Get Into The Act: Ace Decade
Tim Smith won’t classify his band Ace Decade. “We never limit ourselves to a certain kind of music,” says the guitarist. He only refers to them as “modern rock” and as “a melting pot of music”, with wide ranging influences that include Nirvana, Van Halen, Stevie Ray Vaughan, reggae, and hip hop.
The group’s audiences also vary. “We get all kinds of people because we mix things up. If they don’t like a certain song, they’ll like another one later on.” Smith says They range from teenagers at all age shows to those in their forties who relate to elements of blues in the band’s songs.
Despite the fact that they often play heavy rock, the band does not cultivate that image, nor do they have day jobs that might be associated with it. “We’re all geeks,” laughs Smith.
Guitarist Todd Baldwin is a civil engineer, drummer Matt Yarema is an electronics engineer (he constructed the band’s website), and Smith is an electronics technician. Vocalist Lou Correa and bassist Steve Small are still in school.
The Lehigh Valley based band, which formed in late 1998, was named after a glam rocker in a Scooby-Doo cartoon. He turns out to be the villainous Disk Demon, who is after a song that spells out A-C-E-D-E-C-A-D-E in musical notes.
Smith estimates that Ace Decade does about eighty per cent original tunes in a typical set. All the band members write, with Correa penning most of the lyrics. With their diverging interests, Smith says, “we all bring something to the table.”
The only thing you are not likely to hear at an Ace Decade show are current songs on a rock station playlist. “I stopped listening to the radio,” says Smith. “There’s nothing there that sparks my interest.”
Ace Decade with Ovlo, Crocodile Rock Café, 520 West Hamilton Street, Allentown, tonight, $5 21 and over, $8 under 21, doors open at 7:30 p.m., 610-434-4600, website at www.acedecade.com.
--Dave Howell, 2/03
(This article first appeared in The Morning Call newspaper.)
The group’s audiences also vary. “We get all kinds of people because we mix things up. If they don’t like a certain song, they’ll like another one later on.” Smith says They range from teenagers at all age shows to those in their forties who relate to elements of blues in the band’s songs.
Despite the fact that they often play heavy rock, the band does not cultivate that image, nor do they have day jobs that might be associated with it. “We’re all geeks,” laughs Smith.
Guitarist Todd Baldwin is a civil engineer, drummer Matt Yarema is an electronics engineer (he constructed the band’s website), and Smith is an electronics technician. Vocalist Lou Correa and bassist Steve Small are still in school.
The Lehigh Valley based band, which formed in late 1998, was named after a glam rocker in a Scooby-Doo cartoon. He turns out to be the villainous Disk Demon, who is after a song that spells out A-C-E-D-E-C-A-D-E in musical notes.
Smith estimates that Ace Decade does about eighty per cent original tunes in a typical set. All the band members write, with Correa penning most of the lyrics. With their diverging interests, Smith says, “we all bring something to the table.”
The only thing you are not likely to hear at an Ace Decade show are current songs on a rock station playlist. “I stopped listening to the radio,” says Smith. “There’s nothing there that sparks my interest.”
Ace Decade with Ovlo, Crocodile Rock Café, 520 West Hamilton Street, Allentown, tonight, $5 21 and over, $8 under 21, doors open at 7:30 p.m., 610-434-4600, website at www.acedecade.com.
--Dave Howell, 2/03
(This article first appeared in The Morning Call newspaper.)