Let me tell you about the awesome musicians I know, part 1: Locksley

For the next few Music Fridays, I'm going to plug some friends' bands. First... Locksley.

Locksley's old bassist, Aaron Collins (who left the band earlier this year but can be seen/heard in a lot of their music that's been released), used to come to my band's shows when we were in high school and watch my guitar playing to pick up ideas. So I have to take credit for the lion's share of their success.

And the drummer, Sam Bair, was our roadie long, long ago. Thanks for all your hard work, Sam!

They describe themselves as "Beatles mixed with modern garage rock," which is pretty accurate. You can hear a few of their songs on their MySpace profile.

My favorite song of theirs is "Don't Make Me Wait," which has been used in commercials for Payless and AT&T (according to their Wikipedia entry). I particularly like the subtle change in mood that you get in the bridge (the part beginning "Would you like a city by the sea?"). That little section of the song has a don't-blink-or-you'll-miss-it quality reminiscent of some of the Beatles' early songs. And I don't give out much better compliments than comparing people's songwriting to the Beatles.

Watch the ebullient video here:



Remember when rock music didn't have to be dark or ironic, and the fact that it made you feel good was good enough?