Six State Bender gets reckless at The B-Side

It takes a bit of planet aligning for local rockers Six State Bender to play a show.

It usually hinges on vocalist/

guitarist James Hunt being in town.

Hunt installs flooring across the region, limiting the opportunity for Six State to gather for practice, much less perform.

Still, it’s worth hanging in there with Six State, said drummer Dave Kelley.

“We’ve had to cancel a lot of shows, and I hate doing it. Unbooking a show is almost more work than booking one,” Kelley said. “I’d like to think being in a rock band lasts forever, but it doesn’t. So we’re just going to play as many shows as we can.”

Six State Bender – Kelley, Hunt, bassist Caleb Frey, and lead vocalist and guitarist J.T. Hottinger – plays a supporting slot with headlining local punks The Creeps on Thursday at The B-Side, 230 W. Riverside Ave. There is a $5 cover.

Formed a little more than a year ago, Six State is a composite of players who have been with local bands over nearly a decade.

Their punk-metal, straight-edged aggressive rock draws from vast influences, from Slayer to MC5 to Motown and hip-hop.

As far as Kelley can tell, the lyrical content revolves around hot girls, monsters and the usual horrific situations in life. He admits the lyrics are ever-evolving works in progress.

“J.T. concentrates on the melody and adjusts the lyrics as he goes. When I actually get to hear the lyrics, it will be interesting,” Kelley said.

He gets that chance in about a month when Six State enters Lee Stoker’s studio to record its first studio set.

Mainstays at Mootsy’s and The B-Side, Six State has yet to play an all-ages show here, but the band plays often in out-of-town clubs in the Tri-Cities and Seattle.

“In Seattle, there is so much more competition because they have so many other bands, and that really keeps it fresh for us,” Kelley said. “We play our best when we try to impress other bands we like, or crush bands we don’t like, if need be. We take a fun approach. It’s like being on a football team.”

For now, Six State members are concentrating on getting under the roof and polishing up their chops for recording while planning a promotional push with a music video, a comic book (Kelley is a comic book artist) and flash animation sequences online. Look for updates at www.sixstatebender.com.