Punk Pop on the Lighter Side
by Brian Bavosa
Playing his first gig by accident at L.A.'s Whisky A-Go-Go while still in high school, In Theory's lead singer/guitarist Theo Gersht still seems to possess the attitude and naivety of a young child. He is polite, bubbling with enthusiasm, and extremely excited about his band's first album, This Is It, which will be released on Shelter for the Storm Records on June 5.
Self-described "pop punk," Gersht and his bandmates—guitarist Avromie Summers, drummer Aaron Revivo and bassist Sam White—have managed to put together a record that is concise and rarely has any sloppy tracks. Upon first listen, the album sounds like it could easily be the soundtrack to the hit teen television show The OC: it's young, its fresh, and it's punk rock laced with hair gel and wearing a white polo shirt. "That's kind of what we were going for," says Gersht. "We wanted people to get the feeling that you could jump around to it and dance like it was punk music, and that you could still sing along to it … . It's catchy music, which is exactly what pop is."
In fact, Gersht even mentions The OC as the inspiration for the song "Love Me Or Leave Me." As the press release reads, "Every Wednesday night, the entire band would get together with our friends and watch the first season," Theo says. "When Seth stands on a table and tells Amanda that he won't keep their love a secret any longer, that was this great big scene, and I wanted to set it to music."
Gersht is well spoken and seems to clearly be the lead of In Theory, but also speaks as if he is still a bright kid from L.A. poised to break into the music scene. In Theory is a band that openly rejects being labeled in a certain category. When I ask Gersht what "alternative" music means to him, he responds, "We kind of just throw the word alternative in front of whatever sub-genre of rock it is. There was time when we called ourselves pop-punk, but we weren't just pop punk, because we had a lot of influences and a lot of pop influences. So we were like, 'OK, we're alternative pop-punk … . Because no one is straight-ahead one style of rock anymore because there is so much music now." His response again speaks to how mature he is, and wise beyond his years in terms of not boxing or labeling himself and his bandmates into a corner.
Like many other teenagers immersed in a technology-filled world, Gersht realizes that it is a valuable asset. "The Internet has become independent music's greatest vehicle of all time," he says. He also mentions how it has allowed fans around the globe to hear his music. "We had sales all over the country and all over the world, and we were just in shock. And it was all because of the Internet."
He also seems to have a keen business sense about him, and mentions how much he loves live shows. "You can't fake a live show. You can't fake the energy in a live show, you can't fake the T-shirt you get to buy directly from the band at the show, and there's a lot of things that are so genuine that have to do with the live concert." It was another bit of luck, and a humorous post-Grammy party mix up, that led to In Theory playing live for record executives and eventually inking a deal. "A little luck, God, and I like to think we're halfway decent," he says.
The key tracks on This Is It are "A New Medication," "Murder He Wrote" and "Love Me Or Leave Me." And as long as their bubblegum doesn't stick to their shoes, causing them to be late to their gigs, and their OC DVDs don't distract them from writing solid songs, In Theory will be a name known sooner as opposed to later.
