Modern Pantheist

Modern Pantheist, a trio out of Los Angeles formed in the Summer of ’13, lay down their self-titled with a definite worship of things warm, sunny and psychedelically poppy … and modern. Cozy wafts of the likes of Beck, Apples in Stereo, Olivia Tremor Control, Elf Power and some Lips-ish ornamentation all curl around their psych pop like a smokey glove. If your familiar with those deities, and others stretching across and back, in their pantheon then you can make a faith-based choice as to what’s inside. Modern Pantheist have hooks to spare and a snug and approachable sound to swaddle them in without wrapping it all up too tight. The stellar lead in Lust for Hearts about lays it all out with a punchy and groovy vibe that front loads all their strengths out of the gate. Ego Blues and the laid-back chug of Everything Comes Around does the same, but pushes their warming sun around enough to let a few more colors in. My Honey Bee has a soft Beatles fluff on the rind and I’d hazard a guess Modern Pantheist has an affinity for the honey bee loving pop of The Bears in their somewhere, based on more than just sharing a song title. The same flavored candied sting can be found on I Wanna Show You Something and the ‘shoo-bee-doo-wop’ tossed in Maybe, I’m Crazy For You. Center of Yer Mind embraces a good dose of that Lips washy detail, especially in the bass thump and vocal accents, without slathering it on so thick the hooks become formless. Let’s Get Free takes it all in tow into an oddly sexy breathy plea that dances up to the edge of being a modern swinger without spilling its cocktail over your dress. The brief Symmetry Song folds in the off-kilter vibe of much of their embellishments’ influences in the most overt way, but like they do across the album, Modern Pantheist keep it in check. The gods know there is nothing wrong with going off the deep end, but with one foot in a constant and willful backslide to the church of pop, Modern Pantheist subscribe to the manifesto of ‘all things in moderation.’ That there keeps Modern Pantheist tight, but not wound up. Tunes bubble without popping. Everyone can move around and rub shoulders without stepping on anyone’s toes. By the end of the service, it’s pretty clear that’s the kind of party Modern Pantheist want to throw. Whereas a good chunk of partygoers understandably go for the rager on a Friday night, Modern Pantheist is a good reminder for the joys of a sunny Sunday afternoon buzz. - Sunrise Ocean Bender

Chris Anderson was a fixture of the Oklahoma music scene for much of the past 10 years, both as the chief force behind The Electric Primadonnas and co-founder of The Wurly Birds. And he prospered here, with each project garnering sizable local — even regional — followings.

But he couldn’t fully ignore the part of him that beckoned him elsewhere.

“Destiny,” Anderson bluntly answered when asked what prompted his move to California.

He applauds and champions the imagination of his home state, noting Oklahoma might even trump California in that department. But Anderson is also aware that it might not have been the healthiest place for him to pursue music.

“I fell into an inward spiral of creative insanity with The Electric Primadonnas because I wanted to do everything with it,” he said. “It’s so easy to take on too much in Oklahoma and then, unfortunately, spread oneself thin.”

Modern Pantheist, his new band and sole focus, is the perfect fit between creatively ambitious and practical, adding an urgent sense of purpose that didn’t necessarily have a hold of Anderson before. The group formed soon after Anderson made his trek out to the West Coast and met a fellow transplant, veteran musician and drummer Dave Ferrara. (The band would later add bassist Chris Sandler).

“We all came out to Los Angeles, and we all take it very seriously,” Anderson said. “It’s a struggle to make ends meet there, and you have to be serious about whatever you’re serious about.”

Ferrara echoed those sentiments.

“None of us are locals here,” he said. “We came here to accomplish something.”

Modern Pantheist has made quick work of things, too. Formed in 2012, the duo has already released its full- length, self-titled debut in July of last year, followed by the eight-song Sun Abuse EP released this May.

“We record like madmen,” Anderson said. “When we want to do something, we get it done, and we get it done quickly.”

The trio’s big, trippy sound borrows heavily from The Beatles, amplified by modern psych-rock bands like Tame Impala with a little classic soul added for good taste.

“We’re trying to make a big sound with just three guys,” Sandler said, “and we’ve been doing a good job of it.”

Though Sun Abuse is barely a month old, Modern Pantheist already has enough new material for a second full-length, and — thanks to Ferrara’s own downtown L.A. recording studio — the band plans to release yet another album within a year’s time while hopefully adding a keyboardist into the fold.

Playing Sunday at Blue Note Lounge, Anderson is excited to share everything he has created in his new home away from home, eager to reunite with his favorite “community of freaks.”

“It’s inspiring,” he said of Sunday’s show. “There’s an energy there and excitement for showing people what I’ve been up to rather than it just slowly dripping out over time.” - Oklahoma Gazette

When Dave Ferrara isn’t touring the globe as the drummer in Herman’s Hermits starring Peter Noone, the percussionist is exploring his love of psych, rock and pop in Modern Pantheist.

“We make quite a bit of sound for a three-piece,” said Ferrara, calling from New Orleans. “I’d compare this group to some of the more pop-psychedelic-based bands like Caribou. We do have a little electronica attached to it but we’re very ’60s-based. The holy grail for everybody in this band would be Radiohead and also the Flaming Lips.

“As far as ’60s stuff, it covers the gamut. We’re very involved, so it could be anything from The Beatles being the main influence there to also Pink Floyd and Led Zeppelin.”

Regarding the group’s moniker, there’s an existential aspect that continually piques the audience’s interest.

“We have a lot of people who ask us what pantheism is,” Ferrara said. “We do get some people that claim to be of that religion or belief but I don’t know tons of people really being overly familiar with what pantheism is. It’s everything is God. You’re God. I’m God. The chair is God. Hell is God. Everyone has that within themselves.”

Whether you’re a pantheist or not, odds are if you dig ’60s psychedelic music, you’ll find something of note with the group. The trio’s most recent affair is its eight-song EP “Sun Abuse.” However, a self-titled full-length effort, which the band slaved over for more than a year, also is on the horizon.

So far the act has been getting airplay in Los Angeles on radio station KCRW with Eric J. Lawrence describing the band’s sound as a “Beck-like sense of screwball pop.” Ferrara said two songs that stand out for Modern Pantheist is the psych-pop “Static” and popish “Ego Blues.”

The threesome will be making its Youngstown debut Tuesday at Cedars Lounge. Ferrara points out that he’s been through Northeast Ohio in the past with Herman’s Hermits starring Peter Noone.

Actually, Ferrara said the only reason Modern Pantheist is currently touring stems from the fact that Noone is taking June off. He also added that Noone not only was cool with him touring his side project but he also likes the music. - Vindy