Some of my friends accuse me of liking weird stuff just so I can be different. While there probably is some truth to that, there also is a lot of unconventional stuff that's just plain cool.

I took some heat in college once after I'd put on a Smiths song when people asked for dancing music. It may not sound like pop or hip-hop, but some of those tunes can really get you moving -- disturbing minor chords or not. And a few people actually started dancing before I got booed out of the DJ spot.

If you're someone like me who gets drawn into anything that sounds unique, and if you enjoy music that's upbeat in tempo but not always tone, don't miss indie rockers Rademacher tonight at the Hotel Monte Vista Lounge.

Though they label their own sound as "sinister," don't think this is a cry-into-your-merlot type of band. Rademacher's talent and depth will get you out of your seat -- and more importantly, having fun.

I talked with Malcolm Sosa, guitarist and singer for the band, about their upcoming show at the Monte V and what listeners can expect as the band kicks off its national tour right here in Flagstaff.

Sun: So how'd the band get together?

Sosa: It's come together over a long period of time. The band changed formation a lot -- a bunch of friends and people I grew up with in Fresno at first, people in other bands. It kinda become a rotating group of like-minded people coming together to make music. A lot of people in Fresno are busy with their own projects, and our bassist Becky (Asami, drummer) still plays in other bands.

Sun: You guys have a unique sound. What are your influences?

Sosa: I would definitely say we're all varied in our music tastes. Becky is more into the punk scene and hard-core scene, like Fugazi. I lived for a long time in New York and like things a little more on the poppy side, like the French Kicks. Brad (Basmajian, guitar) is into Ween and Beck, and that's the direction he comes from. Whenever I go over to Greer (McGettrick, bass and keybords)'s place lately he's been listening to Deerhoof -- a little more avante garde and aggressive. But even though we all come at it from different directions, we all share a lot of common ground.

Sun: I'm looking at your schedule, and it's intense -- 13 gigs, from Flagstaff to New York back to Vegas in two weeks.

Sosa: Yeah, it's certainly a whirlwind tour.

Sun: Have you guys always been road warriors?

Sosa: That's definitely where we feel most comfortable, on stage connecting with people. I mean, the least comfortable place is in the van driving, but we love going where people want to hear our music or experience something new. We're selective and only want to play where people want to hear good music -- for us, it's musical hotspots, like Meccas where we know we'll get a good crowd. I mean, I don't think we'll be doing this when were 40 and have like four kids, but we're still in our 20s and it feels good now.

Sun: So why'd you pick Flagstaff to start the tour?

Sosa: It was the booking guys at the Monte Vista who were really excited about our music. It was a place we had heard about and our booking agent approached them, but they came back really excited about the music and really wanted us to play there. The big thing -- besides just being geotropically advantageous -- was that they were really earnest about our music. So they made room for us on their schedule and we made room for them on ours. Besides, they're giving us a room and it's good to stay someplace nice and not a sketchy location somewhere.

Sun: I don't mean to scare you, but the rumor is that the hotel is haunted. Any of you guys afraid of ghosts?

Sosa: Well, I work in a rubber stamp factory that's also haunted -- it used to be an indoor swimming pool, and there's always people who say they've seen drowned children and people in swimming gear. So I'm used to it, I guess. And Brad lives in a house where like 20 people have died. Becky lives in an area of town that's sketchy -- not haunted, but it's scary. I think we'll be fine.

Sun: Obviously you'll be playing tunes from your new release, "Heart Machine." But what else can we expect -- old stuff, some covers, a new tune in progress?

Sosa: We try and move as quickly as possible as far as what we're trying to develop, so yeah there'll be new stuff. But we're always reworking older songs and exploring some covers to keep it interesting for us. I mean, I've been doing this for two years now, and lot of the songs for us we usually play the West Coast where people know our material. We'll play some previous releases, but also new songs and stuff we've reworked for people who have probably never heard us before. Maybe some Talking Heads covers -- whatever we think people are interested in. We want to make sure we can make an impression on people. And that people have fun.

Sun: About the songs: You have a real full sound for a foursome. Is that big sound due to chemistry or something more?

Sosa: A lot of it is experience, and from knowing our instruments pretty well. Between Brad and I, we understand the guitar and have studied the instrument and use the whole range. Greer is a really talented bass player and also good on the keyboard -- having a keyboard lends a tremendous range. We can cover a lot of ground because we all are pretty musically inclined. We're not just out there playing power chords.

Sun: When I try to find an adjective for your sound, I come up with "dark" or "brooding." You think that's fair?

Sosa: I think it's fair. The favorite adjective that I've come across is "sinister." That, I think, is very apt. It is dark, but it's not dark emotionally. I think of Nirvana as bleak and depressing, especially how they came to an end. But that's not what were about -- there is an optimism in our stuff. I come from Fresno, and it's not like Disneyland where there's a guy in a mouse suit on the corner, but it's not horrible either. In our music, there's an element of pride and knowing where you come from and knowing that things aren't good and maybe they can get better. I hope that comes across, the optimism.

Sun: Anything else you want to share with our readers?

Sosa: We're excited to come to Flagstaff. We're always excited to see what there is to see, and meet new people. It's always an adventure. I just hope people come out to our show with an open mind and we can all have fun together. Hopefully our music can speak to some people -- maybe not to everybody, but I hope everyone can say they had a good time.

Contact Jeff Reeves at (928) 556-2259 or jreeves@azdailysun.com