Midlands indie rock band to play Art Bar Saturday
Steven Bailey and his music lead a double life.
As a member of Paloma, a local indie rock band playing at Art Bar Saturday night, Bailey has been writing, recording and performing music for several decades.
The band exists in two versions: a gigging band comprised of Columbia-based talent that plays in the Midlands and a separate writing and recording team spread out across the East Coast. Bailey is involved on both ends.
The writing team behind Paloma’s music consists of New York City multi-instrumental musician Chuck Dean, whom Bailey played with in a cover band in high school, and Atlanta-based percussion player Frank McCollum. As a trio, these guys have recorded several compilations together, including Paloma’s most recent release, 2011’s six-song EP “The Late Saluda River.”
Because the writing team is spread across several states, Bailey said the group collaborates digitally through file sharing. The trio also gets together once a year to record.
“Since we don’t play shows together, it’s a little different from other bands,” Bailey said. “It’s a creative process. It’s very fulfilling.”
The live incarnation of Paloma features a group of Bailey’s friends in the local music scene: Alex Fulmer and Travis Woods from local surf band Gravitron and David Kelly from Columbia’s psychedelic rock band Grey Egg. Bailey has played in other bands with his live crew. While the live lineup currently features bass, two guitars and drums, Bailey hopes to add a keyboard player to the mix in the future.
Paloma refers to a “Seinfeld” episode, though Bailey doesn’t remember why it was picked.
“I don’t remember exactly,” Bailey said. “It’s either a ‘Seinfeld’ reference or something that just felt right. Paloma’s been around for so long. [The name] still feels right.”
Bailey lists Dinosaur Jr., Wilco, the Replacements and Spoon as his biggest musical influences. He describes his band’s sound as indie rock but thinks it’s a little broader than that.
“It’s basically indie rock/pop songs, but we try to think outside the box as much as we can,” he said.
While Paloma’s recordings feature more intricate instrumentation and a wider musical makeup, Bailey said the group’s live shows are more raw rock ’n’ roll.
“These guys have done whatever they wanted to (musically),” he said. “The don’t have to play it like the record.”
This freedom has allowed the band to take chances on stage and results in a unique show every time.
“We purposefully have left room in things for ad-libbing and a little improv,” he said. “The songs can come out differently each time.”
Paloma will take the Art Bar stage at 10:15 p.m. Punk act the Joy Kills will start the show at 9 p.m., and local indie rockers Full Color Footage and The Noise Is Love will keep the music going until the bar closes. Patrons must be 21 or older to attend. Art Bar is located at 1211 Park St. in the Vista.
To hear Paloma’s tracks, visit reverbnation.com/paloma.