Courtesy Phat A$tronuat
“Welcome to the Mothership,” a deep voice intones as the hi-hat starts to count off the beat. “Thank you for coming to our performance. We are Phat A$tronaut.”
So this New Haven-based band declares its allegiance to P. Funk’s “One Nation Under A Groove” from the opening seconds of “I Wanna Know,” Phat A$tronaut’s live recording of its debut performance as a band, at Pacific Standard Tavern on Crown Street.
But A$tronaut is no throwback. This a band making R&B for today — the kind of R&B that, following the footsteps of P. Funk, and in keeping with the explosion of creativity in R&B and hip hop we’re seeing all around us, pulls from pop, rock, hip hop, and electronic music to create a brew of ever-shifting textures and rhythms. It’s a sound that feels cohesive yet searching, created by four musicians who sound totally engaged in every moment.
Chris Barone lays down his beats with swing and pulse, but injects details with every step — a flourish on a cymbal, a skittering statement on the hi-hat — that stir the textural pot. Mike Russo’s deep, warm bass pushes the groove whether it’s stomping funk or a lilting, African-inflected hip shaker, and Russo shows he isn’t afraid to get fuzzy when called for, either. Mark Lyon is a shape shifter on guitar, moving from warm rhythm guitar to shredding lead to a constellation of tones that turn the guitar into a synthesizer.
All of this culminates in Chad Browne-Springer’s vocals, which are an aural delight. He has an easy, natural tenor with just enough rasp around the edges to cut through the mix, but in keeping with the restless energy of the rest of the band, he’s not satisfied to merely sing and rap really well. Instead, using a variety of effects, Brown-Springer also drops and raises his voice above and below its range to create a chorus of distinct voices. Sometimes this means changing his voice mid-song. Other times, in the case of “Testify,” it means building an entire song from vocal effects and loops to create a choir for a church of the future.
That a recording this interesting and polished was created from a live performance — there’s the crowd noise to prove it — is seriously impressive, and suggests just how much time Phat A$tronaut spent writing and practicing as a band before bringing its music to the public. This seriousness of intent is in keeping with the high bar New Haven’s small but energetic R&B scene is setting for itself. It has found a home in Pacific Standard Tavern, with performances there along with a weekly open jam on Wednesday nights. If Phat A$tronaut’s musical explorations are any indication, it’s anybody’s guess what the scene will produce next, though it’s certain to be interesting.