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Having grown up on the uneventful event horizon of little boxes suburbia Rancho San Diego and rural Jamul, I was never accustomed to any semblance of nightlife in my hushed and homogenous hometown.
As a late teen, my idea of a good time was smoking weed by the water tower, driving through Santana’s for burritos at absurd hours of night, and heading west as often as possible to see weird hardcore bands at all ages venues such as the Epicenter, the Scene, and the Che Café.
So it came as some surprise when, as a high school senior working delivery at Pizza Hut, I overheard a volley of super tasty jams emanating for the nearby Hooley’s Irish Pub and Grill one evening.
I recall sitting on a bench out front, Meat Lovers pie going cold in my hands, listening to what sounded like Tortoise on a drunken and impassioned first date with Gaelic Storm. I was blown away.
I soon found out that the band was called Glorfindel Trio, a project of the Wheeler twins, known to me already from Scout lore (they were a few years ahead of me in the troop), middle school legend (one of the twins threw a fire cracker in a trash can in the open-air lunch room, which I heard from across campus playing dodgeball in P.E.), and hanging out at Experience Coffee, the hub of youth culture in Rancho San Diego at the time.
Though the Glorfindel recordings, a handful of burned CD-R’s, have long since been lost to couch cushions and stolen compact disc carriers, the Wheeler twins have gone on to make music with the afro-funk outfit Socitey!, the widely known Scarlet Symphony, and Joe Guevarra of Lady Dottie and the Diamonds and Jejune.
Now, Josh and Zach Wheeler, a towering pair prone to completing each other’s sentences, have begun their own two-piece live dance music project, Pal&Drome.
Listing influences such as Mix Master Mike, Numark (Jurassic 5), Aphex Twin, Squarepusher, Amon Tobin, Daft Punk, house music, EOTO, Gorillaz, and Martin Dosh, the Wheelers make use of samplers, an electronic drum set, guitar, bass, synths, effects, and software to construct live electronic dance music, a step in a new direction for the two musicians.
“The possibilities are endless,” says Josh. “We’re using the software as an instrument just as much as the keyboards or drums or bass guitar.”
“Learning the technology and mastering the technology, it’s taken over a year,” says Zach.
“It’s definitely a lot more than just playing bass or drums,” Josh adds. “There’s something about watching someone create electronic music organically. It’s almost more exciting than watching someone play in a rock band. It’s an awesome challenge.”
Zach describes the project as “Positive funk groove. It’s all about the groove. Just a dance party. We want to see people feeling good, not worrying about shit, at least for the hour.”
Only a few gigs deep into their career, Pal&Drome will be playing this month’s installation of Makeout Weird at the Whistle Stop on November 17.
Max out in your dancey pants with Pal&Drome monthly at Cirello Gallery on Ray and North Park Way during the Ray at Night art walk.
What’s in the future for Pal&Drome and the Wheeler twins?
“We want to incorporate guests,” says Josh. “Singers. Whatever. Like Gorillaz.”
Says Zach, “I wanna do like a five hour set at Burning Man nonstop.”
You’ve come a long way from Hooley’s, dudes.
Pictured: Scarlet Symphony
Look to upcoming Blurts for more on Pal&Drome.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GfGy-p5zqtU
Having grown up on the uneventful event horizon of little boxes suburbia Rancho San Diego and rural Jamul, I was never accustomed to any semblance of nightlife in my hushed and homogenous hometown.
As a late teen, my idea of a good time was smoking weed by the water tower, driving through Santana’s for burritos at absurd hours of night, and heading west as often as possible to see weird hardcore bands at all ages venues such as the Epicenter, the Scene, and the Che Café.
So it came as some surprise when, as a high school senior working delivery at Pizza Hut, I overheard a volley of super tasty jams emanating for the nearby Hooley’s Irish Pub and Grill one evening.
I recall sitting on a bench out front, Meat Lovers pie going cold in my hands, listening to what sounded like Tortoise on a drunken and impassioned first date with Gaelic Storm. I was blown away.
I soon found out that the band was called Glorfindel Trio, a project of the Wheeler twins, known to me already from Scout lore (they were a few years ahead of me in the troop), middle school legend (one of the twins threw a fire cracker in a trash can in the open-air lunch room, which I heard from across campus playing dodgeball in P.E.), and hanging out at Experience Coffee, the hub of youth culture in Rancho San Diego at the time.
Though the Glorfindel recordings, a handful of burned CD-R’s, have long since been lost to couch cushions and stolen compact disc carriers, the Wheeler twins have gone on to make music with the afro-funk outfit Socitey!, the widely known Scarlet Symphony, and Joe Guevarra of Lady Dottie and the Diamonds and Jejune.
Now, Josh and Zach Wheeler, a towering pair prone to completing each other’s sentences, have begun their own two-piece live dance music project, Pal&Drome.
Listing influences such as Mix Master Mike, Numark (Jurassic 5), Aphex Twin, Squarepusher, Amon Tobin, Daft Punk, house music, EOTO, Gorillaz, and Martin Dosh, the Wheelers make use of samplers, an electronic drum set, guitar, bass, synths, effects, and software to construct live electronic dance music, a step in a new direction for the two musicians.
“The possibilities are endless,” says Josh. “We’re using the software as an instrument just as much as the keyboards or drums or bass guitar.”
“Learning the technology and mastering the technology, it’s taken over a year,” says Zach.
“It’s definitely a lot more than just playing bass or drums,” Josh adds. “There’s something about watching someone create electronic music organically. It’s almost more exciting than watching someone play in a rock band. It’s an awesome challenge.”
Zach describes the project as “Positive funk groove. It’s all about the groove. Just a dance party. We want to see people feeling good, not worrying about shit, at least for the hour.”
Only a few gigs deep into their career, Pal&Drome will be playing this month’s installation of Makeout Weird at the Whistle Stop on November 17.
Max out in your dancey pants with Pal&Drome monthly at Cirello Gallery on Ray and North Park Way during the Ray at Night art walk.
What’s in the future for Pal&Drome and the Wheeler twins?
“We want to incorporate guests,” says Josh. “Singers. Whatever. Like Gorillaz.”
Says Zach, “I wanna do like a five hour set at Burning Man nonstop.”
You’ve come a long way from Hooley’s, dudes.
Pictured: Scarlet Symphony
Look to upcoming Blurts for more on Pal&Drome.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GfGy-p5zqtU