They rehearse in a crawl space space lit by Lava lamps and permeated by the scent of incense. Above the drummer�s head hangs an original signed copy of Squeeze�s Argybargy album that his ex-girlfriend�s dad gave him 5 years ago. The lead guitar player�s amp runs through a Leslie organ speaker and sounds the way a Fosters Freeze choco-vanilla swirl cone looks. The Wurlitzer piano player dances as if he were controlled by his own tremolo pedal. The rhythm guitarist doesn�t own a guitar and the bass player�s eccentric to the point of never uttering a word. Together these five guys hang out, laugh at the world and make Squish�s colorful guitar/pop music.
Their personal lives are strewn with mental baggage. The upside is the great songs that have emerged from these rights of passage. Rollercoaster Ride, a song that chronicles your daily mood swings, sounds pleasantly reminiscent of the The Byrds or George Harrison period Beatles. The song includes the jaded sarcasm of lead singer/songwriter Carl Peel ("It was just my luck, I watched my girlfriend get hit by a truck") and the sparkling sonics of lead guitarist Paul Flynn�s chiming Rickenbacher. Squish was formed in the "burbs" of LA in 1996 by drummer Ricky Mintz and keyboardist Michel Etchart. The groups� stated ambition is to please themselves and audiences who are into the (now underground) sound of melodic pop. "We do gigs at strange places with other pop bands who are on a similar trip" says Etchart. "Our search for the perfect three minute and thirty second slice of zen has led us into a black hole called the Pop universe. Hopefully we will never escape."
Here are some other relevant Squish facts: the bassist is Rolf Hansen (but he won't talk to you). They were signed in February 1998 when their self produced CD, Fig.1., found it�s way to the guitar/pop junkies at Pinch Hit Records. The song Best in Show, will make you remember why they call a "hook" a "hook". The band will not be touring large chunks of the country in support of this release because guitarist Flynn is still banned by both Motel 6 and Holiday Inn for his association with the 1995 Superball (his old band) tour that spiraled out of control. Ironically, Flynn was the only member of the group that was sober and in a monogamous relationship at the time. His lawyer is working to get his penalty reduced. Until that matter is sorted out, it will be up to college radio and the alternative press to "turn the world on" to the pop stylings of Squish.