Rock audiences are lame. Particularly in indie rock, where anyone who emotes more than a toe-tap, a quasi-rhythmic head-bob, or a slight sway (usually more popular with couples) is treated to a bevy of sideways glances and made to feel self-conscious by the hipster herd. The Novels want to change all that. Through what they call "Anglophile power-pop," the Valley band want to get people out onto the floor dancing, sweating and, yeah, enjoying themselves.
The Advocate recently heard the plan from guitarist/singer Jason Mazzotta, bassist/singer Mike McLellan, guitarist Ian Reed and drummer/singer Roger Knight.
"When I'm playing music live, I want people to feel what I'm feeling—I want them to feel something," says the frenetic Knight. "I don't want audiences to be lukewarm."
"We like to get a good reaction from the crowd," adds McLellan, "not have people standing way in the back talking and socializing."
"A lot of people these days just sit on their hands," says Knight. "I think we do a good job getting people moving. We like to get the booty shaking, get people up and sweating."
The band, formed in the fall of 2006, found immediate crowd reaction—and willing dancers—with their brand of upbeat pop. The song that particularly energized the audience was the '80s-flavored, high-hat and bass-driven "Sisters."
"People love 'Sisters' and always say it's their favorite song," says Mazzotta. "It makes me kind of nervous, because it's the first song we ever did, and I don't usually write songs that are that blatantly danceable. Plus, if we try and write another one just like it, people will think we're trying to copy it."
While the rest of the band's material is upbeat and constructed to elicit a visceral reaction, it has gotten heavier with the addition of guitarist Ian Reed of riff-rock outfit Party Wolf. "I don't think we made sense as a band until Ian joined, then I think we became a great band," says Mazzotta.
Says Knight, "Ian joined, and more excitement grew; our sound got fuller and more muscular, and more people started coming to the shows."
When asked what he means by muscular in this context, Knight says, "I think we're more muscular rock now. Take it for what it is. Muscular sex rock—maybe it's a new genre."
After a round of laughter, Reed adds, "I love Ron Wood and his melodic rhythm guitar. I like to bring that. I think he's really great."
"I think we're essentially a pop band, but I think the meaning of pop now is different. We're not Christina Aguilera," says McLellan. "I think we're more '70s rock now—that's the kind of pop we like."
"We like bands that blow your face off live, like the Super Furry Animals," says Reed. "Jarvis [Cocker, of Pulp] did that for me," Mazzotta chimes in.
All four members help arrange the tunes, but the majority of songwriting duties fall to Mazzotta and McLellan. "You don't want too many cooks," explains Knight. "Jason's our Townsend, Mike's our Entwistle, I'm Moon and Ian's Daltrey."
The band's songs truly take shape on stage, however. "We have to practice so quietly in my apartment, it's an exciting thing when we get loud live," Mazzotta says. "At practice, most of us aren't even plugged in, and Roger literally plays his leg for drums."
"We have no rehearsal space," says Knight, "so we're really on the fly live. There's a looseness when we get together on stage, which I like."
The Novels are a cocky lot, more than once referring to themselves as among the Valley's best bands. Knight states that their goals is to be at the top of the heap: "I want to be the best band in town. Certain days I think we are." Reed adds, "I joined because they were the best band in town. I was really psyched when they let me in."
"We're a good band with good songs, and we have a dynamic energy," continues Knight. "I think we're a sincere band. We don't hide behind ironic masks, in lyrics or presentation. I think we're heart-on-sleeve, like Jonathan Richman. We're not ashamed to put it out there."
"I feel really connected to the local scene," says Mazzotta. "I like a lot of the local bands."
"Other guys I play with, from Boston, come out here, and they love the scene," Knight says. "They say it's friendlier, more supportive. It's not as insular. They love it here."
One thing the band would like to see is more cross-pollination amongst local fans of the various musical sub-genres. Reed says, "I think it's really hard to draw a crowd. It's not easy or lucrative being in a rock band. And around Northampton, the scene is mostly about deconstructing rock, the noise scene. We're not that hip."
"I really like the noise scene in Northampton," adds Mazzotta, "but I think that some of those people should really try out some of the more pop and punk bands." Reed agrees, saying, "I think if we had that full crowd we could put on a good show for them."
The Novels are currently working on their first full-length album, recorded at Greenfield's Bank Row Studios with Justin Pizzoferrato (Dinosaur Jr., Free Kitten, Thurston Moore). The basic tracking was completed in less than three hours, a testament, Knight says, to the band's cohesiveness: "It's amazing how tight we've become—we've developed a sixth sense about playing together."
The Novels play the Weathervane in Brattleboro July 5.
