Seks Bomba takes its inspiration from '60s session musicians who played on James Bond soundtracks and Tom Jones albums. "They were jazz and pop people from the '50s who were trying to rock, sometimes failing miserably in a very fascinating way, trying to make money by doing the music that was where the kids were at," says Hall. "But our approach is different," adds guitarist/vocalist Chris Cote. "We are not making a dime, but I think we are succeeding at rocking."
The band began as a one-shot performance idea cooked up be tween Hall, his co-worker at Rounder records, Cote; his housemate, drummer Brett Campbell; next-door neighbor Lori Perkins, who played organ in Fortunate Son, and bassist Matt Silbert, who had performed in his own band, Middle Earth, and also played a lot of theater music.
All of the band's members are accomplished musicians, and all read music, except for Hall, who has written the half-dozen original instrumentals. "I had been playing in rock bands, but listening to a lot of surf and lounge music," says Hall. "I decided to try to play stuff that was more like what I was listening to. It also helped me in writing full songs. In the past I couldn't write songs, primarily because I didn't like my Iyrics. I care too much about the English language to inflict my words on it."
One thing everyone agrees on is that they are now a full-fledged band, and that the music might change direction at any time. "Sometimes the strangest things can work," says Hall.
DAVID WILDMAN