On Sept. 25, Newport Music Hall will open its doors to eccentric foursome Full Service.
Full Service seems a fitting title for the band. Not only do they offer a smorgasbord of sound, but the band also comes with a full serving of eccentricity and mystery.
The band is made up of four nicknamed members — lead singer and drummer Hoag, lead guitarist and vocalist Bonesaw, bass guitarist Twinky and alternate vocalist plus percussionist Smell.
They did not divulge their real names or ages, but they did concede that they have a combined age of 111.
“We’ve been together since we were all carpenter ants in our previous lives,” said Hoag, as they drove around Chicago looking for a special pizza place. “We lived lives of such accomplishment and benevolence, that the creator promoted us to human beings in our next lives.”
This is what enabled them to be in a rock band to “bring peace and harmony to the earth,” he added.
Since 2004, Full Service has tried to do just that. They have a total of six studio albums, one EP and a live CD. Their latest CD is February’s “The Earth Still Wants You.”
Full Service’s recent success is a result of their “Takeover Tour,” where they brought that peace and harmony to tailgaters at last fall’s 311 tour.
“The idea was simple; follow around a major act’s tour with our generator, our Whale (van), our instruments, two helpers, an e-mail list, a documentary crew and 5,000 demo CDs,” Hoag said. “Before the main act played their set inside the amphitheater, we’d play out in the parking lot for the tailgating crowd.”
It worked. They caught the attention of 311, and ended up opening three shows at the end of 311’s tour.
“We do Takeovers at college campuses or street corners to promote the club shows we play in town later that night,” Hoag said. “I’m willing to bet there will be a Takeover at OSU.”
The band’s music lends itself well to a guerilla play-style. The band is a “shape shifter” band that plays all styles of music and tries to express themselves in any way they can.
“Music as a form is so open that to live in one particular form would be like living in one city your whole life,” Hoag said. “So we’ve found ourselves traveling the musical world, so to speak.”
Their lyrics are just as wild as they are, inspired by observations and empathy.
“I much prefer to simply articulate what I see going on around me, but in such a way that leads people to look at something more closely,” Hoag said. He said when he observes a person or situation, he “relates or empathizes in some weird way.”
That’s where Full Service’s strength lies, the ability to take everyday situations and sentiments and enjoy them.
“We just finished discussing how we were eating pizza with our seat belts on in a parking lot and how it doesn’t get any better,” said Bonesaw. “Tonight the pizza mission was achieved!”