With party in the park Saturday, one is confronted with a vast array of bands that may or may not sound familiar. One name on the bill that should ring a bell is Five Dollar Foundation, a Madison power-pop outfit comprised of Jason Ough (vocals/guitars), Zaid Maxwell (keyboards), Steve Reidell (lead vocals/bass), and Cameron ‘CJ’ Wagner (drums).
The Herald was anxious to sit down with the band just days after releasing their doubly titled EP Bright Light, Bright Light/ Fourteen’ll Get You Twenty to find out just what was behind their music.
Five Dollar Foundation supposedly began in the fall of 1999 as an acoustic Weezer-tribute band, but anyone familiar with the four piece has felt the winds of change ever since. The most apparent is the fall ’01 addition of Zaid Maxwell on keyboards, which adds much more depth to FDF’s sound.
Though playing many of their shows in Madison, the band has paid their dues on the road. Last summer the band headed East and South, while this summer’s two-month excursion with local popsters Saving Face sends them West. The band members predicted lots of crashing at random people’s houses, as well as other possible mayhem. “My prediction for summer tour is that one of us is going to spend the night in jail somehow, stated Steve Reidell.” Many have their money on Reidell or Wagner.
Five Dollar Foundation has played closer to home for nearly three years, supplanting themselves in the Madison scene. This scene, according to guys, has become increasingly basement oriented. “There aren’t any places to play since O’Cayz [Corral] burned down. It’s really hard to find places to play,” said Wagner, referring to the Madison-area bar that used to showcase live music every night of the week.
When asked about playing with MTV mainstays Phantom Planet, FDF said that though the band is composed primarily of models and actors, they were nice and took the time to talk with the opening bands while also adding that Jason Schwartzman was short and husky and that he stole all of the liquor from backstage.
Five Dollar Foundation has been especially busy lately, recording and mixing Bright Light, Bright Light/ Fourteen’ll Get You Twenty in Milwaukee at both Sound Sound and Bionic, as well as producing their own music videos for the enhanced CD. Bright Light is a solid record, sure to bring them a larger fan base, as will their self-booked summer tour, boasting such dates as Ypsilanti, MI and Lindon, UT. The EP is a high quality power-pop recording, especially considering the band is working with zero label support. Five Dollar
Foundation doesn’t pretend to break any ground either, which is a welcome change from bands that claim they will change rock as we know it. Walls of guitars àla Smashing Pumpkins nicely complement Maxwell’s keyboard, a welcome addition to the overall sound of the group. At times, Reidell sounds a bit like Parry Gripp of Nerf Herder, while the lyrics are generally witty — concerned with the relationship spectrum of things (“I didn’t want to break your heart/ but it shattered just like glass/and you were talking out your ass/all night long.”)
This is a fun CD from a hard-working local band that fits well either in the headsets or live at a party. It’s just too bad there aren’t more songs. The videos are very well produced and simply funny.
The only thing that could detract from their band is their Every-band status. “There’s so many bands like us, and just as good as us, that want to be on the same labels,” states Reidell. But this takes nothing away from their sound, and anyone willing to stop by James Madison Park Saturday at 6 p.m. to see Five Dollar Foundation for the first, or 13th, time will not be disappointed.
