The last place you would expect to find members of an OC band that managed to claw its way out of the depths of obscurity and into some money is underneath the dim lights of a cramped stage at a neighborhood sports bar and family restaurant.
Yet that's where we ran into Chris Tsagakis, drummer for the SoCal progressive ska powerhouse Rx Bandits last Thursday. The man performed his solo electro/drum side project Technology at Haskell's Prospector in Long Beach in front of a crowded bar packed with friends and fans alike.
Following him that night were fellow Rx Bandits band mates Joe Troy and Matt Embree, who thrashed in the bass and drum punk duo Coke vs. Bills.
Tsagakis, though a man of few words, took a few moments before the show to bless the crowd with some insight into the creation of Technology.
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“Originally [Technology] was just an outlet for me since I like electronic music, but once I got more and more songs, I decided to play some shows and so far it's turned out well,” he said.
As far as plans to take Technology on the road, Tsagakis, like his other band mates, has a strong desire to do so when the time is right.
“I would like to take it on tour, [but] right now I think it's kind of unheard of. When I get a little more exposure I definitely want to do something with it, nothing huge…probably mostly West Coast shows like Northern California and Arizona. Of course if it ever got big, which I don't necessarily think it will, I might think about taking it other places as well.”
Tsagakis thundered through a strong set with his trusty programmable electronic beat pad by his side. He managed to make it through the bulk of his new self-titled album which includes songs like “Split Shift” and “Holiday in Galapagos.” The song not only showed his prowess as a heavy-handed drummer, but also as an interesting electronic beat-maker with a creative ear and an affinity for obscure sounds like looped clips of skateboards rumbling over concrete.
Whether or not Technology blows up like his main squeeze, Rx Bandits, is yet to be seen. But fortunately for fans, if there's an empty stage to filled at a sports bar, Tasagkis will not hesitate to rock the house.
Photo by Conor Izzett.
