Outereach: Press
Every now and again, you get turned on to a band that sounds fresh yet familiar at the same time: a group undoubtedly influenced by the great bands of the past but transcending their heroes to produce a genuinely unique sound. To many Miamians, experimental dance rock group Outereach is that band.
Influenced by '80s pop and '90s rock, but managing to steer clear of the stereotypical sound of today's indie rock movement, Outereach is sure to take you back to the days of jamming to Eddie Vedder and dancing all night to The Police.
"They've grown and ripened, and I believe they have the right stuff to [be] a substantial contender in today's version of the music business," shares Cosmo Ohms, legendary soundman at Tobacco Road. "They have great songs, which are well-written and well-arranged, making them sound fresh. "
Like a lot of bands, Outereach began in a dusty garage. In this case, in guitarist Alex Salazar and drummer Chris Riveron's grandparent's home in Coral Gables. The cousins knew bassist Eddy Davis since childhood, who later met singer Joey Espinoza at a high school party. After one jam session between the four, Outereach was born.
"We were a crappy high school band, a decent college band and now... I don't know what we are," muses Davis. "After ten years I would hope we're not bad, and if so, we should probably quit now."
Attend one of their shows and you'll discover that shouldn't be an option. The crowd jumps, hands in the air, some singing along, desperately trying to reach the high notes in singer Joey's seemingly endless range.
"Each member is undeniably talented, not one shadowing the other," says Pablo Reyes, who handles artist management at Fernan Martinez Communications and is a long-time Outereach fan. "The love Outereach has for music drives you to fall in love with theirs."
The band's latest CD includes a cornucopia of songs -- exactly what you would expect from a band gathering its influences from a melting pot like Miami. From local favorite techno dance track "The District" to sing-at-the-top-of-your-lungs "Patiently," you're destined to hit repeat at the end.
Outereach hosts a CD release party on May 2 at Flavour in Coconut Grove. For more info on the band or to purchase a CD visit outereachmusic.com or myspace.com/outereach
Much like their most beloved musical forebears, long-surviving hometown trio Outereach is hard to peg to one microgenre or scene. First on the list of influences on the group's MySpace page is The Police. It's instantly recognizable in frontman Joey Espinoza's clear, smooth tenor; in his snappy, repeatable refrains; and in the stylistic eclecticism traversed in any one of the band's songs. Also name-checked: Rush (see that tight, textured rhythm section), Peter Gabriel (a liberal dose of general spaciness), and a bunch of others including ... uh, Miami bass. Seriously, is there a local act these days that does not cite our beloved booty music as a sonic factor? Maybe that comes through in the network of fizzing, popping electronics anchoring the whole thing.
But seriously, Outereach is one of the few bands in town that can claim to sound like nobody else around. A song such as "Blues Planet" is all expansive power pop. "Patiently" is a funky jam that would please fans of Sting, v 1.0. And "The District Song" is a New Wavey ambush that wouldn't sound out of place on an indie-type dance floor. All of this, as well as their workmanlike dedication to happily sharing any bill has put them in front of a vastly varied audience at nearly every venue in the game. This Friday sees the band at Coconut Grove's Flavour, where the members celebrate the release of their latest EP, Music for Modern Living. Need more convincing? Visit the band's MySpace page (www.myspace.com/outereach), where the record is available for free download.