Track Town Records doesn’t look like much on the outside – it’s a Whiteaker warehouse like any other. But inside, it’s practically a Batcave. Everything is pristine, expensive-looking and painted black and tan. A window in the wall reveals the mixing room, high above the studio floor where the members of Eugene’s Hamilton Beach set up their gear.
As guitarist Keith Randel and drummer Travis Lien noodle around, Nathan Asman unspools his electronics on a table. Whether it’s his silence, his dutiful movements or his impressive beard, Asman immediately gives off the impression of a leader.
Indeed, Hamilton Beach started as Asman’s brainchild. He began recording under the name in 2008, after graduating from Ohio’s Denison University with a bachelor’s degree in music. After moving to Eugene in 2010 to pursue a master’s degree in music at the University of Oregon, he expanded Hamilton Beach into a full band. He’s now a doctoral student in music technology, and after a few lineup shifts, Hamilton Beach has settled into a stable trio.
The bulk of material on Hamilton Beach’s upcoming album Dear Earth, Love Moon was composed by Asman pre-band. Indeed, the sprawling, 17-track record – which it’s releasing on March 14 at Luckey’s – represents the band’s entire repertoire.
“We all just decided to record everything we had,” Asman said. “It’s going to be freeing. This will give us a chance to move forward as a band and start working on some new stuff. We’ve been playing the same songs for years.”
Though most of its time as of late has been devoted to the studio, Hamilton Beach has accumulated no shortage of gigs. It has played with Papadosio–one of the leading acts in the “livetronica” genre with which Hamilton Beach align itself-and Portland producer Emancipator.
But Hamilton Beach has also played some pretty esoteric locales, including the 2013 TED conference at the UO and the 2013 Sundance Film Festival.
“That was a good 17, 18-hour drive,” said Asman about their Sundance experience. “A tanker truck exploded on the road. And it was freezing cold.”
Though they played for a packed room of middle-aged film fanatics (and spotted Paris Hilton), the group left the festival with mixed emotions.
“We were really stoked something would come out of it,” said Randel. “We put all the money into driving out there. But it was worth it just to say we did it. And it showed us what we could do–just drive out there and do a show.”
Hardship in the name of music is all par for the course. With Saturday as its deadline for the album, Hamilton Beach has spent up to 10 hours a day in the studio.
“It’s a lot of mental energy,” said Asman. “Last week I had to take a couple days off. It gets to be an overload. You have to give your ears and eyes a break.”
It would be difficult for any sane non-musician to imagine spending that long in the windowless, black-painted supervillain’s lair that is Track Town Records. The members of Hamilton Beach are silent and emotionless as they set up, it’s hard to tell if they’re having a good time or not, especially given their orderly surroundings.
But as soon as they start playing, the illusion of formality falls apart, and they look like nothing more or less than a group of buddies just happy to jam out.
Hamilton Beach plays with Octonaut on Saturday, March 14 at Luckey’s Club (933 Olive St.) $5 door. 21+. Music starts at 10 p.m.