Big Isle band ready to rock the big time

By Derek Paiva
Advertiser Entertainment Writer

•	Living In Question with Pimpbot and Bhudahead Doors open 9 p.m. Saturday Wave Waikiki $10 941-0424, ext. 12 Also: Living In Question will give acoustic performances at 7 p.m. today at Cheapo Records Puck's Alley and 3 p.m. Saturday at Jelly's 'Aiea.

Instead of chasing gigs at clubs that wouldn't have them anyway, "We'd throw all-ages gigs ... and hundreds of kids would show up," recalled guitarist Chris Albers. Instead of calling it quits when a fire destroyed the band's rehearsal space last year, taking $23,000 worth of equipment with it, Living In Question pooled its "credit cards ... bit the bullet ... and did the most important thing to us, which was immediately getting back on track."

All of this would hardly matter, of course, if Living In Question — in addition to Albers, bassist Jason Paulson, drummer/percussionist Frank Bianchini and vocalist/keyboardist Glynn Motoishi — didn't possess an amazing reservoir of real musical talent to draw from. But the band does.

The band's recently released self-titled debut CD is easily one of the best locally produced hard-rock recordings you'll hear this year. From musicianship to lyrics to production values, it's a superb opening salvo from a quartet of twenty- and thirtysomethings with a very real shot at success beyond these shores.

The band will kick off the O'ahu release of "Living In Question" with a show at Wave Waikiki tomorrow night.

Albers and Paulson first got together in 1997 as Liquid, eventually capturing a 2001 Hoku nomination for Best Rock Album. The band went through several membership changes before finally finding musical cohesion last year with the additions of Bianchini and Motoishi. Liquid became Living in Question soon after, and began making a new name for itself on the Big Island's limited live scene.

On the recommendation of one of Bianchini's friends, the band sent a newly recorded demo to Scott Schorr last August. A record producer and owner of Seattle-based indie label Lazy Bones Recordings, Schorr had move to the Big Island with hopes of semi-retirement.

"He came and saw two practices and offered us a deal," said Albers.

"Living In Question" was recorded in Schorr's home studio between September and December 2002 while the band continued to work day jobs. Schorr handled production and secured Dandy Warhols producer Tony Lash to engineer. Mastering was handled by Brian Gardner, who has added finishing touches to hundreds of CD projects by musicians such as Eminem, blink-182, Linkin Park and 50 Cent, among others.

The band's music was recently licensed by music supervisors for "The Real World," "Road Rules," "Extreme Challenge" and "Punk'd," and Schorr is hoping to find Living In Question a major label deal. But Albers is most excited about the band's recent signing with Los Angeles-based The Agency Group, a deal that holds the promise of opening tour slots for the hundreds of bands — major and minor — that the booking agency also represents.

"Right now, we're just setting up everything we need to go on tour so that when we get the word, we can do it quickly," said Albers. "At the moment, we're more interested in touring. We don't really feel like we really need to go to the major labels yet. I feel like we should probably play on the Mainland before we go that route. We're still newborns on the Mainland."