Have you ever known the pleasure of a good tip? You know that warm glow that you get when you realise that someone steered you right? It might be a hot tip on a “sure thing” at 20 to 1, or big money for good service; it could even be just good advice from a friend. Well, I got a tip from a regular reader of Band Of The Week asking me if we take requests — we do if someone likes the band enough to cover it — and he suggested I check out an L.A./Montana-based band called Korben. And so I did.
What I heard I loved, and upon getting to know this fabulous duo I’m totally blown away. Intelligent, witty, and perversely talented, these Billings, Montana natives aren’t typical midwesterners, musically or personally. Chad and Erin started singing and playing together at their local church, drawing criticism for changing the church songs, just a little bit, to make them more interesting. After high school Chad found the lack of a rock music scene in Billings a bit... let's say limiting, and so began to tour out of state, eventually touring with a hip-hop group from Dallas. Chad made plenty of contacts but in the end returned to Billings to continue his education. Then Chad and Erin hooked up again while attending the same small college and decided to record an EP. When he sent that EP to his contact in L.A., it was so well-received that Chad and Erin decided to collect what few possessions they owned and move, lock, stock and barrel to Los Angeles to chase the music dream.
Once in L.A. they signed with indie label 3D People Records and now Korben have released their debut full length LP Steady Fools. Korben’s sound is what you would expect if the Cranberries had married the Foo Fighters and had children. Chad’s guitar-heavy rock riffs coupled with Erin’s smooth, Sarah Mclachlanesque, folk-chick-singing-rock vocals — with a hint of an Irish lilt — combine to create a uniquely familiar sound that is both energising and comfortable. Korben’s angst-ridden, angry, frequently ironically poignant lyrics are a big contributor to that “something special” that Korben have in overflowing abundance.
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