The Bad Penny (beta)

While modern indie-rockers Research Society are still green around the ears, having formed only a few years ago, they were born and bred on ’90s music. Founders Namky and G Mann bonded over their love of guitar-based bands like Soundgarden and Blur, and incepted a project that would also incorporate electronic elements, hip-hop and beyond.

Far beyond, in fact. Along with their wide array of musical influences, the band – rounded out by drummer Danita Clark – has also reached into the outer galaxies of the film universe for inspiration. Case in point: Namky’s obsession with Stanley Kubrick’s timeless “2001: A Space Odyssey.” No, you won’t likely hear Research Society covering “Thus Spake Zarathustra” anytime soon, but well-trained ears might pick up a sci-fi strain or two in the band’s sound after hearing what Namky recently told the Bad Penny:

“Stanley Kubrick is one of my favorite filmmakers, and a big influence on me in terms of style and storytelling,” he said. ” ‘2001’ is my favorite Kubrick movie, and I probably watch it at least 5 times a year. The band likes to infuse some sci-fi elements when we work on lyrics. We tend to express ourselves in visual terms when we’re working on music, and fairly often we’ll make a sci-fi reference as shorthand for a sound or style we’re going for.”

In the spirit of depicting his obsession – and contributing to the Bad Penny’s ongoing “Memento” series, Namky sent along this precious “2001” collectible he keeps within his orbit:

Examine the Research Society when they play Mr. T’s Bowl in Los Angeles on February 19. Doors are at 9.

More Mementos:

• A card from Wanda Jackson – and a matchbook too
• Branden Daniel’s Amazing Technisound Dream Vest
• Salme Dahlstrom’s coffee-centric contribution
• The Moog’s hairspray
• The Bad Penny’s button collection

This entry was posted on 02/12/2010 at 9:23 am and is filed under Features, Mementos with tags Research Society. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.