The Profits offer a sound unparalleled by anything else on the acoustic scene. With their three-part harmonies and variations of average insturments, listeners can expect a completely different version of old, boring acoustic rock.
The Madison, Wisc.-based band is releasing their second CD, “Far From You and Your Everyday Noise,” with a U.S. tour starting in their hometown. The tour will travel from the Midwest to the Northeast through March.
With their popularity rising, the Profits recently went national, having three of their songs featured on Sony PlayStation’s “EA Sports NCAA Football 2006.”
The four members of the band, JP Roney, Mike Drohomyreky, Scott Lamps and Benjamin Schaefer, combine guitar, keyboards, stand-up classical bass and percussion to create an original sound. Their CD highlights the distinctive range of consistency, arrangements and three-part vocals.
The band started two years ago while they all attended the University of Wisconsin. Without help from record labels, the rock phenomenon is now selling out venues across the Midwest.
The overall flavor of the album is soulful. It offers crisp, clean vocals and intelligent lyrics over a soft beat. Although every song brings something new, the theme of the album seems to be inspiration and hope.
The catchiest song is the sixth track, “Sex at Six.” This song begins with a church-organ sound and bursts into contagious lyrics, claiming that sex at six in the morning can not be boring: “Gonna roll over to you and get you moanin’/I like sex at six in the morning/How bout a little sex at six in the morning with you?”
The slow tempo on the 10th track, “While You Sleep,” is as soothing as a lullaby. The calming vocals are definitely something listeners could fall asleep to: “But remember this song that I’ll sing for you/And I’ll sing it to you while you sleep.”
Although most of the songs are enjoyable, the second track, “Atlantic,” was a disappointment. The music cannot save these boring and cliche lyrics. The song tells of a boy willing to cross the Atlantic Ocean to be with the girl he loves: “I crossed the Emerald Isles/I’ve been to mountain tops/Where you could see for miles/Crossed the rivers.” This has been done countless times.
Despite the one overdone song, this album offered a unique style of music. The original blend of instruments helped create the one-of-a-kind sound.
The Profits will be in Columbus on Feb. 24 at Scarlet and Grey Cafe, located at 2203 N. High St. Check the Web site for information at theprofitsband.com.
