Photo by Pete Black
Lake Tahoe music fans know where to discover rising new bands: The Crystal Bay Casino Red Room during the middle of the week.
Before they gained national attention in the rock genre, All Them Witches and The London Souls played free Red Room shows in between big-city weekend concerts. Who’s the next band up? — The Brevet on Wednesday.
Aric Chase Damm, frontman for the five-piece band from Orange County, California, says his group is taking a “backwards approach.” It started four years ago as a licensing band – recording songs for movies and television before it started performing live. In 2018, The Brevet has hit the festival circuit, including BottleRock and Firefly, and toured extensively for the first time. After this week, it will take a five-week break before – in another seemingly backwards move – releasing an album, “LEGS,” on Oct. 12.
LEGS is an acronym for Like Every Great Story. It has two songs, “Locked and Loaded” and “So Long,” that have aired on Triple A radio – Adult Album Alternative. The album features Damm’s baritone voice and harmonies, a resonating percussion and quite tight musicianship. The songs sound like movie soundtracks.
“I feel like a lot of times we’re sucked into artificial relationships as opposed to human interaction,” said Damm, who calls this era, “The Me Generation.”
“There is something to be said about looking someone in the eye and communicating in a real way instead of showing that your life is awesome on Instagram. That became a theme throughout the record.”
Damm grew up in Orange Country, where was influenced by his father (who listened to The Doors, Rolling Stones, Elvis Presley and devoutly followed Nebraska Cornhuskers football). The younger Damm later embraced the SoCal post-punk rock scene and bands such as Thrice. He made it to the University of Nebraska, but not as an athlete.
“I played football in high school and got hurt and took theater as an elective,” Damm said. “I fell in love with theater and went to college for that. Writing scores for student films — that’s where I got the cinematic sound.”
Damm said he brings the skeleton of a song to his bandmates, who add the meat to the bones. The Brevet started with Damm, drummer David Aduiar and guitarist John Kingsley. Touring players Greg Burroughs (keyboards) and Julian Johnson (bass) became full-time members when the band hit the road in earnest.
A brevet is an old military term for a promotion without corresponding financial compensation. Tahoe music fans will get a chance to witness The Brevet in its Lake Tahoe debut for free on Wednesday. Word about the band will grow, and the next time it plays at Crystal Bay Casino it will be in the larger Crown Room and there will be a cover charge. That’s how this movie is playing out.
— Tim Parsons
- The Brevet
When: 9 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 29
Where: Crystal Bay Casino Red Room
Cover: free
p;
