Indie-crunk rockers Somersaults have finally released their long-awaited CD-R. I first heard the band way back in 2005 when they opened for Ted Leo and the Pharmacists in the Lafortune Ballroom. Over the next few months, I had the privilege of seeing them a couple of more times, until the inevitable post-graduation hiatus. These guys were a huge part of the campus music scene for me for the brief time such a “scene” existed for me. I’d offer my own limited knowledge of the band’s history, but instead, Dav González gives us his own words on the band and their new album.
Somersaults formed in the summer of 2004 after the dissolution of the Mondays, of which Kevin and Nathan were a part. Spurred by a need to have fun and to create, I approached Kev and Nate, asking if I could play with them. They agreed, and after a game of freeze tag I worked up the nerve to ask to play music with them. Again, they agreed, and for the better part of a year we thrashed about, making noise, engendering tinnitus, and soaking ourselves in sweat. In our furor, Nathan broke his “drum stool,” I went through 10+ packs of strings, and Kevin broke his glasses and the door handle of our practice space. (Many thanks to Maggie for getting us out, and for putting up with us in general.)
After some time we decided to buckle down and play some shows, which involved distilling our memorable themes into manageable pieces, especially the 40-minute beast that became “Iowa.” After some distillation and performance, in the spirit of seriousness, we recorded four of our songs for the unreleased Songs of Travel EP, and decided to add a member. Come Fall of ‘05, decked in tight girl pants while making hooker and dead baby jokes, Jason sprung into Somersaults. We began to practice and perform regularly, birthing a good group of songs, and eventually recording most of them over two sessions at Carterco Studios in Chicago.
In terms of artistic intent, I think it is safe to say that there was none. This is not to say that the music was not cared for, or crafted. What I’m trying to say is that there was no conceptual end for which we were striving. Somersaults was purely emotional and reflexive.
Somersaults became a constant in my life, one that allowed venting of frustrations with relationships, school, work, family, and miscellaneous life events. There were times when the thought of practice, whether it be to introduce a new idea or to get really ****ing loud, was all that got me through the week. It is something that I was glad to be a part of, and am proud of looking back.
I mixed and mastered this collection to the best of my ability, which was limited considering I have no experience mastering audio. Mixing was also hard, given that our two Carterco visits were very rushed live recordings, played with substantially different equipment. Also, some data was lost, and I had to rerecord a few sections, including the complete replacement of Jason’s voice with Kevin’s on “Surgery.” Despite all this, I’m content with the results (for the most part) and hope that these songs can come to play a part in your life as they did in mine.
