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Unified Theory have already been dubbed an 'alternative supergroup', but as superficially accurate as that may be, it definitely doesn't tell the whole story. What this grouping of musicians has that makes it worth noticing is a synergy that is far beyond the measure of its single parts and nowhere is this more evident than in their live presentation. With an album that has been out for only two weeks, the modest crowd at the I-Rock was unfortunate, but expected. The fact that the advance advertising touted only the group member's relationship with former bands (bassist Brad Smith and guitarist Christopher Thorn were both members of Blind Melon, while drummer Dave Krusen was a founder of Pearl Jam and logged time in Candlebox) didn't help matters. Still, those who did attend were treated to something very special, as it isn't likely that this band will play venues this size for long.
Fighting a shabby sound system to achieve tones that were congruent with those on the band's self-titled debut CD, Unified Theory flamed through a set of heady and emotional music that had definite shades of Seattle, but wasn't afraid to get out of that town either. There were three songs that seemed to have a particularly strong effect on the audience: 'Cessna', an ode to vocalist Chris Shinn's fear of flying; 'California', the current single being heard on rock radio; and 'AM Radio', which is a truly hypnotic masterpiece. If you can suspend disbelief for a moment, picture yourself swimming through warm water in total and absolute contentment, and you are halfway there - simply magical.
There were no numbers played from the members' former bands, though several in the audience requested them during the quiet moments. Still, no one left disappointed. As both Smith and Shinn intimated to me earlier in the evening, this band exists in the future, and not in the past.
For those who missed out this time, the band will be back as special guests of Live and Counting Crows when the three tour North America shortly.