What's in a name, you ask? The stealth aircraft called SR-71, capable of flying to the edge of outer space at Mach 3.2+ is the fastest plane ever built. SR-71 is also the name of Baltimore's premiere homegrown band, capable of making music at once tuneful, clever and downright headbanging. The band had the right stuff from the moment they first formed five years ago, and they've grown more sublime since. Now, with their self-titled RCA debut, SR-71 soars even higher with an album of stratospheric style and substance.
"There's nothing worse than a writer with nothing to say," says Mitch Allan, SR-71's lead singer and main songwriter. Invariably following his own advice, Mitch and the band craft potent songs of boundless intelligence. While tackling the pitfalls of love and the odd social order that shapes relationships, SR-71 is first and foremost a rock 'n' roll band, reveling in the simple joys of drums, bass, guitars, and slammin' vocals.
Mitch, along with Jeff Reid, Mark Beauchemin, and Dan Garvin, put their collective vision to the test on the new album. Produced by Gil Norton (Pixies, Foo Fighters), SR-71 was recorded at Bearsville (NY) and London's Church Studios. That touch of English panache well suits the band, given SR-71's unabashed homage to great U.K. bands past and present. "People say there's a British sound to our music," notes bassist Jeff Reid. "It probably has to do with our respect for bands like Beatles, Queen and the Police."
Of course, influences take a band only so far. When it's time to stand and deliver, a singularly original voice is what counts, and that's exactly what SR-71 possesses. Though Mitch is the main songwriter, Mark is an equally adept tunesmith, and each member contributes to the ultimate form and figure of every song. The album kicks off with the high-tension power pop of "Politically Correct," which typifies Mitch's refreshing bluntness. "People tip-toe around so often," he says, "but you can't have any integrity without occasionally pissing people off." Punkish rockers like "Right Now" and Mark's pounding "Another Night Alone" offer generous doses of brain viagra, with their crushing guitars and ricocheting solos.
Other tracks, like "What a Mess," the acoustic-flavored "Go Away," and the atmospheric "Empty Spaces" (the latter co-written by Mitch and Melissa Etheridge guitarist John Shanks) reveal the band's contemplative side without forsaking any inherent punch. The finely-wrought "Last Man on the Moon" underscores SR-71's droll sense of humor, indelibly describing the laziest person alive. "Fame," with its Queen-like harmonies, is a sardonic portrait of a gliterrati wanna-be, while the tremulous magnum opus "Paul McCartney," draws on the Paul-is-dead legend to make a strong statement about fate and redemption.
Such big themes come from big dreams, the kinds that have always guided the members of SR-71. All hail from the music-rich Baltimore/D.C. area, but the seeds of the band can be traced to a chance meeting between Mitch and Jeff in the early 90's. The two formed a close bond based on like musical tastes. Once they teamed with Mark and Dan, a new band (then called Honor Among Thieves) was born. Mitch's day job was engineering and producing at a recording studio, but at night he and his colleagues held forth at such venues as Baltimore's The Horse You Came In On (Edgar Allen Poe's favorite watering hole, est. 1765).
As their popularity grew, SR-71 recorded a self-produced, self-distributed indie CD, which sold briskly up and down the seaboard thanks to the members' fierce do-it-yourself work ethic. By 1998, the band's performances in New York, as well as a string of strikingly impressive demos, drew the attention of the majors, and within months, SR-71 had signed with RCA. "We grew tremendously in the year before we signed," recalls Mitch. "Something clicked, and we were coming up with our best songs ever."
Crafting good songs remains the band's prime directive. "I get scared to death of not conveying my point," notes Mitch. "As I write, I'm always asking myself if I'm getting it across. There's always that new word, that new line, that new way of expressing myself." That kind of dedication paid big dividends on the new album, of which all four are justifiably proud. "The party starts now," Mitch adds, "and we came to rock. We pour our hearts out on stage, we're serious, we're funny. Hell, we run the gamut of human emotions."
Seemingly a tall order, but not for the polished pandemonium that is SR-71. Once the new album takes wing, the band is confident music fans everywhere will come on board. But that's always been the forecast for SR-71: nothing but clear skies and great rock 'n' roll.
