By Michael Swanger michael@dmcityview.com

Seattle band's tight rock anthems are out of this world

If you thought two-minute rock radio anthems were a thing of the past, you haven't heard the Boss Martians. The Seattle-based group's latest offering, "The Set-Up," is teeming with some of the most memorable melodies, to-the-point lyrics and catchy riffs this side of Green Day and the Supersuckers, and their single, "I Am Your Radio," was anointed last year by listeners of Little Steven's "The Underground Garage" syndicated radio show as best song of the year, beating out the likes of David Bowie and The Strokes.

"Our goal is to write good songs," says Evan Foster, the band's singer-guitarist-principal songwriter. "We may not have any hit songs yet, but we're working on it. I just want to have some classic radio rockers, not something played out in some boring, corporate way."

One listen to "The Set-Up" and it is evident there's nothing boring about the Boss Martians. Their revved-up tunes incorporate a mix of garage, punk, surf, power pop and blue-eyed soul, drawing inspiration from other clever, genre-bending artists like Elvis Costello, Joe Jackson, Thin Lizzy and Cheap Trick. And because their sound incorporates so many genres, Foster says the group isn't easily categorized.

"I've been told we're a real rock 'n' roll band because we don't adhere to one particular style," he says.

"The Set-Up" is in step with that kind of logic. The album ebbs and flows with equal parts swagger ("I Wanna Be Your Addiction," "Kill My Telephone," "Run Hide") and tenderness ("Oh, Angela," "Vows").

"It's a valuable thing to establish moods and not play the same thing back-to-back," Foster says. "I like to rock it up and go ape-shit crazy on the guitar, but it's nice sometimes to play clean, pop tunes, too."

These days, the Boss Martians are previewing a batch of new tunes during their live shows, songs to be produced by Sire Records co-founder and hit songwriter Richard Gottehrer (Blondie, Go-Go's, Raveonettes). Foster says he is excited about the prospect of working with Gottehrer and hopes the collaboration will help gain the band some airplay while staying true to their roots.

"He's an unbelievable songwriter and there's so much to learn from a guy like that when it comes to classic, memorable rock 'n' roll songs," he says. "That's what excites me about writing songs; there's so much to learn and I never tire writing them. It's an endless artform that keeps me stoked, because you can never write the perfect song."

Even if the 28-year-old Foster feels he can't pen the quintessential tune, he thinks he knows what some of the key ingredients are - a good hook, a killer bass line and memorable lyrics. "It has to be a common idea people can get into," he says.

Which brings us full circle to the band's main objective, one they established 10 years ago upon formation - to write great songs that appeal to as many people as possible. And with a little luck, and some help from Gottehrer, Foster says, anything is possible.

"We're just four dudes from Seattle working hard for any luck or success," he says. "Nobody's partying until 8 a.m. and driving their Rolls Royce into guitar-shaped swimming pools."
Not yet, anyway. CV

Part 2 (Heartache motivates The Good Life)

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