With its consistent, poppy Beatles-esque grooves, local band Scubadog looks forward to reuniting the group’s musical spark after a yearlong hiatus.
“We totally jumped at the chance to get back together and play again,” said Jake Householder, guitarist and vocalist for the band. “I don’t see it as a reunion show … I’m going to call it a revival.”
Scubadog will not be alone as Maza Blaska and Wrong Hands strap up to open the show at Casa Nueva, 6 W. State St., Thursday night.
A year ago Jesse Remnant, bassist for the band, moved out of Ohio and left the band with half a rhythm section, but now he is back to jam with all of Scubadog’s original hits and carefully selected covers.
“We just all really enjoy one another and we all really enjoy music and we love playing,” said Josh Antonuccio, guitarist for Scubadog and a lecturer in music production and recording industry at Ohio University. “Getting everyone together is just a lot of juggling and a lot of moving parts.”
Despite Antonuccio’s co-ownership of 3 Elliott Studio in Athens, the group has been reluctant to make any sort of recording.
Antonuccio said they care more about the live performance and the group’s two singles it has recorded — “David,” and “Patience/Nations” — are only there to tantalize new fans to come out to the shows.
“We’re kind of taking cues from the 15th century, you gotta actually go see the performer in order to hear the songs,” Antonuccio said.
Remnant will also play with Columbus opener Maza Blaska, which has strong ties to the area through recording sessions with OU professor in music production Eddie Ashworth and numerous shows at Casa Nueva.
The group infuses African and South American percussion rhythms with pop vocal lines for an infectious mix of folk and pop.
The show isn’t just about the revival of Scubadog’s music but also about the band’s friendships and love of live performance.
“I’m really excited to play together again, we got together to practice for the first time a couple weeks back … and from the very first chord we were a band again,” Householder said. “The music felt just as relevant in my life as the first time we played it.”
wh092010@ohiou.edu
@Wilbur_Hoffman
If You Go
What: Scubadog, Maza Blaska and Wrong Hands
When: 10 p.m. Thursday
Where: Casa Nueva, 6 W State Street
Admission: Free
