When you consider that Spinal Tap had 37 members, Cute is What We Aim For hasn’t really had that many lineup changes — only six.
Tap, of course, is the fictional group that has become the cult band for at least two generations of musicians and music lovers since the mockumentary’s 1984 release. Opening for Secondhand Serenade, Cute is in “stabilization” mode and ready to show fans that it’s in it for the long haul.
“The band was very young and the members didn’t take into account that when you are in a band you have to live with other members, do business deals with them,” said bassist Dave Melillo who joined the band in 2007 after touring with them. “Now we all get along, everyone is happy doing what we do.”
And they’re trying to put the band’s history in perspective, said Melillo before making the quip comparing Tap with Cute. The band formed in 2005 and quickly found itself mired in a host of controversies ranging from bitter member departures to charges of plagiarism. Still the band rapidly built a fan base and won critical acclaim almost as soon as it’s 2006 debut album “The Same Old Blood Rush With a New Touch” hit store shelves.
With this year’s release of “Rotation” the band has found its footing with a mature sound based on various musical influences and top-notch production quality, said Melillo.
“With all their emo-tinged pop-punk role contemporaries — from Fall Out Boy to Panic at the Disco — experimenting with broader pop sounds, Cute Is What We Aim For almost seems bold for sticking closely to their original sound on “Rotation,” wrote Glenn Gamboa of Newsday.
Now the trick, said Melillo, is to keep the momentum going. “We are just trying to write good songs and do straightforward rock,” he said. “That’s where we’re at these days. … And we’re just touring, touring, touring.”
IF YOU GO
Secondhand Serenade and Cute Is What We Aim For
Venue: Recher Theatre, 512 York Road, Towson
When: 6 p.m. Thursday
Tickets: $18
Info.: 410-547-SEAT; www.ticketmaster.com
