After meeting as undergraduates at the University of Pennsylvania in the early ’90s, the Disco Biscuits developed a sound that was the first of its kind and helped further the jam band scene by incorporating electronic music into a live concert format. By infusing the genres of rock, electronica, hip-hop and trance, the Disco Biscuits utilize the different sounds to provide fans with a rollercoaster ride of entertainment and emotion during any of the band’s three-hour concerts.
Composed of Marc Brownstein (bass), Jon Gutwillig (guitar), Aron Magner (keyboards) and Allen Aucoin (drums), the quartet combines their musical experience to build new sounds that continually grow concert after concert. Now at the top of the electronic jam band scene, the Disco Biscuits have headlined major music festivals such as Rothbury, Bonnaroo and their own festival, Camp Bisco.
“Our sound has always been evolving,” Brownstein said in an interview. “When we started in 1994, there were very few jam bands that were playing live electronic styles of music. Now we are the biggest electronic jam band, and now there are hundreds and hundreds of jam bands across the country, and it continues to push the envelope. I think we have influenced a lot of younger bands, and they continue to influence us. So, [our sound] has kind of grown into a hotbed that continues to evolve.”
Preparing to release their fifth studio album, the band recently finished playing five nights in New York City in late December, and according to Brownstein, the band is the hottest it has ever been.
“When we got home, everyone was feeling like we were playing really well, so we went back into the studio where we could capture some of the magic of where we are right now,” he said.
During the three years of making the band’s upcoming album, the Disco Biscuits joined forces with critically acclaimed producers from UK’s Twisted Records, Simon Posford and Benji Vaughan and Philadelphia hip-hop producers Don Cheegro and Dirty Harry.
“I have no idea how to describe the new album for someone reading an interview,” Brownstein said. “We have some electronic on it, there is some rock, hip-hop and some super psychedelic electronica.”
However, if you are looking to hear a 20-minute jam session on the album, you may be discouraged.
“There is not a lot of jams on the album,” Brownstein said. “If you want to hear us jam, come to our concerts and we will jam our asses off every night. Jamming is more of a redefined art, and when we go into the studio, we use it as a tool to come up with new ideas and to create new sound.”
In addition to finishing their newest album, the Disco Biscuits are preparing for Camp Bisco 8, which will be held at the Indian Lookout Country Club in New York. Since 1999, the Disco Biscuits have held the three-day weekend music festival in mid-July. They headline all three nights and have performed with bands such as Thievery Corporation, STS9 and Snoop Dogg.
“In order for us to headline different festivals, we needed to start our own festival,” Brownstein said. “Now we have those slots, but we still do our own festival because we want to control what kind of music people get to see, and we want to bring our fans the best shit out there. Bringing all these people together and creating different musical genres is what we’ve been doing; it’s what we’ve been doing on our albums, and it’s what we do in the fact of life.”
While they start their winter tour in mid-January, Brownstein believes 2009 is going to be a great year for the band and its fans.
“We expect to go out there and play our heads off every night to show our fans the commitment we have to giving them back for what they put into our band,” he said. “We are better than we have ever been. We feel so good — everybody feels that everything is in the right place.”
The Disco Biscuits will be playing at the Majestic Theatre Jan. 22. For ticket information visit www.majesticmadison.com.
