They could have landed on a lot of planets. Luckily, they landed on Earth. The band brings its own unique image and infectious music to Duke this weekend. Lead singer Marshall Galactic answered a few questions for recess music editor Jordan Axt about the band's sound, origin and aspirations.
How would you describe your style of music?
We usually call it some sort of synthy party-punk. But we also call our music "rock operas" because a lot of our songs follows a narrative structure.
What are some of the narratives you focus on?
Our narratives focus on small, character-driven stories. One of our songs is a true story, actually. It's about the daughter of a warlord who came down to Earth, and this warlord told me that I had to give his daughter guitar lessons or he would destroy the planet. It was a hard decision, but I gave her the guitar lessons.
Your website describes your style of music as "robot rock." What is it and why should humans listen to it?
One of our songs is about how I have actually made love to a robot, so I think that we as a band are in tune with what robots want and need. But while I think that robots would enjoy listening to robot rock, our music is actually for humans. It's to make things easier for when robots rule the world.
Can you tell me more about the origins of your band?
Well, we are originally from the planet Betelgeuse. We came down to Earth and enrolled in high school in Forth Worth, Texas.
What can human Duke students expect from your show on Friday?
Excitement. Rock. Lights. A small bit of cursing, but not too much cursing. We stick to a narrative structure, but we are definitely a rock band.
Does your music sound like the music of the future?
I don't really know what the future holds. Just because I am from a different planet does not mean I know anything about the future.
The Frontier Brothers play the Armadillo Grill Friday at 8 p.m. as part of the Campus Concert Series. Admission is free.
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