For Foursquare Junkies, electronic music has power

By John Benson

When Foursquare Junkies members Nick Miller (vocals, programming, sequencing) and Chris Ochtyun (keyboards, theramin, programming, sequencing) need to find validation for their group’s electronic-based music, all the duo has to do is take a look at the top of the recent music charts and see hit singles from such bands as Cobra Starship (“Good Girls Done Bad”) and 3OH!3 (“Don’t Trust Me”).

“I think there are a lot of acts out there that have been working really hard,” said Miller, a 1997 Cardinal Mooney High School graduate. “Cobra Starship is a band that everybody talks about now, but they’ve had a number of albums before. So with bands like them and 3OH!3, and with electronic bands having more of a mainstream appeal now, people aren’t so stuck on having to see a group that has a full band onstage.

“Or they’re more open to things like that. You look at a band like Owl City, which is No. 1 on Billboard Hot 100 music chart. That’s one kid out of his parent’s basement, and he has the No. 1 electronic song in the country. It’s something that people are more accepting of. I think it’s a movement that’s positive that opens up people’s eyes up to different styles. It doesn’t have to be just rap, rock or R&B. You can kind of wrap all of those things into one project and do all of them with the electronic element.”

Friends for years, Miller and Ochtyun spent time in other groups before they realized their common interests were based in electronic music. Specifically, Foursquare Junkies combines elements of dance and rave with hints of rock and pop.

“I had a lot of gear leftover from other projects, and it just got to the point where we had a studio and this electronic gear, and it was something we always wanted to do,” Miller said.

“We never had a project that would allow us to use the gear that I had. And it just seemed like the right time to do something different that we really wanted to do, and just to finally have fun making music again.

Though the twosome already has a self-titled EP under its belt, a full-length effort is expected early next year. Among its original songs are the disco-tinged “Stars” and the popish “2gether 4ever.” In concert, the act even throws in a few fun covers such as The Buggles’ “Video Killed The Radio Star” and When in Rome’s “The Promise” into the mix. You can see the Foursquare Junkies in action Friday at Barley’s; however, the act’s gear and set-up is different from most of the bands that play the downtown stage.

Considering the outfit boasts a couple of keyboards and laptops, as well as a special light show, its presentation may come across as more of a big-city affair, which in turn may be lost on some audiences.

“Yeah, it’s either a kind of yes or no thing with this project for us,” Miller said. “It’s either been someone has heard it and got it and said, ‘Wow this is something I want to go out to listen to and have a party to,’ while other people listen to it and say, ‘I don’t get it.’”

He added, “But I’d say the misconception is that it needs to be taken seriously. They don’t expect to hear something that’s playful and fun; they expect to hear something serious, and it’s definitely not that.”