Words: MacKenzie Pause

"People are strange, when you're a stranger." Jim Morrison's lyrics summarize my impressions of Strangers, an Orlando psychedelic rock band that seems to lift themselves and their music to a higher level. Ates Isildak (vocals/guitar), Rick Seltzer (guitar), Scott Seltzer (bass/sitar), and Mike Cardone (keyboard) came together through their experimentations with creating music, a mutual craving for authenticity, and hallucinogens.

"We've all either known one another or been in the same bands together for years now," Isildak says. "It does seem like all of our previous endeavors slowly dissipated as hallucinogens made their way into our lives. Those same hallucinogens sort of called the members of this band together in a way. It seems now that we were meant to play together, we just didn't know it then."

The members may not have been strangers when the band formed, but they claim that the name naturally describes them.

"The band name Strangers is simple, but really does describe us if you meet us," explains Isildak. "We've spent so much time on tour being those kids in the corner hiding out until we played, disappearing after we played, saying just enough to get us by, really leaving no trace or impression on anyone aside from our set. We never mean to come off as stand-offish, the music just has a life of its own, and we think it should speak for itself."

Strangers take the authenticity of their music seriously. Some musicians think analog is dead, but Strangers plan to keep it alive and record an EP on tape. That attitude even inspired their label, Lo-Fi Records.

"Lo-Fi is a label our bassist Scott started in order to put out a CD for an amazing artist we know that goes by Spinnaker," Isildak says. "There is no paperwork binding Spinnaker or Strangers to Lo-Fi in any way. We just know that records can be released out of a home with some hard work, scissors and glue. And since it's all distributed out of our home or our touring van, Scott decided to name it Lo-Fi Records. Try to find some of Spinnaker's music on the web. It is music worth calling folk."

In the meantime, Strangers are becoming known for their spacey shows and raised profile amid a local psychedelic resurgence. The scene may be welcoming change, but Isildak thinks enhancements are moving the area to a heightened enjoyment of the music. With Timothy Leary as a stated influence and a song titled "Albert Hoffman Tribute," Strangers would be the band to lead this revolution.

"There seems to be an insurgence of psychedelics in Orlando as of late," Isildak begins. "This has to have affected the scene. There is so much music that doesn't hold up when you're tripping, and you can't help but get drawn to music that is genuine, colorful and alive."

Psychedelic rock and mind altering drugs seems to be swirling back into the Orlando music scene, but Strangers know just as well as every other band in the area that to keep it alive takes a collaborative, consistent effort with support from local venues and musicians alike.  

"There are those of us that are always working on helping the music scene," Isildak states. "There are a lot of venues and coffee shops in town like Austin's and Stardust that throw a lot of local and free shows, which helps the scene a lot.  We've been throwing house shows for free, inviting a few hundred strangers into our home, and having other local bands we respect and admire play. The prices of shows are going up and people can't always afford to go see a good band play. If more people threw house shows, we could cut out the middle man. Throw a house show!"

Morrison also sang that when you're strange, no one remembers your name. The case may differ for Strangers, though, along with yet another evolutionary step for Orlando's music scene.

myspace.com/strangestrangers

Appearing:
June 27, 2008
Backbooth, Orlando
with Summerbirds In The Cellar and Maserati

July 4, 2008
Austin's Coffee, Orlando
Austin's I-4 Fest

July 5, 2008
The Atlantic, Gainesville