Local four-piece Copper melts into a great, tight unit
by Mike Gibson
Rarely has a local band emerged from the Knoxville music scene with a sound so fully realized as that of Copper. A year-old four-piece, the band plays a smooth, affecting brand of hard-edged modern rock and displays a level of skill and sonic maturity indicative of a far more seasoned unit.
Copper is grounded in the synergy of singer/guitarist Keith Wallen and guitarist/singer Shane Bragg. Friends since their early school days in Beckley, West Va., the duo complement one another with a seamless, natural grace, Bragg's backing vocals harmonizing beautifully with Wallen's silvery croon. In concert with bassist Brad Reynolds and new drummer Eric Yarber (formerly of now-defunct local Atlantic Records signees Dreve), theirs is a sound as polished and tuneful as any you're liable to hear on FM rock radio.
"We weren't trying to conform to anything, to do this regurgitation thing so many people are doing," says Wallen, seated on a porch chair at the band's Fort Sanders practice house. "There's too much rap-rock, too much stuff that's abandoning the true roots of rock. We just wanted to be a good rock band that wrote good, solid rock songs. We wanted to kick ass."
Indeed, there's an element of universality in Copper's music, a heart and a melodic purity, a sense that you've heard the songs somewhere before, but you're not quite sure where. The rhythms and currents of sound that pulse through them are hypnotic, warmly undulating, organic, the sounds you'd hear if you closed your eyes and got lost in the concert of your own imaginings.
"Miss December," the first cut on the band's EP, is a case in point. At once bittersweet and dreamy and edgy, the song is both strange and familiar, and wholly absorbing—from the sweet minor key vocal harmonies on the chorus to the sinuous lead- and basslines that emerge wakeless from the track's ocean of sound.
And while the sounds of Copper's forebears are sometimes in evidence, rarely does the band sound rote or too derivative. Their clean-toned rock anthems occasionally nod at STP (the chugging rhythm prior to the "December" chorus is a classic Pilots' maneuver) or Pearl Jam, or at other similarly-inclined modern rock outfits like Fuel; Bragg's nubile harmony vocals even bear the imprint of his favorite singer, the late Jeff Buckley. "[But] most people just describe us as 'high-energy,' which is cool," says Wallen.
The band's energy, professionalism, and song-writing acumen have garnered them some notice; in September, they won an annual battle of the bands contest sponsored by FM rock's 94.3, a competition wherein 44 bands originally presented taped entries in hopes of playing in the final round.
And crowds at Copper shows have grown ever larger and more enthusiastic. A recent gig at one area club saw 560 people walk through the door, four less than the establishment's attendance record.
"That was really good for us to see, because there have been times where we played for 10," chuckles Reynolds. "On the whole, we've gotten really good feedback from the people who've seen us play."
More than any particular musical influences, what the Coppers share most is dedication, a commitment to the elusive Grail of success in the music industry. Says Reynolds, "The first thing they [Wallen and Bragg] asked me when I joined was 'How dedicated are you going to be to this?' It wasn't just 'oh, we're going to jam and play some shows.'"
In that regard, the addition of Yarber a few weeks ago would seem to be a logical step in the band's evolution following the departure of original drummer Beau Baxter. As a member of Dreve, Yarber saw the upside of working in a band that achieved major label attention, then learned of its hazards when his outfit was summarily dropped from the company's roster. "I know people in the so-called 'industry,' I guess," he says. "People we can call, or send demos to. And I know some of the people we want to avoid.
"I'm optimistic, though. With this band, we have a good, honest rock sound, something that's still cool even when other things go in and out of fashion. The thing about playing good 'straight' rock is that it never really goes away."
December 13, 2001 * Vol. 11, No. 50
© 2001 Metro Pulse
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