Cincinnati import Homunculus brings subversive groove-pop to Athens

by Sarah Laubacher
Staff Writer

If you go:
What: Homunculus
Where: Casa Cantina, 4 West State St.
When: Friday, Oct. 4 at 10:30 p.m.
Cover: Approximately $4

Cincinnati-based Homunculus will make a stop in Athens this weekend, with clearer purpose and heightened confidence gained in their recent West Coast tour.

The visit comes just as their first national release with Howling Records hits stores. The remixed and re-mastered version of 2000's ••Words•• is more cohesive and polished than the original, but still distinguished by a sound no one seems to be able to describe.

OU graduate Aaron Smith, fan and friend of the band, said, "They're completely unique, so you can't really explain it. If a friend asks me to, I just describe their setup rather than describe their music."

Their "setup" includes OU alumnus Adam Schoen on bass, Chris "Cupcake" Ellison on drums, a composed Kevin Shima on guitar and a charismatic Ben Doepke on keys - with all four donning snazzy semi-formal attire. If it is anything like their last gig at the Casa Cantina, the setup will also include a packed house of uninhibited, dancing fans.Local musician Dan Dreifort said Homunculus, a frequent import to Athens, is an important addition to the local scene.

"Their dynamic synthesis of groove-pop, melodic hooks and the occasional outright jam is so rare in the Athens music scene, that it may in fact be one of kind - truly a gem of an experience," he said.

"Subversive groove-pop," a term the band coined, refers to pop songs sitting on a foundation of groove, Doepke said.

"Unless a song feels good, no one will want to listen to it," he said. "If you write a good song and then plunk it into a nice feel and groove ... you're kind of tricking people into listening to really interesting music - if you can make it feel good, you get a chance."

That's where the "subversive" part comes in.

"It's like the Trojan horse," Doepke said. "People see it and say, 'Yeah! Sure, let's bring it in!' Then they open it up and hey, there we are in all our freak show-ness."

Always apparent is Doepke, Shima and Schoen's mastery of three-part harmony, which gives their jazzy, groove-based originals pop appeal.

"We pretty much stick to the pop format, but there are more layers going on with what we do," Shima said. "It's fun music, but not just 'turn your cheek and look the other way.' We look at things that aren't necessarily cheery or pleasant and find the positive."

Shima said the album covers a lot of bases - loss, personal changes or just slowing down and enjoying life.

"We're getting to that age where we can see through other people and systems more clearly," he said. "We're coming into our own at this point. It's kind of exciting, we've done three albums but we haven't even begun to do what we're capable of."