Prog-rockers Braille hit bumps along the way

October 14, 2010 at 12:00a.m.

For most local bands there’s a learning curve when it comes to theories of commerce, as well as supply and demand. These concepts are something Boardman-based Braille — Tony Cucitrone (guitar), Josh Good (bass) and Ian James (drums) — has slowly been learning over the past four years.

“Right now we’re playing around 40 shows a year,” said Good, a 1999 Boardman High School graduate. “We were averaging more like 80 to 100 shows like a year ago. We were playing every weekend, and now we’re not, especially here. We’ve been trying to scale it back. We noticed with crowds, if you play every weekend, nobody will show up to your gig.”

Something else the instrumental rock trio, which in the past has been compared to The Mars Volta and Hella, is still figuring out is the whole idea of recording its music. Though the group has three albums worth of material in its repertoire, the outfit has yet to release anything. Just as a reminder, it’s pointed out to Good that the normal relationship between bands and fans is the group makes music, people like the music and subsequently purchase an EP or album.

“Yeah, we have no albums for purchase, but we do realize that we should,” Good said, laughing. “And we’d like to participate in that, but we don’t really have any money to record an album, so the initial cost of buying time to record is problematic. We’re supposed to record one album pretty soon. It’s going to be more of our earlier material, and then hopefully another one after that. We’ll see. We always say we’re going to record, and then we never end up doing it, so it’s hard to really say. But I hope so.”

What’s even more surreal is the fact his outfit has witnessed its fans actually bootlegging its shows, which over the past few years have evolved from one genre to another.

“I’d say when we first started, it was a lot more technical,” Good said. “We’ve managed to maintain a technical aspect as far as playing prog music or complicated rhythms, but I think we’ve advanced as far as the sound. It has somehow gotten even more shoegaze. There’s always like a noise element there.”

Among the new songs Braille plans on playing at its Friday show at the Lemon Grove is the shoegazing, porn-guitar sounding “Dank Chicka Dank Dank.” There’s also another tune that is getting attention for its title.

“One track is called ‘Forest Whitaker’s Eye,’” Good said. “It’s like happier and more mathematical.”

Hmm, that’s a terrible song title.

“It is terrible, but I’d really like to see that printed,” Good said. “We’re excited to play that.”