Fullerton, CA punks Audacity enjoy the simple things. A couple of guitars, a bass, a set of drums — honestly, that’s all you really need. Even when the band cranks up the amps and tosses in an extra track or two, there is still an economy of instrumentation that lends the music a bare bones garage rock attitude. That being said, they can still sound like a stampeding group of caffeinated toneheads hopped up on records by The Sonics and The Monks when they want. And like those proto-garage rock bands, Audacity meld catchy choruses to spitfire riffs and clanging percussion — all wrapped up in a cocoon of fuzz and punk grit. On their latest release, Butter Knife (out now), for seminal Seattle label Suicide Squeeze, the band trace pop-punk’s lineage back to its roots and then back-pedal until they reach Fullerton, CA in 2013. It’s a psychotropic-fueled trip of sugary melodies, jackknife fretwork, and thudding beats — one that’s unlikely to leave your brain any time in the near future.
Recently, we had the opportunity to speak with singer/guitarist Kyle Gibson from the band about some of the records which helped to influence the recording of Butter Knife — and which also happen to be some of his favorite albums. He discusses the impact of Television’s legendary record, Marquee Moon, as well as the influence of artists like The Meat Puppets and The Replacements on the band’s development. Check out his full list below in the latest installment of our On Deck series.
Television – Marquee Moon
This is another album that we used to listen to on repeat. We were also listening to other punk music from that era in NYC, but Television was different. Long instrumental sections and immaculate guitar work on that record make it a favorite. We used to try to play through the songs, some were just too hard! The way Tom Verlaine spoke through his guitar didn’t require much vocals, however the unique sound of Tom’s voice also contributes to the greatness of Marquee Moon.
White Night – Prophets Of Templum Of 420
These are our homies from Fullerton. Every song is so heartfelt and hits close to home for us, and it makes us want to give our heart o Jon. “Alone” is the best song in da world.
Todd Rundgren – A Wizard, A True Star
A Wizard, A True Star by Todd Rundgren is a big album for me and has always influenced our ideas for the band, cause it’s so nuts and all over the place. Me and Matt used to ride our bikes listening to it on our discmen and meet up and discuss our favorite weird parts or new things we had noticed . It’s also a hilarious album with a very warped sense of humor that we totally identified with , and we would sit around listening to it and laughing and laughing .
The Replacements – Let It Be
This record is inspirational and every song is such a masterpiece. Kyle showed me the replacements in jr high and I remember listening to let it be over and over and trying to play like tommy Stinson. The diversity of the songs and the way Paul westerburg sang makes the record a favorite.
Redd Kross – Born Innocent
We listened to this record constantly during our formative years in high school. The local record store in Fullerton sold a bootleg cd with all their early material and that was also a favorite . When Thomas joined the band on drums we gave him this cd and sorry ma forgot to take out the trash by the replacements . We also covered kill someone you hate on our very first ten inch.
The Meat Puppets – Up On The Sun
This is a more recent favorite of ours. We always loved the first and second records but recently got really into this one. It’s great driving music and swimming music. It’s also a sometimes funny record like a wizards a true star,some guitar parts are so over the top technical and the vocals are really bizarre but beautiful at the same time
Audacity’s latest record, Butter Knife, is out now on Suicide Squeeze Records.
