Columbus-based band The Regrettes formed their group, recorded and produced an album and begun touring all in one year.
The Posers, The Regrettes and the Gallipolis-based The Magic Mama Band will perform at Casa Nueva, 4 W. State St., on Saturday.
“It’s very much centered around The Regrettes,” said Josh Brown, booking coordinator for Casa Nueva. “They were the first band I booked for the show … but each band will have equal playing time.”
With music that defies the boundaries of one genre, The Regrettes combine the sounds of Motown, R&B and soul with rock.
“It’s not super traditional or cookie-cutter,” said Mehgan Alexandra Hutchinson, one of the vocalists and tambourine players for the band. “(The band members) all listen to so many different types of music, so there are a lot of influences.”
Brown said their unique sound is what prompted the booking at Casa Nueva.
“That old sixties soul they’re playing — I haven’t heard that around here,” he said. “Their sound is phenomenal.”
Even more unique than their sound, The Regrettes have two female lead singers, an aspect not typically found in most bands.
“It’s hard to get that dynamic between two female singers,” said James Allison, keyboardist for the band who also produced their debut album in his studio, Electraplay. “But they are really able to hold their own. They sound very different from each other, but they go really well together.”
About one-fourth or less of the bands booked at Casa Nueva this semester have female lead singers, said Brown.
Released Nov. 30, Don’t Talk Back is The Regrettes’ debut album — a process that only took nine months, said Lizzy Morris, the second vocalist and tambourine player in the band.
“We almost immediately started recording and working on the album,” she said. “Luckily, everything has been happening pretty easily. Putting out the album and now touring regionally, it’s a step ladder we’ve been progressively going up.”
In the effort to promote their album, choosing Athens was no off-handed decision.
“Having a town with that many people (from Ohio University) and a town that’s historically put out good music and had people enjoy it, that’s somewhere we want to go,” Allison said.
mg986611@ohiou.edu
