The Higher
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HQ: Las Vegas, NV NOW PLAYING: On Fire (EPITAPH; epitaph.com) WHY YOU SHOULD KNOW 'EM: The Higher take their carefree party attitude and translate it with an upbeat fusing of genres that carry a heavy undertone of an R&B groove. YOU LIKE? YOU'LL LIKE? Maroon 5 / Jamiroquai / Boys Like Girls In a world where everyone has developed an OCD impulse to categorize every musical act, five guys from Las Vegas present a bit of a problem because the Higher-frontman Seth Trotter, guitarist Tom Oakes, drummer Pat Harter, bassist Jason Centeno and guitarist Reggie Ragen-may be the forefathers of a new category yet to be titled with their new release On Fire out on Epitaph. "We established ourselves as the Higher and made our own sound," explains Trotter. "We use every different kind of style of music and write the best songs possible without leaving any genres out. [On Fire] has a lot of R&B influence, a lot of pop influence and a lot of rock influence; we're just trying to showcase every side of The Higher." Another element that makes this band stand out is Trotter's vocals. His ability to sing-and sing well-has created a big buzz in a scene known for screaming. And, though you might not know it, he was first discovered for his vocal skills while acting in his high school's rendition of the musical Godspell. It was there that his theater instructor encouraged him to join choir. "The theater teacher told me there were lots of girls [in choir]," says Trotter. "Jay [Centeno] had the same idea, and we saw each other there." With members averaging the tender age of 21 and hailing from the party mecca of Vegas, the Higher try to take their carefree, party attitude with them on the road. After all, they've got a lot of hours to kill in the van and after the release of their first EP on Fiddler Records, they toured for a solid 18 months. "My favorite tour story is when we were on tour with a band called Park," remembers Trotter. "We went to a place in Little Rock, Arkansas, called Vino's. We paid our bassist Jay $24, a slice of pizza and two beers to eat a live cockroach off the floor. Park actually got it on videotape. It was pretty much all of us at the venue circled around him, and him scooping it up with a fork and just biting it in half." Hopefully, with the upcoming release of On Fire, the band won't have to resort to eating insects anytime soon. By fusing together all different genres, the album displays great versatility from start to finish. A couple songs from previous releases resurface, such as the sing-a-long favorite "Histrionics" and fan fave "Pace Yourself," which has been stripped down from it's original version with just Trotter's vocals and a beat created by Fall Out Boy's Patrick Stump. "A way for people to relate [to] your music is [compare it] to music they've already heard and already liked," explains Trotter. "I think once people hear us, they will realize the difference between us and other bands." -Kira Wisniewski UNDER THE INFLUENCE "The album I think has influenced the band the most would be the LIVE: FRIDAY THE 13TH by MAROON 5," insists the Higher frontman Seth Trotter. "Not only do Maroon 5 write amazing and different songs using pop, rock and R&B influences, but they also showcase themselves as musicians by playing beyond their studio record and by putting on a flawless live show." ALT |
