A Rock Music Melting Pot

The moment the curtain rose at the House of Blues in Anaheim, it was obvious that Orange County rock quintet Something Corporate is something different.

A raft of candles flickered warmly at a recent concert as the group’s 19-year-old lead singer and main songwriter, Andrew McMahon, ambled past a string quartet at stage right, took his place at his piano and began singing an aching ballad called “Walking By,” accompanied by the strings.

A little more than a year after graduating high school, McMahon and his bandmates, the oldest of whom are just 21, stand out as much for what they aren’t--teen-pop boy group, angry punks or angst-ridden alt-rockers--as for what they are: five guys steeped in classic American and British rock who are giving their roots a modern-rock spin.

“They’re alternative, but just pop enough that you can see it’s hard for people not to like them,” says House of Blues talent buyer Sean Striegel. “Yes, everybody likes the harder stuff that’s going around the music industry now--myself included--but their songs are written and orchestrated so well, and they’ve each got that hook that makes it really interesting.”

The band has just released its debut CD, “Audio Boxer,” a six-song EP for the Sherman Oaks-based Drive-Thru Records label. The result of two years of honing music and building a rabid fan base in the clubs of Orange County and surrounding areas, “Audio Boxer” spans the punchy pop-punk of “(Hurricane) The Formal Weather Pattern” to the heavy-rock riffing of “Punk Rock Princess” through the melancholy waltz “Walking By,” which closes the EP.

The members’ youth and spunky sound have helped make Something Corporate a regular at the all-ages Chain Reaction club in Anaheim. But because it also weaves elements of pre-1980 rock into its sound, the group has pulled in crowds at older-skewed clubs, including Linda’s Doll Hut and the House of Blues, where it sold out three shows in recent months, to the Coach House in San Juan Capistrano and the Gypsy Lounge in Lake Forest.

Huddled in a booth recently at a Mexican restaurant in Santa Ana, McMahon and guitarists Josh Partington and William Tell collectively marveled at how various elements of their burgeoning career fell into place shortly after the band held a soul-searching session about their commitment to the group.

“I walked in and I was really nervous, because I thought it was possible we might break up that day,” says Tell, who, like other members, lives in South County.

As it turned out, all five musicians--the lineup also includes bassist Clutch and drummer Brian Ireland--pledged their support and part of their day-job earnings toward advancing the band’s prospects.

Not long after that meeting, Striegel at House of Blues recommended independently that representatives of the punk-oriented Drive-Thru Records label check out the group. So they showed up at McMahon’s house for a private garage concert.

“They must have sat there for an hour and a half while we played a full set,” added Partington. “It wasn’t one of these things where we played them our three best songs in 10 minutes.”

“That’s what sold us on Drive-Thru,” McMahon said. “There were other labels that had expressed interest, but they wanted us to set up showcases and play for 20 minutes somewhere in Hollywood. [The Drive-Thru execs] came to us, and we could tell they weren’t hanging around just to be polite. They really liked the music.”

So much, in fact, that even though Drive-Thru is best known as a punk label that’s home to the likes of Fenix TX, Home Grown and New Found Glory, label officials insisted that Something Corporate include its most romantic ballad, “Walkin’ By,” on its first recording. The band initially thought they should save it for a full-length album they plan to start working on in November.

“They said, ‘We like your harder stuff, but one of the reasons we signed you is for your ballads,”’ said McMahon, whose approach to piano-playing and songwriting was inspired by Elton John and later by Billy Joel.

“Elton was the piano genius, but I really latched onto Billy Joel, because he would do some rockers without piano if he wanted to,” says McMahon, whose ruddy cheeks and unkempt shock of dirty blond hair give him the look of one who has just rolled out of bed, albeit one who has rolled out with an overabundance of energy.

He and his four bandmates combine that modern-rock energy with classic-rock influences to build a broader fan base than most young groups can boast.

“It’s one of the very few bands that can do all-ages places and bars,” says Tim Hill, owner of Chain Reaction.

Adds House of Blues booker Striegel: “That show last week was their big testament to the fact that they have taken a step up to the next level. It’s a big achievement to be able to sell out House of Blues on a Wednesday night. A lot of their fans are younger, so that definitely says a lot.

“Another reason they’re doing so well is that they are five good-looking, young guys, and girls love that,” Striegel said. “But the reason I’d want to help these guys is that they really believe in their music....

“Sure, they want to have a good time, but it seems like music really is in their hearts, and that’s what they really want to be doing.”

*

Something Corporate plays tonight at House of Blues, 8430 Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood. 7:30 p.m. $10. (323) 848-5100.