Annuals have blossomed musically after a decade of music making.
If you go
Annuals with The Most Serene Republic and What Laura Says
When: 8:30 p.m. doors, 9 p.m. show Tuesday
Where: DC9, 1940 Ninth St. NW
Info: $10 in advance, $12 day of show; ages 18 and up; 202-483-9000; dcnine.com
Consider Adam Baker and Kenny Florence not only have made music for 10 years but are the heart of the rock band Sunfold. Annuals started as a side project for the Raleigh, N.C.-based indie musicians. “When we started out we were just playing together in the suburbs,” Baker said about the band’s beginnings. “Time in the studio is mostly what the Annuals is about.”
That’s great news for a side project band, especially one with such an active touring schedule as Annuals. The band mates released their 2006 indie debut “Be He Me,” which caught fire in the social media world. It was so hot, in fact, that it won the band a contract with Canvasback Music, which released the 2008 album “Such Fun.”
The band is continuing to record, this time working on a new DIY collective with Baker in the producer role.
The emphasis on their own music is something that carries over to the band’s concerts, too, Baker said.
“I guess you can expect that for the bands that open for us,” Baker said. “We do all original songs with no covers.”
Not that it would be difficult for Baker and company to pull up inspiration for such forays if they chose. Growing up on a steady diet of music by the Beach Boys — his mom’s favorite band — and Johnny Cash — his dad’s favorite singer — Baker was immersed in music from an early age.
Add to that his dad’s time as a drummer in a regional band — he worked his way through college playing — and you have seeds planted for a second-generation musician.
Despite the divergent influences to which Baker was exposed, nothing really sparked his creative imagination until he heard the music of Smashing Pumpkins when he was a child.
“I actually started recording first, and then I started writing songs,” Baker said. “Then I realized, ‘Hey, I can write songs.’ … No other kind of writing was interesting enough or fun enough or as therapeutic.”
The sense of calm Baker gets from such writing and recording often keeps him working in the studio for long periods of time, experimenting with various sounds and techniques.
“I have spent months and months in the studio trying different things,” Baker said. “There’s never a dividing line [for his musical experimentation].”
