What self-respecting college music scene can be deemed "well-rounded" without a funky reggae-blues band to make summer classes a glorified excuse for continued drinking, dancing and veggie-burger barbecuing? Fortunately for Tucson, the band that calls itself the Triple Double Band has just released its third full-length, Dot My Eighths, a tasty, 12-song smorgasbord of toe-tapping musical styles that may inspire a visit to a hydroponics shop on your way to buy textbooks.
Lead track "Whatcha Do" possesses the perfect groove—all chunky bass and bouncy drums—even as the chorus, "Only got one go-around to live life through," sung by the band's three vocalists, sums up Triple Double's carpe diem attitude. For every infectious, Caribbean-influenced number, there's also a funky pop tune like "Bright Light," spotlighting the chops of keyboardist Alex Sandweiss and bluesy licks of guitarist Jimi Cracovaner. Triple Double has added some new musicians, too, with Alex Van Slyke and Connor Clowers, sax and trumpet respectively, providing spectacularly brassy horn charts. (Check out Clowers' raunchy solo in "Classy but Sleazy.")
But the song that will have your Birkenstocks burning is "Keep This Groove Alive," an anthem for the jam-band set if there ever was one. Even if you don't enjoy this kind of music, you gotta give Triple Double props for making fun music—and making it well.
