According to Roddy Bottum, there really isn’t much of a difference between Britney Spears and the band Sonic Youth. To him they’re both pop music.
“Anything that is directed toward the kids (is pop music),” Bottum said. “Britney’s into fashion; so is Sonic Youth.”
Bottum also said that his band, Imperial Teen, fits into this genre. The quartet that makes up Imperial Teen also includes Will Schwartz, Jone Stebbins and Patty Schemel.
Imperial Teen will be playing on campus at The Oregon Grind, a free concert Sunday organized by the UO Cultural Forum. Six other bands are on the bill — The Carolines, Stereo Crush, Inner, Heavenly Oceans, Activator and Hot for Chocolate.
Imperial Teen first started in San Francisco, where they got together to perform at a benefit for a friend.
“We were all friends and wanted to embark on something new, and we had good chemistry,” Bottum said. “One of our friends was having a benefit, and we decided to play at it.”
After the benefit, the foursome continued playing and writing together. Since then, they have released three albums. The first two were released on Universal Records. Then the band moved to the indie label Merge.
“Our last label was kind of large. We didn’t fit into their system,” Bottum said.
Since joining Merge, the band released their most recent album, “On” — a saucy, sexy romp of guitars and keyboards.
Cultural Forum Regional Music Coordinator Nathan Hazard agrees that Imperial Teen’s sound leans toward the pop category. Hazard and National Music Coordinator Alexis Stevens organized The Oregon Grind.
“The Cultural Forum is doing this as a way to start off on the right foot — to introduce ourselves to
campus,” Hazard said.
Stevens describes the concert lineup as indie mood-rock. “In the past, the music has been more danceable. This year it’s more mellow,” Stevens said.
The free concert, which begins at noon and rocks until 9 p.m., is being held on the grassy area in front of the Knight Library.