THE ESCAPE CLUB: NO ONE HERE GETS OUT AIM!

THE ESCAPE CLUB: NO ONE HERE GETS OUT AIM!

Karen Levitt

What is The Escape Club trying to escape from anyway? According to drummer Milan Zekavica, they want to get away from new age music. Trevor Steel, John Holliday, Johnnie Christo and Milan formed The Escape Club to create their own kind of music, which they describe as an alternative to synthesized pop—rock with a harder edge. "We wanted more of a rock 'n' roll sound," explains Milan. In an interview with ROCK-SHOTS, John and Milan said that although The Escape Club is a British group, the band's music does not intentionally reflect British rock. Nor does the band try to please Americans exclusively. The Escape Club has their own sound that appeals to people on both sides of the Atlantic.

The quartet joined forces six years ago to pursue their dreams of becoming a successful rock 'n' roll band. Their big break came when they appeared on a British television show called "The Tube." A researcher discovered The Escape Club and they soon signed a contract with EMI Records. After releasing a number of singles and touring successfully with China Crisis and The Alarm, The Escape Club released their debut album, White Fields.

The band's second album, Wild Wild West, is a diverse collection of tunes that captures their fiery, guitarbased rock 'n' roll sound. Trevor, John, Johnnie, and Milan write the songs for their albums as a group, with John usually coming up with the first ideas for the songs and Trevor writing the lyrics. John says that he can get an idea for a song anywhere. "You can get an idea sitting in the bathroom—something just comes into your head. It just happens—it comes right out of the air and I put together a melody." The band doesn't write songs about specific things; thus, the songs can mean different things to different people. "The lyrics are for people to interpret as they wish," John says.

Milan and John give credit to the glam rockers of the 70s for influencing them and helping them develop their own style. David Bowie, Iggy Pop and T. Rex are among their childhood heroes, though John also likes current groups such as INXS and Fine Young Cannibals.

Producer Chris Kimsey has played a major role in getting The Escape Club where they are today. Kimsey, who has worked with acts such as The Rolling Stones, Peter Frampton, The Psychedelic Furs, Peter Tosh, The Cult and Marianne Faithful, heard one of The Escape Club's demos and, according to Trevor, "found himself whistling our tunes the next day." Kimsey and the band turned out Wild Wild West, and now Kimsey is involved in all of the band's major decisions. Milan says that Kimsey is "a lovely guy and a good producer" who lets them do what they want while adding valuable insight.

Trevor sings lead vocals and plays guitar for the band. John plays the guitar, harmonica and sings backing vocals, Johnnie plays bass and sings backing vocals, and Milan is the group's drummer. When The Escape Club formed, both Johnnie and John played the bass, but since a band doesn't need two bass players, John took up guitar.

The Escape Club prefers a live atmosphere to a recording studio since, as John says, "playing live is what being in a rock 'n' roll band is all about. It really took us a while to come up with songs that would be workable both on the stage and in the studio. Whereas on Wild Wild West, we feel we've really captured The Escape Club's sound and energy, but with songs that stand completely on their own."

The band is already thinking about their next album, which they plan to record after they finish touring this summer. While they're extremely happy with the success of Wild Wild West, The Escape Club want their next album to sound more like a live record than a studio album. Like any great band, they're always looking for ways to improve. "You can always do better," John says optimistically. "That goes for anything in life."