Antenna Inn

Antenna Inn, an eponym of the long-forgotten Kerouac failure, is ‘On the Road’ to anything but. The infamous Rogers brothers (scene-sters will not soon forget the now classic row-turned-riot outside New Orleans’ Howlin Wolf club back in 2004) have reunited on civil terms to collaborate for some of the most interesting music to come out of the Deep South in recent memory. Thomas Rogers knew his boys had talent. So aware of this was the enterprising Rogers that he teamed up the brothers—Eric on drums, Ryan on guitar and Dustin, bass—with neighborhood chum and strummer Blandon Helgason. Petit Bois, the name aptly given to the band by the patriarch Rogers after a popular fishing spot off Louisiana’s Gulf Coast, were soon dazzling astounded inebriates in local blue-collar watering holes with a polished set of classic rock covers. A year later, the boys did it in front of a sold-out House of Blues crowd (Eric was barely 11). Several interruptions and incarnations later, The “Petty Boys”—as they would often pun—were back at it. However, the songs were now original and showed a brooding, angsty side, as provided mostly by the older Ryan. Newly inspired, The Rogers brothers—now just Ryan and Eric—signed on singer/bassist Matt Glynn (of pop-punkers Chas Brosco). The aspiring film-maker, poet, and neo-hipster Glynn offered fresh creativity to the outfit, as well as the group’s new and current name. The three plus Helgason would record an album, I Minus (2003), and perform extensively in the Southeast, joined by Joe Bourgeois (Hello Asphalt) on bass. However, the hype would all come to a head in the summer of 2004 when, after a messy scuffle over “creative differences”, the band would dissolve seemingly forever. Perhaps Hurricane Katrina help put things in perspective; whatever the case, the Rogers were able to put aside their differences for a cause they knew was too worthy to go to waste. Glynn, having fled the storm in the company of local folk-rock collective Silent Cinema, had grown too preoccupied to pick up where he had left off. He was replaced by singer/keyboardist Sam Craft (Glasgow!, Silent Cinema). Also joining the post-Katrina team are keyboardist/vocalist/trumpeter Cory Schultz (Chas Brosco, Silent Cinema, Rotary Downs), percussionist Chris Guccione (Agent C, Empire), trumpeter/keyboardist/vocalist Michael Girardot (Fay Wray, Empire, Big Rock Candy Mountain) and saxophonist/keyboardist/vocalist Stephen MacDonald (also of Fay Wray, Empire, and Big Rock Candy Mountain). The new A.I. sound ranges from smooth and Latin-jazzy to punctuated and prog-rocking. Much of the catalog is saturated with vibraphone and Fender Rhodes. And yes, they’ve got two drummers—at least. An Antenna Inn rhapsody might call for an ensemble-maraca shakedown here or a vibraphone duet there. In any event, they somehow manage to retain a clear pop sensibility that will hook the most casual listener right away. Keep your ear out for this young septet on a college radio station near you. -Sal Ponticello, Pop, Drop, and Roll

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