STS9 blasts off the dance floor

Sound Tribe Sector 9 Tonight, 8 Mr. Small’s Millvale $20 The music of Sound Tribe Sector 9 is… Sound Tribe Sector 9 Tonight, 8 Mr. Small’s Millvale $20 The music of Sound Tribe Sector 9 is what you might expect from the band’s name ‘mdash; straight from outer space. The quintet, usually called STS9, plays the type of jam-heavy, synthed-out space rock that would be at home both at an earthly dance party and a rave on Mars, with long-form improvisation over a constant and pounding dance beat. In other words, if your idea of dancing is hip-swiveling in an Oakland basement, get ready to redefine what it means to get down. If that weren’t interesting enough for you, STS9 pulls it all off without any words. The band’s live shows, which often run for up to four hours, keep crowds moving with all instrumental grooves. And those crowds keep getting bigger. Since STS9 released its latest record, Peaceblaster, this past summer, the band’s following has been larger than ever. STS9 drummer Zach Velmer called from the train to talk with The Pitt News. The Pitt News: People go nuts for your live show. What is it about a Sound Tribe performance that you think makes people so excited? Zach Velmer: You never know what you’re going to get, and that excites people. There’s a level of intrigue. We consciously push ourselves as the artists and musicians to create that mystique. People do know, though, that they’re going to get a show. It’s lights, it’s sounds, [and] it’s a dance party. TPN: I once picked up a hitchhiker on the way to a show in Cleveland, and he was going to a Sound Tribe show that was on the way. He offered me a quartz crystal as thanks for the ride. How would you describe your fans? ZV: They’re way too varied. In a college town, we’ll get the young hippies. In a metropolitan area we’ll get the 30-somethings coming out. We get the hipsters. I’ve stopped trying to figure it out, honestly. The only way our fans are unified is that they love, love live music. TPN: How is Peaceblaster a growth from your previous material? ZV: It’s a no-brainer for us, in the sense of our focus and attention behind this record. Comparatively speaking, our other records are all over the place. We started this record in Halloween of last year and finished it in May. Our last record took two years to record, and it was made in basements, hotel rooms [and] backs of buses. For Peaceblaster, it was all in the studio, all focused. TPN: Is STS9’s songwriting a formal process or are songs based on a groove? ZV: It’s five of us, [and] we all contribute. The song is not done until we’ve all touched it. We’re a five-moving-as-one deal. TPN: Where does Sound Tribe fit in with the jam band scene? Do you at all? ZV: I think we have a huge relevancy ‘- our ticket sales and album sales show that. To me, though, to be perfectly honest, it’s a phenomenon. No one knows who the f**k we are. It’s a trip to me that I can sit on a plane or a train and no one knows who the hell we are, and yet we’re selling out 3,000 capacity venues. But if someone could explain it to me, I’d love that.