Before we can get into any substantive discussion of why the Los Angeles-based power pop duo Chester French should be taken seriously as one of the fastest rising "It" bands of the moment, the group's members would like to dispel certain Ivy League misconceptions about them.
Granted, singer D.A. Wallach and multi-instrumentalist/arranger Maxwell Drummey have been known to wear button-down shirts, blazers, ties and khakis, especially in promotional photos. But that doesn't mean they're preppies. To hear them rationalize it, they simply couldn't afford nicer -- or weirder -- clothing and settled for a "business casual" look.
And to be certain, although the band mates graduated from Harvard University last spring, they're not "the next Vampire Weekend" (as some online pundits have called them). Whereas the Columbia University alumni in that indie band lean toward an African-inflected alterna-rock, Chester French, which will take the stage for a sold-out performance at the Viper Room tonight, is all about wry-yet-rockin' '60s-accented narrative pop.
Their shimmering songs can conjure Dr. Dre and the Kinks, psych rock and surf music, while still sounding totally modern.
Most important, though, even with the band members' prestigious academic pedigree and profoundly Caucasian racial profile, never assume that Chester French is anything less than totally down with the streets.
Opening up on tour for the electro-funk-rap-rock group N.E.R.D. in March, Chester French managed to win over legions of opinionated urban music fans, building expectations for its upcoming album, "Love the Future." Among those in the audience at the group's maiden New York gig last month were hip-hop impresario Damon Dash, up-and-coming rapper Charles Hamilton and the controversial rap radio host Miss Info from Hot 97 FM.
Pretty fly for some white guys.
"Most of our fans -- we've really had a lot of folks who, from the best I can tell, are primarily fans of hip-hop," Wallach said recently over lunch at a Beverly Hills boutique hotel. "I think that's really cool. You look at their profiles on MySpace and we might be one of two or three acts that aren't rap that they are into."
The crossover didn't come without a certain amount of institutional backing, however. Chester French is signed to Star Trak Records, a boutique imprint distributed by Interscope and operated by the multi-platinum hit-making producer duo the Neptunes (responsible for hits for Justin, Britney, Madonna and Snoop, among many others).
