USC DAILY TROJAN ARTICLE What happens when you mix heavy guitars, the occasional didgeridoo and four leather jackets? You get the AstralAliens, the half-American, half-Australian rock band that was born ready to rock your world. “Go crazy onstage, that’s our thing,” said bassist Jake Fehrés. “We’re a hard-hitting rock band; we bring it.” Credit the intensity to the band’s personal chemistry. From the moment Australian brothers Jake and Mablo Fehrés met American musicians Chaz Stockham and Eric Slater, the foursome clicked. “There’s just this electricity,” explained guitarist Eric Slater. “This band is electric and incredibly personal.” The spark is a happy result of the way the group embraces one another’s musical styles. Since so many of today’s great artists are criticized for having songs that supposedly “all sound the same,” the band stands out: The AstralAliens utilize their diverse influences, backgrounds and skills to create tracks that sound distinctive and congruent at the same time. The catchy “Spin” offers a “Dazed and Confused”-esque intro, the twist being that it also features the Australian instrument the didgeridoo, an Aborigine wind instrument. While it would be typical for an Australian band to overdo it when demonstrating its culture, the AstralAliens use the unique instrument just sparingly enough to keep it cool. On “Tell Me That You Need It,” the band sticks to plain old ponderous guitars and heavy drums, channeling the seriousness of Tool and System Of A Down. The vocals turn the song into something that a teenage girl would crank up to drown out her parents, bringing an angry version of The Academy Is… to mind. The track “American Face,” written by Jake Fehrés, demonstrates both glam-rock accessibility and heavy-metal influences, all while Fehrés croons lyrics encouraging American girls to show him some “culture.” “I am making love to every girl in the audience when I sing that song,” the singer said of the track, which features lyrics such as Show me your boomerang and I’m the thunder from down under. Thunder, maybe. Lightning, yes. “Both Ways,” a track about a bisexual girl, features an incredible solo and, along with “Tussen,” is one of the best displays of the band’s guitar talent. The lyrics, though lacking in depth, are sure to get stuck in your head even after all of the head-nodding subsides. What makes these tracks so obviously different from other similar bands is not necessarily their instrumental styles but their vocal ones. “The songs we sing are the songs we write ourselves,” Slater said. “Which kind of means we don’t really have a set frontman. Which is good.” By taking ego out of the picture, the AstralAliens ensure that drama doesn’t short circuit their battery. They get along famously, supporting each other’s endeavors and ideas. This is necessary: Considering the idea of an Australian band is so appealing to accent-obsessed fans, it would have been very easy for the American members to get lost in the shadow. This cultural discrepancy is also being remedied by the group’s upcoming two-month tour of Australia. Beginning on Monday, the tour will allow Slater and Stockham to get a feel for down under. The tour will be new for the Fehrés as well, considering they have not performed in their homeland since the band formed.  “Brisbane is a great place to live, and we love it,” Fehrés said, “but in terms of music, you want to get out of the city because a lot of the gigs are cover music. There’s not much room for original stuff.” This issue was what led the band to Los Angeles, a city that welcomes new music with open arms and stiff competition. The band, however, has successfully been able to distinguish itself in the City of Angels, which probably has a lot to do with its high levels of fan interaction. Australia might be the most isolated continent, but the AstralAliens are uniquely within reach. They’ll stay after shows, interact with their fans, party with them. They love their supporters, and their supporters love them right back. This cycle of energy is a big reason the band’s shows are so powerful. “I’ve played with loads of bands. I’ve been playing for many years,” said Slater, “and this is the most fan electricity I’ve ever experienced.” Performing their final shows in Los Angeles at Ground Zero today and the Viper Room on Friday, the AstralAliens will be going out with a bang, harnessing their high-voltage sound like the States have seldom seen. Bring your outlet adapters, mate, and get ready to plug in. by Jen Winston ASTRAL ALIENS HOME PAGE