JkCUZZI B0\S

COME ON IN, THE

WATERS GRUNGEY!
South Floridas bubblegum garage
trio, Jacuzzi Boys have been on the
lookout for work to supplement their
indie-sized income. Diego and I tried
to get jobs for the summer, says
guitarist/vocalist Gabriel Alcala.
We failed miserably though.
We were rejected by gay bars, dog
walking jobs and even a funeral
catering service!
No matter, though, as the band
(who formed in 2007 and are made up
of Alcala, bassist Danny Gonzalez
and drummer Diego Monasterios)
are more than happy to get by on
sunshine and larks. Each song on
their second album (and rst for
Hardly Art) Glazin shares the
warm and carefree sensibility of
their surroundings: I think were
denitely a band birthed from its
environment, says Alcala. Miamis
humidity, girls, and pastel colours all
play a huge role, for sure.
Instead of channelling the
wanton nihilism of the Stooges
often the primary trigger for the
nouveau garage band they have
found inspiration in songwriters of
a more classically goodtime bent:
Tom Petty, Marc Bolan, John
Lennon, Lou Reed, says Alcala.
All the heavy hitters! Mostly, the
album brings to mind pop-punk
bands like the Buzzcocks and
Supergrass also rules. Alright is
such a killer tune!
Needless to say these fellas dont
crave scene kudos they just want
to have fun, Alcala explains. We
want the people who come to our
shows to completely let loose and
freak out. They rehearse on the
holiday island of Key Biscayne,
west of Miami where Gonzalez lives:
I actually live in a state park where
my family runs some restaurants;
its a pretty cool place, he says.
Were surrounded by trees, a bunch
of wild raccoons, rabbits, iguanas
and possums, and we can walk to
the beach! It seems the Jacuzzi
Boys might never leave. As long as
youre willing to tour I dont think
it matters much where a band lives
these days. Anyway, who wants to
leave paradise?
Text TIM BURROWS
C0L SN0VEkS
TURN UP THE HEAT
If you were going to rewrite the
Great American Songbook, youd
have to set aside a page for the
disaffected LA anthem. It would
be difcult to play in a band without
internalizing the history of music
here to some degree, says Cold
Showers frontman Jonathan
Weinberg. Theres a certain
attitude that comes from the sprawl-
based geography; the truths about
the city are creepy. He could be
referencing Xs calling card some
people give me the creeps, but
probably not. Thats just LA.
Cold Showers started playing
together in summer 2010, a two-boy,
two-girl set-up with Jonathan and
ex-Mika Miko bassist Jessie Clavin
on joint, duelling vocals. Im sure
the 50/50 split in gender means that
we bring different perspectives to
the table, says Jonathan. We do
also admire ABBA.
The cover image of Cold Showers
rst 7 Highlands depicts a lone
palm tree caught in the tumult of a
storm, which pretty neatly sums up
the bands divergent sonics: I Dont
Mind is a gorgeous three-chord
ramp-up/fade-out haze of spiky
guitar parts scorched in reverb,
while B-side Near Burn counters
the blissed-out feel with post-
punk dirge. Im sunburned, Im
sunburned Jonathan moans with
the languor of a daytime-drinking
hangover cotton wool-headed and
abstractly horny from the heat.
You wouldnt think that Cold
Showers had sex on the brain
until reading that their names a
hybrid of cold shoulders and
golden showers. Our top three
reasons to take a cold shower?
laughs Jonathan. Heat, hangovers
and boners!
Text OWEN MYERS
Photography CHLOE AFTEL
CONFUSED 203
DC201_B6_a&e.indd 203 21/07/2011 17:09