Empire State building

The Athens pop trio constructs a new sound world

On a quiet street in Athens, legendary for famous residents and parties in decades past, sits a nondescript house. Upstairs, the band Macha plot their latest sonic explorations. And around back is another doorway to sound experimentation, where the three members of Empire State have built their own den of creativity. The refurbished home/studio that the trio shares is literally filled with possibilities.

Musical instruments of every type and vintage lie everywhere you look: Roto-chimes, a pie-pan mounted on a microphone stand, a silver tree of spinning drum rotors on a light box and a cymbal-topped “China-man” percussive instrument sit peacefully among handmade guitars, basses, cellos and several keyboards, drum sets, tape recorders and assorted parts from all of the above. Paintings are scattered around as well, and books on everything from Plato to electric guitars line the walls.

Standing amidst it all, Empire State’s Jay Nackashi holds a scrap of wood. “I found this in a house that I was rebuilding. It originally said ‘Empire State Chemicals’ or something, but I thought ‘Empire State’ was such a great name. I wrote it down and tossed the wood. Then, like a year and a half later, after we already had our band going, this guy comes over and weed-whacks the yard. I went out to pay him and I was standing there on a piece of wood that had been uncovered from under all the grass, and it was this same piece of wood!”

Adds his brother and bandmate Tim Nackashi, “The Empire State itself is the melting pot and we use so many different ideas and instruments, we just thought it was perfect.”

Born in Atlanta and raised in Gainesville, Fla., the Nackashis grew up playing music and started writing songs in high school. While still in Florida, the brothers had a band called Beekeeper, which featured Joshua McKay, now living upstairs along with fellow Macha men. But soon, the members of Beekeeper found Gainesville stagnant and headed for Athens.

“We came to Athens for a new life, musically,” Jay says. “There’s so many more options in Athens for musicians than in Gainesville. We knew that just from visiting here. Just the way Athens is, with all the warehouses and basements and bands, it’s much more inspiring.”

Beekeeper played a handful of shows, but soon disbanded due to differing interests. “Our mindsets were - and still are - just different than most bands,” Jay explains. “We appreciated all the other bands, but from a distance. We never became a part of any sort of scene or clique.”

Parting ways with McKay, who formed Macha with his brother Mischo, the Nackashis embarked on their own experimental outfit. Within a year, two very distinct projects were underway: the Eastern-inspired art rock of Macha and the everything-plus-the-kitchen-sink stew of Empire State. Even as the Nackashis have settled into Athens with Empire State, though, the group has remained outsiders.

“Maybe it’s because we have a side to us that uses samples and beats, plus we have this homemade thing going, too,” Tim says. “We tend to think it sets us apart from everybody. We feel pretty unique everywhere, not just around here.”

As much as playing together, the members of Empire State bond through a shared interest in building. In addition to working on houses, Jay also builds and sells handmade guitars and basses. While working on a house, Jay met Alex McManus and asked the Nebraska native to join him and his brother in Empire State. “We all love going to thrift stores and finding things to rebuild,” says McManus, who also plays in the Nashville-based Lambchop. “Also going to junkyards to recycle and, um, liberate things.”

Together, the three have invented a set of new instruments with which to play the Nackashis’ compositions. For instance, the Horn Box. “I had this idea to use car horns,” says McManus of the gizmo, a wooden box with doorbell buttons to press for various pitches, plus a chrome nameplate on the front. “We figured out that most car horns are in the key of G, but they are all slightly different sounds.” Pointing out the differences between Yugo and Cadillac horns, Tim notes, “Cadillac horns rock.”

The group’s Rube Goldberg set-up comes alive when the band begins to play. Cinematic, pastoral and edgy at once, Empire State’s music is like an updated Love Tractor with elements of modern samples and abstract vocals, mixed with the clang of a primitive makeshift orchestra. In a more traditional rock format, Empire State also backs Eric Bachmann, formerly of Archers of Loaf, in Crooked Fingers.

“We’re always coming up with new things or pulling out different ideas and spontaneous changes,” says Jay. “There are so many things that aren’t ‘normal’ going on, yet there’s still a core of pop and rock song structure that we build on. There’s enough built-in freedom in this band for every song to be allowed to be its own thing.”

That freedom, however, didn’t extend itself to physical mobility when it came time to record the group’s self-titled debut CD, released earlier this year on Athens’ label Warm. Due to the complex nature of Empire State’s set-up, Jay says, “We can’t just go in and record in a regular studio very well. Here, it’s ready when we are. The ideas come pretty quickly with us, so it’s great to be able to act on the first thing that hits us.”

To enable the live show, some modifications are required as well. That sometimes means playing along with samples of themselves, as they do on the song “Dog-Faced-Boy,” which appears on the CD. “We sort of deconstruct it and learn it again,” McManus says.

But samples aside, the band’s visual impact during live shows comes seeing all the strange-looking instruments displayed onstage. “The biggest compliment we’ve gotten on that has been in L.A.,” McManus says. “After we played, a guy came up and said, ‘You’ve got all this shit on stage and you actually composed for it.’ Its not like we’re banging on tire rims or something, but we kind of are.”

“But even with all the instruments involved,” says Tim, “we still respect a strict simplicity in composition. It’s very easy to get carried away and just bang away for the sake of being experimental.”

Empire State play the Echo Lounge at 11 p.m. on Sat., June 17, during the ChangeMusic Atlanta conference. For more information, call 404-681-3600.??