When you find a band with a name like Diamond Liars, it’s hard to have an idea of what to expect. Looking at the group’s show history makes it even harder. They have shared the stage with such a variety of bands, ranging from rock to pop to dance. The band tries to stick to the middle ground and not get caught up in labeling or genre politics.
“We can end up on full-on rock shows or hipster dance shows,” said singer Scott Thomason. “We usually get a good group of friends to come and that’s what it’s about for us.”
Originally formed in 2007 by Thomason, bassist Steven Cook and guitarist Rvi Alvarez as a project for school, Diamond Liars came together as a group of friends doing what they enjoyed instead of doing what was popular. They later met drummer Jeff Bond at his recording studio where the band tracked their first record.
“Rvi and I played in hardcore bands over the years,” Thomason said. “Steve was in a band called Clarity Process. We all met through all these other bands. We met Bond recording with him. I was stuck on a drum part and he nailed it so I asked him to join.”
Being a group of guys in their late 20s, Diamond Liars has found their niche playing the bar scene.
“As far as Portland goes, we prefer to play the bars,” Thomason said. “The all-age venues here are so hit and miss. Out of 40 shows I have personally played at Satyricon in various bands, three were good. I prefer to play to people that are my age. But the double-edged sword of bars is that usually a lot of people are there to drink. Sometimes you’re background music for people that are just there to party.”
Additionally, while the group enjoys playing for old friends and making new ones, they have mixed feelings about the local music scene.
“If you want to be in a successful band in Portland, you need to work in a prominent coffee shop and talk to a lot of people or work in a bar,” Thomason said. “All the popular bands work in the service industry. There’s no rhyme or reason as to why certain bands are put on a pedestal. I’ve noticed bands that aren’t any better than any other get a huge pull and all these people come out and I find out that it was because a member or two worked at the Bye and Bye or another bar.”
Undaunted, the band persists by playing shows and recording music. Their first release, recorded by Bond before he was in the band, was hurriedly thrown together and done on a tight budget.
“The next record, we’re going to get to go back and actually do it right,” Thomason said. “Our first record was done in Bond’s free time, between his other recording sessions. Even though it was a great record and it was well received, it wasn’t what we were hoping for.”
The group is planning to take their time for their sophomore effort after tonight’s show.
“This is our last show for a while so that we can just record,” Thomason said. “We’re hoping by February to have an album out. We’re just going to do it strictly digital. I think CDs are pretty much dead. We sell just as many online as we do at shows. We may do a few hundred hand-printed CDs. That’ll be our biggest hold up as opposed to recording.”
The band will hit the stage tonight with Canadian group Parallels, as well as local bands Very International Love and Dirty Dogs.
“We just changed up our live show,” Thomason said. “We started out playing to a click and had a bunch of loops. We got rid of all of that. But we’re going back to that. However, we’re trying to take the sound guy out of the equation as much as possible. Hopefully we’ll get to the point where we can just say turn it up.”