Raphael #27: What the hell is an Altaire 6?

It was not long ago that I heard of a band called the Altaire 6, I was told by some friends that I should attend their show. My only reply “What’s an Altaire 6?” I kinda knew it was something to do with space but hell maybe it was just a clever name. I’m always down for the local music scene and from what I heard about these guys it was definitely a show I should at least go see once. Even if I was expecting a typical punk show I would at least give it the benefit of the doubt.

The night of the show, March 16, I walked into Caffiends expecting the typical Coffee shop crowd and not that I’m dissing on them but it was just a little bit too predictable. I figured they would have short black hair with the black rimmed Weezer glasses and they didn’t prove me wrong but that has nothing to do with the band. The warm up band was 2 guys on acoustic guitar and well I couldn’t find the right words for my dislike of them, but I think The Mike said it the best “If you’ve ever wondered what the rape of an acoustic guitar sounds like you can stop wondering.” But that is also not of any point because I was finally about to see the Altaire 6, all signs of tonight pointed downwards but who knows, I mean they were the masters of their own destiny and they might have a good show.

We all stood around for a couple minutes laughing and wondering what we were in store for then over the speakers something started, it was some kind of computer noise. I don’t think anyone knew what it was but it started building up the show and the energy in the room slowly began to rise, then a computerized voice came on and started talking, giving some kind of prologue, I couldn’t understand what it was saying, but I was interested just in what was going to happen next. And just as the voice stopped a lone figure walked out of the back in a weird outfit and the crowd cheered as he sat to play his drums. Then the band members came out one by one each picking up their instruments and playing and then the Rock Gods thought to curry their favor to this band by having them rock the fuck out.

The music itself was some kind of punk surfer rock n roll concoction that worked amazing well. The drums would set a strong foundation for the song and give the audience that reason to bob their head to a pretty damn good beat. The guitarist was sure to hit his mark with fast rifts that managed incite the crowd and just give it the feel that these guys weren’t just coffee house flunkies but real rockers who were gonna take this show to town. With most bands you’ll find a weak link and I kept on expecting to find one in the traditional scapegoat of many bands the bass player. This guy’s hair was wild and his playing was wilder. It’s hard for me to find a word that describes his playing any better then fluid, it moved with the band complimenting and filling it in with some tight grooves that held it together rather nicely. And of course the lead vocals, well in any small venue setting the music is always going to be louder than the singers and it was, so why most of the vocals were not understood the energy emitted from both the singers was one more example that this band was not going to be content to do anything but rock anybody and everybody that was in Caffiends that night.

Now that I have given you some scope of the rock aspect of it all, there is whole other side, which is actually the show, the story of the Altaire 6, done in awesome costumes to good music with some very impressive showmanship in between songs. There are really no words I can use to describe this odd yet impressively cool show. It can’t really be seen or heard it has to be experienced as a whole. But what I can say is that this is the type of show to convert people away from the serious rock of angry depressed bands because everyone wants to have fun and this show was. This is an eccentric mix of an Ed Wood atmosphere with a Rocky Horror Picture Show feel. If your in San Diego check them out, it’s something you should at least see once.