of hip bands and all-the-rage sounds. There’s a lot of stuff that people will tell you is new, exciting and different, and there’s a lot of stuff that is showing up on indie radars all over the world.
Some of this stuff is even good.
Bumtech is one of those instances. A New Wavy two-piece rock band made up of guitarist Jonn Walterscheid and bassist and keyboardist Sharon Schloss, Bumtech will play Bob’s Java Jive Saturday, March 8.
While they’re not exactly Menomena, Bumtech have created a following that stretches far and wide from their Rose City home, riding college radio like the rails to spread the word of their loop-happy but guitar-driven sound that’s as reminiscent of the past as it is the future. While Bumtech could have flourished during the ’80s, they’ve more than a cheeky retro appeal going for them. Bumtech doesn’t feel rehashed; they feel fresh but familiar, which isn’t easy to do.
Bumtech’s debut CD, Beware of D-G, is a fine example. Tracks like “Scrotessa Weanis in the Workplace” and “Got Yer Nose” (both of which can also be heard at www.myspace.com/bumtech) display an equal balance of artistic vision and playfulness — one that can’t help but make the listener take a mental load off and enjoy Bumtech’s outlook.
The things you’ve heard about Portland can be seen with your own eyes at Bob’s Java Jive this week — well, everything except the city’s infatuation with titty bars and bicycles. Bumtech’s got the hip indie music covered.
[Bob’s Java Jive, Bumtech, Philo Grant, Darren Selector, Saturday, March 8, 8 p.m., $3, 2102 S. Tacoma Way, Tacoma, 253.475.9843]
