Soundbender sounds better as trio’s musical chops deepen

If rock ‘n’ roll could have its own nativity scene, the tableau would certainly consist of three, maybe four, guys in a garage wailing to their hearts’ content. It’s the place where many noble rock dreams get their start, and it’s the same inspirational scene I came across when I traveled out Orrington way to sit in while Soundbender practiced this week.

Since the band’s inception nearly three years ago, Soundbender – a power trio consisting of Andrew Gladu on bass, his brother John on drums and Jesse Thulin on guitar and lead vocals – has taken the dream beyond the garage, playing mostly in the Bangor and Down East area, with the occasional trip to the other Maine.

And on Wednesday, Sept. 8, Soundbender will rock Ushuaia in Orono, along with Portland-based bands 6gig and Paranoid Social Club, and Kaining Amy from Lewiston. The show will start at 8 p.m.

Besides keeping up a regular schedule of gigs in the area, the band has been working to put out some recorded material. The latest is a self-titled EP recorded at Sanctum Sound in Boston. It’s four tracks of fast and stompy cathartic rock led by crunchy, bottom-heavy guitar riffs reminiscent of bands such as Tool and Godsmack. For now, the disc is only available at the band’s live shows.

Although he has been the band’s principal songwriter, guitarist-singer Jesse Thulin says coming up with new material is “getting to be more of collaborative process.”

All the time spent practicing and collaborating in the garage has paid off, too. The new material Soundbender debuted for me shows a shift towards crafting songs that have sonic punch while adding in melody and greater lyrical depth.

“A lot of it is that we’re getting to be better musicians,” said Andrew Gladu. “We’re able to do a lot more now.”

Advance tickets for the Sept. 8 show are $10 and are available by calling 478-6127. For more on Soundbender, go to www.soundbenderwired.com. George Bragdon can be reached at gbragdon@bangordailynews.net.