Performing its first several gigs at Fat Jack’s, a shabby local bar on the west side of Columbus, probably seemed like an unbelievable accomplishment for local band Semisextile when it was just getting off the ground.
Several years later, all the band can say is, “Just be glad you’ve never been there.”
The band — bassist Ed Tonti, drummer Tom Moore and guitarists Nathan Eckhart, Doug Collins and Jason Taylor — considers one of Semisextile’s greatest assets to be its versatile style, allowing it to play a majority of Ohio’s venues.
Its first album, April’s “Sensory Overdose,” is a refreshing blend of alternative rock and funk mixed with softer ballads. The band’s sound has set Semisextile apart from much of its talented local competition.
Semisextile, named for an astronomical term refering to when two planets are 30 degrees off axis from each other, draws influence from Dave Matthews Band, Tool, Incubus, Our Lady Peace and Foo Fighters.
This fall, Semisextile signed with a non-exclusive booking agency based out of Austin, Texas called Atlantic Pacific Entertainment. The agency plans to book the band at numerous large venues out-of-state.
In addition, the agency is working on getting the band into one of the largest and most competitive music conferences in the nation, South by Southwest.
“I think we have a product that (the record companies are) really going to benefit from, and I’m anxiously looking forward to the event and what will hopefully come out of it,” Collins said.
One thing the band is definitely proud of, Collins said, is the its progress.
“All the goals we have set for ourselves, we have accomplished; and many of our accomplishments have well exceeded our expectations,” he said.
Eckhart said the band is planning to play at February’s Cleveland Music Festival. The band will also go on tour beginning in early March from Columbus all the way down to Austin, Texas, where it will play a couple of showcases in Austin and surrounding cities.
“We are hoping for big things to come out of the tour, possibly a record deal,” Eckhart said.
As for now, Semisextile will play 10 shows in the month of January, including shows in Columbus, Bowling Green and Kent. The band will also play every Wednesday night at Victory’s, located at 543 S. High St. in the Brewery District, from 10:30 p.m.-2 a.m.
Eckhart said he feels the venue is “one of the best rock clubs in Columbus.”
Semisextile will play tomorrow at Little Brothers, 1100 N. High St. The show will start at 10 p.m., with Semisextile going on at 11:15 p.m. Also playing will be local bands Inclusion and As Is. Cover is $3 for ages 21 and up and $5 for ages 18 and up.
