Seattle's Sycophant: They Won't Be Going By The Book

Who are the members of Sycophant?

Gavin Protas, acoustic guitars, vocals

Paul Moomaw, upright bass, vocals

Martin Klabunde, drums, percussion

Meet a band that doesn't want to live up to its name.

A sycophant is a self-serving flatterer, a parasite.

But Sycophant, the up-and-coming Seattle band, wants people to forget the dictionary definition. Think fun and funky.

"We're not doing the gloomy, poor-me sort of music," says Moomaw, 25 and a native of Missoula, Mont. "We're doing something that's a little bit different. Not everything's been done, you know. It's still possible for music to progress. Our sound is constantly evolving."

Fans say the Sycophant sound is a cross between the Beatles and the Presidents of the United States of America. At times, it's also reminiscent of the Violent Femmes.

For the most part, the songs are upbeat, intense, often gut-driven. A few, however, are mellow and moody - brooding ballads that evoke feelings of melancholy and pensiveness.

"Our music has a lot of levity," says Protas, 25. "It's not just goofy. There are deeper meanings. It has a twisted, dark sense of humor."

Sycophant started out as an acoustic duo two years ago with Moomaw and Protas writing melodies and lyrics about their lives and experiences. About a year ago, Klabunde, fresh out of a punk band, joined them and the current Sycophant sound came into being.

Klabunde, 26, added an edge to the music - an innate sense of time and rest and rhythm that complemented the duo's flair for painting images with sound.

In many of the band's songs, Klabunde's percussion isn't just a pulse that keeps the band in sync during performances; it also has a life of its own - playful and "Latinesque" at times, tribalat others.

Band members say their music is a reflection of their favorite musicians, an eclectic bunch of rock bands, jazz artists and classical composers that run the gamut from the Pogues to Bela Bartok.

"During our shows, the people are pulled into all sorts of directions," says Klabunde, 26. "When they see and hear us, they're hopefully compelled to move or to sit back in their seats and think."

Where to check out Sycophant: 1 p.m. June 15, Fremont Street Fair main stage; June 27, the Backstage; July 25, Sit and Spin. Sycophant's debut CD, "Feel," is available for $11.99 at Orpheum, Tower Records and other music stores. To order a CD for $10 (not including postage and handling), call 328-0902.

Are you in a local band? To be considered for Sound Check, send a cover letter telling us about your band and your upcoming gigs, the name and daytime phone number of your manager or contact person, a tape and a photo to Sound Check, c/o Janet I-Chin Tu, Seattle Times, PO Box 70, Seattle WA 98111.