Boston Herald: Yacht Rock Revue sails into uncharted music

Here’s a familiar story: Ace musicians can’t get work with original material so they start playing covers. Here’s where Yacht Rock Revue’s tale diverges from the typical: The Atlanta tribute to the sounds of ’70s AM Gold and ’80s Top 40 has become a sensation, regularly playing sold-out international clubs and cruises. On Sunday, Yacht Rock Revue drops anchor at House of Blues.

Next, Yacht Rock Revue wants to accomplish the unthinkable by releasing, gasp, their own songs.

“It’s been a struggle with me personally and emotionally because I always wanted to be a songwriter,” singer Nicholas Niespodziani said. “I kind of had a little bit of a midlife crisis last year and decided we’re going to make a record of original material.”

The final mixes haven’t been completed, but the songs — recorded with producer Ben Allen (Animal Collective, Kaiser Chiefs, Gnarls Barkley) — feel like the Little River Band cut with the modern synthpop of Phoenix or Cut Copy. In short, the band’s own stuff comes off as both hip and classic.

“I would describe it as walking the line between the music we pay tribute to and a more contemporary sound,” Niespodziani said. “We could have tried harder to sound like Steely Dan, but why? If you want to listen to Steely Dan, you can just do that.”

Niespodziani knows the band will start to sneak the occasional new song in with the covers but isn’t sure of the best way to do that.

“There aren’t a lot of bands who have done anything like this so I don’t know how it will go,” he said. “We have to make sure we don’t pull a bait and switch on people. We will eventually play a few of our own live, but not the whole record. We need to leave room for the Pina Colada song.”

Yacht Rock Revue has earned the right to add originals to their sets.

Started on a lark when the members of the indie rock act Y-O-U played a night of ’70s stuff at their residency at a small Atlanta club a decade ago, the tribute act has a devoted following of repeat customers. The guys have also been endorsed by their inspirations; John Oates, Eddie Money, Bobby Kimball of Toto and more have joined the band onstage.

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Written By:  JED GOTTLIEB