INDY'S WEEKLY ALTERNATIVE NEWSPAPER HIGHLIGHTING ARTS, ENTERTAINMENT AND SOCIAL JUSTICE

Climbing up the charts

The Floozies expose ‘7 Deadly Sinners’

The Born Again Floozies’ practice room is a perilous maze of microphone stands, wires and musical instruments that barricade the six members from each other. Nancy Moore is trapped in the percussion corner. Joey Welch, lead vocalist, sits nearby with his guitar in hand; microphone stands extend their lanky arms around him. In another corner, Ben Vokits and Charlie Krone are confined to their chairs: Vokits hugs his tuba and Krone wields his trombone like a weapon, warning others away. Two wood panels sit on the floor — tap dancing stations occupied by Libby Milliken and Amy Gilmore.

Despite the separate spheres in which they practice, the Floozies push beyond their borders, coming together to create music being heard around the nation. Last winter, they released a debut EP, which caught the ears of Paste magazine. Paste made the band the opening track on their December 2006 sampler CD and flew them to Atlanta to perform at the Paste Rock and Reel Festival. Things have continued to go well with the recent release of their first full-length album, 7 Deadly Sinners.

“It reached 74 on the College Music Journal chart for national airplay, which blew us all away,” Welch says. “We were hoping to get into the top 200. That was our goal. We were working really hard just to achieve that.”

Part of their hard work included an 11-day stint with producer Steve Albini at his Chicago studio. “I like records that sound live,” Welch explains of choosing the legendary Albini, who has also worked with Nirvana, Jimmy Page and Robert Plant, as well as P.J. Harvey. “I thought I would just pick one of my favorite sounding records ever and see who recorded it and then ask them if they would record our record. I had recently bought the Pixies’ Surfer Rosa, which is my favorite Pixies record. I was just listening to it and thinking, ‘God, the guitars are incredible.’ And the way it’s mixed. It’s just amazing, the textures. You feel like you are sitting in the room with them.”

When Welch saw that Albini had recorded the album, he thought, “Oh, he’s kind of known as a real son-of-a-bitch. An abrasive, caustic individual. I like that. I’m gonna call this guy,” Welch says. “We knew what we wanted to do. We went in, and he had a beautiful studio. He had this work ethic that matched ours very well, which is where you get focused on something and you just go, go, go, until you drop. That’s his work ethic as well, so we worked together beautifully.”

While 2006’s Novelties, Addenda and Ephemera focused more on the Floozies’ satirical side, 7 Deadly Sinners fleshes out the band’s repertoire with a full spectrum of emotion. Welch’s mission to capture the band’s live sound is apparent in the first track, “Miranda Rights,” full of the enthusiasm the six musicians show on stage while performing the song live. There are satirical numbers like “If You Were Dead You’d Be Home Now” and raucous instrumentals such as “Floozies Repent.” What the album does best, though, is show the band’s tender side with songs like “Do Did Does,” the skitterish melancholy of “Sun Shine Us Down” and “Lycia,” with its delicate keyboards and soft marching drumbeat.

Welch believes the Born Again Floozies’ unique blend of music is what draws such a diverse audience to the band, from dancing children to 60-year-old men with silver mullets. Overflowing with talent and personality and championed by magazines like Paste, it’s no surprise they draw in a diverse national audience as well, breaking through Indiana’s borders as they climb up the airplay charts.

The Floozies will next play in Indy Nov. 16 at Radio Radio for the Tonic Ball. For more information on the Floozies, go to www.bornagainfloozies.com.