Back to school with the new boybands: The Cab

 
Photo: Adam Elmakias

No matter what they're called -- or how much the specific hairstyles or musical genres have changed -- boybands have been a constant presence in pop music. From the Jackson 5 to New Kids on the Block to the Backstreet Boys to the Jonas Brothers, we've joined fan clubs, taped posters to our bedroom walls and shrieked shrilly at concerts. But usually gay fans (and old-enough-to-know-better grown up 'mos) have been either the after-thought or unacknowledged bonus to a tween girl marketing plan.

I go to a lot of those kinds of concerts still myself. (Um, it's my job? That's my story, and I'm sticking to it.) After seeing a bunch of young bands this winter, I went on the hunt to see which of them would differentiate themselves from boybands of yesteryear by actively courting queer audiences.

It made sense to start with the obvious -- a group signed by Pete Wentz to his label, Decaydance. The Cab is made up of five 19-year-old guys from Vegas, and their first LP, Whisper War, is one of my favorite pop debuts of the year. It sounds like the fresher, funkier follow-up 'N Sync never made after 2001's Celebrity.

The always enigmatic Wentz -- who once described the Cab as "Maroon 5 and 'N Sync had a baby that kind of sounded like Fall Out Boy" -- offered Out this explanation for the band's breakout success: "No one sees them coming. To quote Pacino in the Devil's Advocate, they 'are the hand up Mona Lisa's skirt.' Songs like 'Bounce' are undeniable." Um, thanks, Pete?

Just for the hell of it, I sent them a set of short-answer essay questions (not quite "What We Did On Our Summer Vacation," but not quite not, either). One of the band's three Alexes -- they seem to answer to their last names or, in this case, their vocation ("Singer") -- happily wrote back with his smartest replies. Read those answers and more about their album at Out.com.

The boys are finishing up a short headlining tour this month, then hitting the road to open up for Panic at the Disco and Dashboard Confessional on the Rock Band Live Tour. Get more info and tickets here.

Check out their videos and songs at MySpace, plus we've got a few more photos from their recent LA show after the jump...

Photos by Megan Westerby; click any to enlarge.

Cash Colligan

Ian Crawford

Alex DeLeon

Comments

[SWHITNEY]

I LOVE the Cab. I don't think they're going to be the next boy band. Just because they're all dudes doesn't tie them into that clique. They play their own instruments.. There's one thing that sets them apart.

Plus.. They're just all-around good guys. Amazing musicians. Very down to Earth. Awesome, awesome group.

[Ryan]

Oh, Swhitney, honey--The Cab, The Maine, Cute is What We Aim For, All Time Low, Forever the Sickest Kids...They're all boy bands even if they play instruments. They just dance less. The general fusion of pop and rock is still the same, as is the marketing, and the cleverly tailored fashions, choreography, and personalities. Music notwithstanding, they're still a boy band through and through.

You've one of the many darlings who have been fooled into thinking they're any less marketed and pre-packaged than those who have come before them. Congrats!

[mrs. colligan]

To Ryan above me: of course they are marketed and "packaged"; any band with a label and management is. Unless you are playing for free in your grandma's garage you have to be marketed if you're going to find an audience and make a life as a professional musician.

That doesn't make this band any less talented. Their musicianship, songwriting, and performance - all of that was their own before they ever even met Pete Wentz. And they're damn good.

[Maple]

Don't let 'the cute' or 'the Wentz' fool you. This band shouldn't be dismissed. Their sound may be 'pop with guitar' but they put on an impressive live show. The Cabbabies make the house stop and listen. It's not even a case of 'less dancing' - there is no dancing, no production or hype to distract the audience from their music. Just a group of guys and their instruments and they know how to work 'em. (I'll admit, 'the cute' is added bonus.)

[James]

I absolutely love The Cab. They are so nice and amazing live. Just because they sound 'poppy' shouldn't mean they are automatically a 'boy band'. They are a fresh sound in my opinion, I'm glad they have made it as far as they have already.
:]

[James]

I absolutely love The Cab. They are so nice and amazing live. Just because they sound 'poppy' shouldn't mean they are automatically a 'boy band'. They are a fresh sound in my opinion, I'm glad they have made it as far as they have already.
:]