Even in their earliest recordings, Charleston rock band The Fire Apes pulled as much pure-pop magic from the most joyful, cheery, and melodic corner of the British Invasion and mid-'60s U.S. pop hits — from the McCartney side of The Beatles and the peppiest tunes by The Kinks to lovey-dovey hits of The Monkees and Burt Bacharach. In the recent years, frontman John Seymour — the singer, guitarist, and main songwriter — assembled a rotating local lineup, collaborated with various studios, and hardened some of his newer material with an edgier, modern pop-punk sound.

On the band's most recent studio demos with producer Sean O'Keefe (he produced recent discs for Fall Out Boy, Hawthorne Heights, and The Plain White T's), there's quite a bit more fancy instrumentation than on previous Fire Apes releases. "Don't Break My Heart" bounces with saloon piano, woodwinds, Ringo-style tom 'n' snare fills, Bacharachian brass, diminished chords. The riffy "Cause You Don't" bashes with more punkish garage-band aggression and fuzz, resembling some of the recent output from Swedish garage-rock band The Hives. The fast-tempo New Waver "Lori" sounds like a hidden gem on side B of Get the Knack. The slow-waltzy, kaleidoscope-eyed "Six and a Half Years" swings with beautiful accompaniment from members of the Chicago Symphony-Orchestra. So far, so good for the Apes this year.

Source: Charleston City Paper

Led by skillful singer, guitarist, and songwriter John Seymour, longtime Charleston pop-rock band The Fire Apes were big on the scene in the early 2000s. They reintroduced themselves in 2006 with a new lineup featuring drummer Tommy Hamer (previously of Astrojet) and bassist Julian Volpe (a longtime Fire Apes collaborator), they played a series of big comeback shows at local venues. Keyboardist Hugh Knight came on board in 2007.

After another recent hiatus during which Seymour worked on new material and recorded demos, the Apes are back it in full force again this summer. The new Apes roster includes two local band scene veterans — guitarist/bassist Dave Stewart (of The Blue Dogs) and lead guitarist Jeff Bateman (of SuperDeluxe), both of whom have collaborated with a variety of Charleston rock, funk, Americana, and pop bands over the years.

The band's first "official" comeback show is set for Fri. Aug. 21 at the Windjammer (a benefit concert to help raise money and awareness for the new Roper St. Francis Cancer Research Center and Dragon Boat Racing).

Source: Charleston City Paper