The Steady Electric - Turn Rebellion Into Money

The Steady Electric

​Turn Rebellion Into Money
self-released; 2017

3.7 out of 5

By Ryan Ansel​

The Steady Electric is a six-piece ska rock band from Orange County, California. They recently released their interesting and lively project Turn Rebellion Into Money under RTW Recordings.

​The album is comprised of 12 songs, all recorded over the course of a year and a half. Over that timespan, The Steady Electric have developed a sound that speaks as loud as it’s fun to dance to. The band describes their sound as being revolved around traditional ska with ”rock, soul, blues and a dash of punk,” to it. This claim certainly holds true to me. Every song definitely brings a different element to the table. 

On songs like “Not Funny Like Haha (but funny like I told you so)” the band embraces their ability to sound like a sleek band, while also approaching heavy topics or subject matter. Lead singer Mike Karlin unapologetically sings, “I’d smash in my teeth before I’d ever change my ways,” which is a sentiment that sticks out as something apparent in the group’s vibe as a whole. They do their own thing, not bowing to any one genre, and instead, incorporating different sounds into their music. 

“Demons” feels like a waltz with some character. The ska band’s use of brass instruments is especially prevalent on this one. The trombone, saxophone and flugel provide the track with a distinct fullness and a catchiness that this group seems to capture on pretty much every song. On this one, though, the vibe is suave.

An interesting move that The Steady Electric takes on this album is covering The Bee Gees ”To Love Somebody.” Personally, I’m a big fan of Ra Lamontagne’s version of this song; acoustic and soulful. The Steady Electric, however, covers this song with just as much comfortability and originality. The ska/reggae-styled guitars and brass section complement the smooth vocals in putting together a cover that is both genuine and compelling. 

I would have liked it if the group had experimented with some more non-organic sounds; maybe utilizing synthesizers or sampling. On the other hand, this project is smooth because of the band’s innate ability to create a flowing setlist. And perhaps this is a sign of their self-awareness as a group. 

On their next project, I wouldn’t be surprised if they began doing something different in one way or another; adding more backing vocals, sampling sounds or incorporating a faster-paced attitude into their sound.

It should be interesting to see what The Steady Electric comes up with next since they are leaving off on a good note here.

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