Tom Flaherty and Jon Tvrdik drove a rickety, old car onto the O'Leaver's stage last Saturday. At least that's how Flaherty imagines Routine Escorts' live set would work without the band at the controls.
To ensure that their electronic pop takes skill to perform, the two friends self-inflict their onstage rig's handicaps. Without them at the wheel, that rickety car's brakes would squeal and the transmission would grind like the reconstruction of Dodge Street. (May the old road rest in pieces.)
Or maybe that's a bit of an overstatement.
"When we're driving it, the car works at that point. Rather than just pressing play, we have to keep up with the track and … manipulate filters and EQs and effects to how they actually sound on the album," Flaherty says, talking about the band's album, Grown-Ups, released today and premiered below.
If the band's live set without its members is intentionally rickety, Routine Escorts' debut EP is an automobile built to hum. Tvrdik and Flaherty recorded its five tracks in early September at Enamel Studio. With The Faint's Clark Baechle at the mixing and mastering controls and The Mynabirds' Laura Burhenn singing backup vocals on two songs, Grown-Ups is a strong Omahan release available for free download.
photo of Routine Escorts' Jon Tvrdik by Andrew Dickinson
And although Joe Mickeliunas — the bassist of Tvrdik's former band, Back When — doesn't appear on the EP as a musician, he and his wife, Jenny, inhabit the album cover and personify the lyrics' overarching theme.
"Of Jon's friends and my friends, Joe was the first to have kids, so he grew up before us," Flaherty says, noting that Joe has also begun practicing with the band for future live sets. "For face value, that's what [the EP's theme] is, but the idea of it is struggling with getting older and being told that you can do only one thing: You can have only one profession, putting all your time into an office job. But Jon and I have always tried to do everything at once."
Along with Routine Escorts, Flaherty DJs as Teetah, works as a digital and interaction designer, and bartends at Krug Park, which Tvrdik co-owns. For his part, Tvrdik also produces digital design work, serves as design consultant for Hello Holiday — co-owned by his wife, Sarah — and fills any remaining time as a film director. (Sidenote: Routine Escorts hopes to release a video for each of Grown-Ups' songs.)
Whenever possible, Routine Escorts drives their car onstage and plays live. Their next performance is scheduled for Thursday, Oct. 24 at O'Leaver's with Twinsmith. In the meantime, stream or download Grown-Ups:
Michael Todd is Hear Nebraska's managing editor. You don't want to see him dancing to these songs, but if you drive west on Dodge just past 48th Street at the right time, you just might. Reach Michael at michaeltodd@hearnebraska.org.