Up and coming rockers Selfonix packed the Paradise Lounge last Friday with a show at the famed music club.
Selfonix, which includes Tufts senior Anthony Dalli, rocked out for an hour-long set of all originals that energized the listeners to tear up the dance floor. The group embodies a youthful, exuberant energy that seemed to only develop more as the show went on.
The band is made up of Dalli on lead guitar, Dave Hodgman on vocals and guitar and Berklee School of Music students Adam Sloane on vocals and keys, Jake Butterfield on bass and Ryan Monk on drums.
Influenced by everything from the dour pop of the Cure to the free-form experimentation of the jam scene, Selfonix creates a type of rock music that blends song writing with aspects of improvisation, maintaining a strong core, based on the lyrics of Sloane and Hodgman.
Selfonix focused on the lyrics, but also loved to jam, creating a new sound that separates them from the average young band.
Dalli explained that Selfonix is focused on having a good time, more than anything else. "Our band's goal is to create a blend of music that is appealing to people because of the strength of the songs, but also because of the live improv," Dalli said. "I just want to make music that people enjoy listening to. I want to make people think about the lyrics and take something away from them.
"But I also just want to make people dance," Dalli added.
All of the band's members performed a variety of roles which alternated throughout the performance. For most of the show, though, Dalli liked to venture into guitar solos while Hodgmon and Sloane focused mainly on rhythm and vocals.
The group plays almost all originals, and Dalli said that it is a team effort which creates the end product. "Dave and Adam usually write the songs - sometimes separately, sometimes together - and bring them to the other band members who help arrange the music, and put their own stamp on them."
Selfonix managed to get people out of their seats often during the show, which would send the band into a longer and more intense jam.
Dalli, Sloane, and Hodgman have been playing with each other for years, growing up together in Worcester, Mass.
"We grew up playing together, so we kinda learned to play around each other," Hodgman explained. "Adam and I, as a result, have a good system of writing songs with each other while Ant [Dalli] and Sloane also challenge each other to play better while jamming."
That relationship only improves their on-stage performance, the band says. "We're good at locking up together on jams. We can tell where each other is trying to go, so that helps our overall sound and togetherness," Hodgman said.
Last week's set list included "Wake Up Walk Out," "Wirefire" and "It's a Wonder Why" written by Hodgman and Sloane; all three songs appear on the band's recently self-titled full-length debut.
Selfonix has also played at All Asia and TT the Bears in the past month.
Dalli said after the show that he was happy how it went, and that Selfonix is trying to grow as a group.
"Right now we're just trying to develop our sound further and create something new and exciting," Dalli said. "Hopefully, we can keep bringing in new people along the way to come see us, party with us and have a good time."
For more information on Selfonix, please e-mail selfonix@hotmail.com
