Space Bee

Space Bee is a Peruvian Rock band (their lyrics are in English) who have a really cool sound. They formed in 2002 and since then have recorded three albums and have opened for bands such as Guns And Roses and The Smashing Pumpkins. The band originally gained fame in 2007, by reaching the semi finals of the "Zona de combate de MTV y Smirnoff" which from what I've been able to tell (my Spanish isn't great) is a pretty big battle of the bands (obviously in conjunction with MTV and Smirnoff). This  is a pretty big accomplishment for which I congratulate them.

 Upon listening to the Space Bees, I quickly realized that they are heavily influenced by the classic rock genre as well as by Arabic music and funk music. If I had to say what their sound is like I would have to call them a crossover between the bands JET and the Mad Caddies. Their Arabic styling becomes really apparent in their song Fire off of the album It's Alive (vol 1) which is available for preview and purchase at http://spacebee.bandcamp.com/.

Their lead singer has a familiar voice, but I haven't been able to find anyone else that really sounds like him. The closest I can get is Jaret Reddick of Bowling for Soup, but even this is a stretch. Moving on, the lead vocals are solid, and he seems to have a pretty good range; although their style doesn't ask too much of the lead singer (so he is no Freddie Mercury). Regardless, his voice and his talents fit perfectly with the music they play. Next, the guitar and the bass players use cool moving lines instead of just holding power chords (which seems to be what is oh so popular today). This automatically gives them a plus in my book. The lead guitar player does a great job of working in the Arabic melodies while keeping the funky ska-ish/classic rock flowing. Next, the keys player provides the funky undertones that really drive the band, I wouldn't say he has massive amounts of talent but he is obviously very good, however I would want to hear him solo before making any bold statements. Finally, its on to the drummer, he actually seems to be a solid player. He does everything right, even live (which is more than can be said of most drummers), keeping a steady tempo and doing a lot of little things that really become apparent when you concentrate on just listening to him. He is obviously very talented and keeps the band in sync.       
                        

Their live shows, from what I have seen on youtube and http://vimeo.com/18509291 are really clean. They keep high quality sound and play completely in sync. However, they don't appear to do a whole lot of stuff on stage, which always helps to make a great show (i.e. jumping around and other things to pump up the crowd). That being said, this is difficult for me to comment on because I haven't seen them live in person, so I haven't felt what energy they bring to the stage. However, I can say that I would love to see them live and I hope they come somewhere near me in the States soon.

The band is currently working on their fourth EP which will continue their "It's Alive" era and they are making plans for a tour to cover the second half of the year. I wish them luck in both of these endeavors, but now I must give them a grade. I do love their music, their style is unique and they are a great band to listen to. I do have to dock them a few points because they don't seem to really pump up the crowed on stage, but who knows I could be wrong there. But overall I would have to give this band an 8 out of 10, they have a great sound and if I see them jumping around on stage and really trying to get the crowd involved live, this could push the rating to a 9 or higher. So i implore you to check them out at: http://www.thebtapes.com/spacebee/, http://www.facebook.com/TheSpaceBee, http://www.reverbnation.com/spacebee, and http://www.myspace.com/spacebee.