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By Tiffany Razzano
The band, which formed in the summer of 2003, recently went through a line-up change in January, dropping the keyboardist who had been with them since the group's inception, leaving behind guitarist and vocalist Annabelle Blue and Marcelo, the drummer. According to Blue, the duo is ready to step up to the next level by touring more and adding more local shows to their calendar. "Our keyboard player...was super, super busy and not as into it as we were," Blue said. "Musically, though, she was amazing." Now, as they record their next album, the duo is hoping to add another female to the group, either a keyboard player or bass player, because "playing with a girl is more fun." Blue and Marcelo, long-time friends, first formed The Anabolics in 2003 when their respective bands had broken up. Blue had been in After School Special and Marcelo played in Double Agent Girlfriend. Currently, The Anabolics are in the studio, recording material for their next album, which should be completed sometime this summer. They've been recording at the Compound, in Westchester, working with Chris Skowronski of the Scotty Brooks Campaign. They released their debut, full-length album, On Your Feet and Knees, in 2004. Since the end of 2005, they've released two EPs of two and three songs. These songs, plus another half dozen they're working on now, will make up their next full-length album. Since the departure of their keyboard player, Blue and Marcelo have been collaborating on songs for the first time. "We used to have hourly rehearsals and there was no time for writing [together]," Blue said. "Now we have a monthly rehearsal space and there's more time." The two are influenced by much of the same music, such as Kiss, Cheap Trick and Blondie, mostly '70s power pop. Both find inspiration from simple guitars and catchy melodies that aren't too complicated. Marcelo, though a drummer now, originally was a guitarist and a bassist, so he helps out with writing songs more than most drummers. "I'm really luck to have a drummer who plays other instruments and writes," Blue said. "It's better than having a drummer who plays only drums. I used to have a drummer who would shrug and say, 'I don't know. I'm just a drummer.'" Blue said the group is hoping to play more venues outside of New York City and Brooklyn, particularly in places nearby such as New Jersey, Connecticut and Boston - places they can come back to often as their fan base grows there. "You don't realize how hard it is to play in New York until you play outside of it," Blue said. "In New York there are tons of places to go, but outside New York there's usually only one or two places where everyone in town goes." The group is finally ready for their "labor of love" to take off, but they wouldn't be too disappointed if that doesn't happen. "At the end of the day, if we knew we would never get signed or get any money, we'd still do it until we were 90," Blue said. "So many of our friends in bands get discouraged and burn out. When we come up with a new thing [during rehearsals] it's so fun and so great and that's what its about." 0 5 . 0 1 . 0 6
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rooklyn's The Anabolics are ready to take power pop to a whole new level.
