French Miami is a three-piece band from San Francisco. Their music is a delightful mix of synthy pop rock grooves and math rock ala Minus the Bear or Battles – with just enough of a groove to dance to without feeling stupid (or incredibly white).
Roland Curtis’s guitar riffs are unique, much of it coming from the tapping style he uses on his high-slung Telecaster. You can especially appreciate his style on the track “Science Fiction.” Roland also doubles up on instruments by playing keyboards. Baritone guitar player, keyboardist and vocalist Jay Heiselman’s voice blends the band’s songwriting prowess with comfortable harmony and sounds like a friendlier version of Glenn Danzig. Drummer Chris Crawford holds a beat. Down. Using an incredibly simple kit, he’s the backbone of French Miami’s sound and is a Jedi of the start/stop drum roll. The first time I spoke with Chris we got on the subject of Jawbreaker – his heavy hands reminded me of Adam Pfahler’s. Turned out it wasn’t a coincidence, as Jawbreaker was a big influence on his playing style.
“Veterans” of the Durango music circuit (alright, they’ve played only one show there, in 2007, during the Rally of the Dead awards party), the rollicking threesome is going to grace the stage for yet another singlespeed event in what will guaranteed be another raucous and highly energized live performance. In their hometown they have created a regular following and will continue gaining respect as they tour outside of the Bay’s confines.
Check out their music at www.myspace.com/mrfrenchmiami
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