STS9 thrives on friction. This may be surprising coming from
five musicians who think of themselves as a collective as
much as a band. But consider the title of the California-based
outfit’s long-awaited fourth album: Peaceblaster. The two
words rub against each other to create an image that is simultaneously
utopian and violent, fraught with the very contradiction
that permeates America circa now.
“America is this beautiful, incredible place, but it has a dark
underbelly,” bassist David Murphy says. “And even on
Peaceblaster’s most ethereal songs, there’s a darkness that reflects
what’s going on in society—it ain’t all bad, but it ain’t all good.”
“Music measures the temperature of the people,” adds guitarist
Hunter Brown. “Consumerism and the corporate media
have taken us all down the path of cynicism, apathy, and nihilism.
If the message on the new record is anything, it’s to blast that shit.”
Armed with a batch of song ideas and fueled by the tension
of the times, the band (which in addition to Brown and
Murphy, features percussionist Jeffree Lerner, keyboardist
David Phipps, and Zach Velmer on drums) took a break
from their masochistic touring schedule and holed up in their
recording studio, determined to make the strongest album of
their career. “The last few records, it felt like we were learning
on the job,” says Murphy. “But the new record is the job.”
The result is a tour-de-force of gut-punching rhythms and
textured, shimmering tones. The songs don’t seem to have
been written so much as plucked from the sky. It’s as if the
beats and melodies have always existed, just waiting for
STS9 to channel them. That isn’t to say the recording process
was easy. When this much passion and idealism is driving an
album, arguments are inevitable. “Sure, we had little disagreements,”
Brown says. “Bringing new ideas into the light
of day is difficult—for musicians, politicians, everybody.
“We’re five people with different tastes and styles,” says
Murphy. “But ultimately we let the songs tell us what to do.”
The songs may have been talking, but according to Murphy,
Hunter Brown is the guy who made sure the band was listening.
“He’s always challenging us to take things further, make things
better,” Murphy says. “We knew we wanted to put out a great
one, and Peaceblaster is beyond anything we’ve ever done.”
Brown says simply, “The pot has been boiling for a long
time. Now we’ve got a really good stew.”
STS9 already has a tremendous fan base, but the new
album is perhaps more accessible than the band’s previous
efforts. Peaceblaster is, of course, dense with the Eno-esque
layering of live and electronic instruments that STS9 is known
for—the chords and samples swirling atop the pulsing bass
and drums. But between the beats there is a distinctly human
element absent from past records. Brown, Murphy, and Lerner
even sing occasionally, adding voices to the sonic stew for the
first time. Still the band understands that their sound is somewhat
esoteric. “Our feeling is that this record could be for
everybody,” Murphy says. “But then again, probably not.”
With Peaceblaster they’ve honed their studio chops, but
STS9 made their bones on the live stage. Consistently ranking
in Pollstar’s Top 50 American touring acts, they’ve played
all the major festivals—from Lollapalooza and Bonnaroo to
Fuji Rock and Coachella—and they’ve headlined amphitheatre
shows before tens of thousands. Along the way they’ve
shared the stage with James Brown, Jurassic 5, Tortoise,RJD2, Digable Planets, De La Soul, Perry Farrell, Prefuse
73, Saul Williams, and hundreds more.
The torrid roadwork continues with an itinerary that takes the
band from legendary venues like Red Rocks and Berkeley’s
Greek Theatre to stops on the festival circuit, where they’ll join
acts as diverse as Snoop Dogg and The Flaming Lips. This
diversity works to shatter the boundaries of genre and scene.
Touring has taught STS9 that distinctions between musical styles
are mostly artificial anyway.
For Brown, meeting fellow musicians and sharing audiences
is a reminder that “There is incredible music coming
out these days. People feel alive. They feel that their lives
matter, that their choices matter. This leads to great art.”
Art exists to show us the world in a new way. It’s a fiction
that shines light on the truth. And because tension is an impetus
for creativity, the best art is often produced in the most trying
times. As Brown says, “From Bob Marley to Bob Dylan,
the music we like has always spoken to the struggle.”
“The music of the sixties and seventies reflected the politics of
the era,” Murphy says. “America’s back in that place right now.”
STS9 aims to capitalize on the current climate by pushing
toward innovation—musically and socially. Their live shows
are fun, surely. But the band works to create an environment
where folks can stop and think about how all of our lives might
be made better. “When people get together and share ideas,”
Brown says, “they come up with something bigger than themselves
as individuals.”
To build on this community, STS9 has developed
peaceblaster.com, an informational website where fans will
find copies of the Bill of Rights, speeches by Dwight
Eisenhower and Martin Luther King, and links to alternative
media outlets. As with the live show, the site encourages
independent thought. It’s a space where people are free to
stand up for the right to their own opinions, whatever they
may be. The only agenda here is education. “Our role as
artists isn’t to preach,” Murphy says, “but to present information
for people to engage.”
Sometimes engagement means putting money in the
hands that can make a difference. Through benefit concerts,
per ticket charity fees, and other special events, STS9 has
donated generously to over a dozen organizations, including
Rock Against Cancer, the Yellow Ribbon Fund, Global
Education Fund, and the Make It Right Foundation in New
Orleans. They’ve also supported such independent media
sources as Democracy Now! and the Haiti Information Project.
Ultimately, STS9 knows that they are just a band, playing
songs. No more, no less. But they also understand
music’s power as a cultural force. They know that friction
can be a catalyst for change. And even though they can’t literally
blast peace into our consciousness, they can carve
out a musical space where new ideas might take hold.
“We’re just trying to get inspired and to get people inspired,”
Brown says. “That’s what music is: a never-ending conversation
between strangers. We need this conversation to
help us understand the world and our place in it.
