The New Collisions make their Columbus debut, stopping to perform at the Rumba Café Monday.
Taking a break from practice in Boston to do a phone interview, vocalist Sarah Guild said the band is ready to tour in advance of their Nov. 17 “Invisible Embraces” EP release.
“We recorded with Anthony Resta who’s worked with Collective Soul, Elton John, Duran Duran, and I feel like it’s a cut above the rest,” Guild said. “He’s so creative and sensitive with the engineering that the timing of every beat is precisely placed.”
Along with producer Resta, The Cars’ keyboardist Greg Hawkes also worked with The New Collisions on their first recordings after seeing one of the band’s first live shows.
“Really excited about the EP. Yeah, every band says that, but it really has a feel like we can deliver that thing live,” Guild said. “It’s pretty slick to be honest.”
Despite forming only six months ago, the ‘80s synth-driven band landed opening spots for the B-52s and Blondie during the summer.
“We were suggested to open for the B-52s, we were like ‘yeah, of course!’ and it went well,” Guild said. “We got more dates [with them] and got offered a date with Blondie.”
Through combining previous music experiences, Guild said the band was able to form quickly.
“I’m more classically trained in choral music. I took private lessons, and I played viola and piano for years,” she said.
Sarah Guild’s husband, Scott, is the band’s guitarist and she said he is self-taught with interests in poetry and songwriting.
“We’ve been doing music together for the past couple years, mostly acoustic stuff,” Sarah Guild said. “And we decided to move to Boston and intentionally start this project.”
Completing the lineup in late April, Guild said Berklee-trained Alex Stern (bass/vocals), music business-experienced Casey Gruttadauria (synth/keys/logistics) and Zak Kahn (drums) were added through friendly connections and a Craigslist posting.
Guild said personal influences designate the band’s atypical sound — a combination of Pat Benatar, Bob Dylan, Blondie and Leonard Cohen with rock, pop and reggae genres.
“We definitely started with simple punk-sounding songs and the writing process brought in the ‘80s, and adding the synth player sealed the deal,” she said.
“Expect a killer live show with a lot of energy and excellent musicianship,” Guild said.
“Come talk to us, let us know what you think. I’m hoping for exuberant dancing in Columbus. Let’s party!”
