Captains of Industry: 
By Aaron Archer
Essential for any up-and-coming band hell-bent on making a name for itself nationally and reaping the benefits of fat wallets, nubile women with low self-esteem and fans who turn into blathering idiots at the mere sight of your godhead, is an inexhaustible drive and ambition. So many young, local-level bands that might hold some promise simply tread water in the hopes that some major label mogul will fly in to rescue them from their squalor and make them rock star clichés in a matter of months. The simple truth is that no band gets anywhere without some degree of hard work (a blatant fact that seems to elude many bands in Las Vegas). But even to the most casual observer, Industry is a band that refuses to fit into any preconceived molds and works solely according to its own agenda. After seven years of stark independence marked by intoxicating live shows that were events unto themselves, a sonic signature that draws from many divergent influences without aping it and the independent release of its debut disc, Namesake, the now-streamlined trio is entering a new phase of evolution that promises to eclipse the band's past achievements. "I now see everything we've done up to this point as a learning experience in finding our true selves," singer/guitarist Jason Tanzer explains via phone from Washington, D.C. "What we're doing now is completely different from what's come before, and now it's finally us. Despite the relative success of Namesake, which is carried in several record stores in the valley, Tanzer is quick to dismiss it as a gauche first attempt. "It's not the type of record I anticipated, and I felt we could do better," he says. "It's a demo in my opinion, and miles away from us now." Ever shrouded in an aura of mystique, the avant-garde band (Tanzer, drummer/programmer Larry Dolan and bassist Adam Taylor) still retains the metal-infused, paranoid electronica of before. But there's a newfound emphasis on strongly capable songwriting with undeniable, serpentine melodies that weave between the instrumental assaults. "My interests have always been rooted in songwriting-oriented bands like the Police and Nirvana" Tanzer says. "I think it's just more readily coming to the surface now." The culmination of all these efforts is the soon-to-be-released Preservation America. Once again, the record will see the light of day on their own Dustree Records, with promotion and the like also handled internally. The recording process this time around is augmented by the talents of major-label producer and engineer Dan Brodbeck, who has worked with Head-strong, Clockwise and Fifteen South, in addition to Tanzer and Dolan overseeing the project. "The title isn't as literal as you would think," says Tanzer. "It has more to do with my views on America and such things as privacy, pornography and obesity." And also perhaps observing the many pitfalls of our society and exposing their avarice? "Exactly." Whereas Industry's last record was a series of tentative first steps and now appears to be a dry run, the agenda for the sophomore effort is much more organized with an eye for the brass ring. "This record is about trying to get the name out and establish ourselves in the minds of a much wider audience. It's a process to be taken seriously, and we are going to be very calculated and prepared." The songs on the new disc are much more accessible with a definite ear for a melody. More importantly, the band has never sounded more confident and has honed its sound even further. Does Tanzer see Industry as having the potential to break out to a national audience? "Before, I would have said it as an arrogant kid, but now I can say that we could be huge with utter sincerity," he resolves. "At this point, I think we're polished enough to have a commercial sound, but rock enough to have an intricate sound, which are usually mutually exclusive things."
                            Read more...