— by Alyssa Rashbaum, with reporting by Matt Paco
Which one of these things doesn't belong: world-famous violinist, concert pianist, opera singer, rock star? In the Perlman household, they're all one happy family.
Rami Perlman, son of violin virtuoso Itzhak Perlman, didn't just rebel against his classical upbringing — he did a complete 180 as the frontman of the band Something for Rockets.
The Perlmans raised a family of mostly musical children (of their five, only one veered toward another profession: law), but Rami, who plays piano, drums, guitar and trumpet, and has studied conducting, is the only one who creates rock and roll music.
"I started to learn the drums when I was about 11 years old," Rami said. "That was when I was like, 'OK, I want to play rock.' "
Rami's reputation as a talented drummer eventually led him to bandmate Josh Eichenbaum, a student of electronic music at Brown University, where Rami was also studying.
"We met in the cafeteria," Rami said. "He just sat down next to me. He was wearing a Phish shirt, which I found kind of off-putting."
After getting over the initial disdain for Eichenbaum's love of jam bands, the two became roommates and began making music together.
"I was doing a lot of electronic composition and wanted to integrate live drums into a lot of the stuff that I was doing," Eichenbaum said. "I was like, 'Dude, you gotta come in and record some drums.' And he came in and saw the studio and was like, 'Whoa, you have a studio?' So we basically went into hibernation for like three months and just made a record."
They recorded a three-song EP and began to distribute it like a business card.
"We go out to shows," Rami said, "and whenever we meet people, we always have CDs on us. It's definitely like, 'What's your Web site?' And we're like, 'Here's our record.' It gives them a taste of what it's all about, and the three songs, and then hopefully they're ready to get the record."
The buzz began to build quickly for DIY musicians Rami and Eichenbaum, who soon began hearing their music over the airwaves. "My friend called me," Rami recalled, "and was like, 'Dude, you're on the radio!' "
As the buzz built, so did the interest of drummer Barry Davis, who, after being "bullied" by Rami and Eichenbaum, agreed to join the band. With the lineup complete, Something for Rockets began gigging and recording their debut full-length, which they put out without being signed to a label.
"We're doing it ourselves," said Eichenbaum. "We're making it ourselves. It feels great."
The self-titled debut is a testament to Rami's classical background with highly crafted symphonic arrangements and orchestration. In the album's opening track, "Might As Well," Rami's deep and rich vocals are layered over light and sweet piano chords. "Red in the Face," meanwhile, features a throng of cheerleaders (one of whom is Eichenbaum's cousin) chanting the band's name.
The band's most recent coup — a residency at Spaceland — should garner even more screaming fans. The Los Angeles venue, where bands such as Rilo Kiley cut their teeth, will play host to Something for Rockets every Monday night in January.
"We're excited because it's definitely a crowd that likes to have a good time," Rami said.
Though they've just finished their first album, Something for Rockets are already looking to the future.
"We have been talking about doing collaborations with other artists," Rami said, "and getting other singers and musicians involved. But definitely [we'll be] touring and then making another record, and then touring and then making another record. It's what we like to do."
"And in the end," he said, "that's what our music is really all about. We're just trying to make people have fun. And dance and feel good."
"They certainly seem to believe in what they do," Itzhak said of his son's band, "and they do it very well, so it's terrific. ... You can tell I like it because when I go on the road I put that recording on. I don't want to put something else on."
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