from the PHILADELPHIA INDEPENDENT

THE "BEST BAND IN PHILADELPHIA"
Dysrhythmia, the latest candidate for the title
by Dan Gross

Dysrhythmia is the medical terminology for an irregular heartbeat. It's also a perfect description of the Philadelphia band's position in the local music scene. They're the best band in Philadelphia; but with no emphasis, or effort placed on being, looking, or acting cool, the trio is the best band in the city that most people have yet to hear. Dysrhythmia will play anytime, anywhere and often in basement shows at the house that bassist Clayton Ingerson, and guitarist Kevin Hufnagel share.
In the simplest terms, and most convenient definitions, Dysrhythmia could be described as instrumental prog rock, but there is nothing simple about the sounds that these three music school graduates create. In addition, the term progressive elicits mixed emotions within the band. "progressive" is a dirty word and no one wants to use it because people think of all this self-indulgent stuff from the 1970's, says Hufnagel. "To me bands like Black Flag and Fugazi are progressive because they continued to change and refused to make the same record over and over again," says Ingerson.
After self-releasing two full length CDs, and recording a split 10" with another crazy insane trio, Thoughtstreams (Rice Control), the band has signed with Relapse Records. Dysrhythmia don't really fit with the healthy metal roster on the label, and that slight outsider status is just what they want. "I don't think we fit in with any label, and I don't want to fit in, says Ingerson. "I want to stand out as is, and Relapse is a place that welcomes that, and that's a place I can feel comfortable."
Ingerson plays a six string bass, and he plays it exceptionally well. This leads to comparisons to Primus which seem rooted entirely in the extra strings on the instrument since the band's sound is far from slap happy funk. The bass is probably the most present instrument within the band. Constantly at work, Ingerson varies from thick grooves to prettier melodies that make you wonder whether or not it's really a bass making those sounds. Hufnagel with his four guitars and seemingly infinite tunings, is also all over the place, while constantly being exactly where he should. Behind it all, tightly woven with Ingerson is drummer Jeff Eber, who, unlike Ingerson and Hufnagel whose musical tastes cover a myriad of genres, has said he doesn't listen to music.
The band, who have drawn comparisons to acts like King Crimson, Rush, and Yes, but have clearly established a sound all their own. Some of the band's slower, and prettier material has led people to assume that they create their music with the aid of various substances, but such is not the case. It's all them, which sometimes generous fans find out on their own. Hufnagel recalls that, "in St. Cloud, Minnesota some guy came up to me after the show and pulled a huge bag of pot out of his jacket and offered it to me. He said he really enjoyed the show and here you can have this."
If you see Dysrhythmia live, two things you probably won't see are Hufnagel's face and Ingerson standing still. The guitarist plays hunched over with his hair covering his face, and the bassist is constantly rocking about his body rhythmically in tune with the songs. The guys love hearing perceptions of how they look on stage, and Ingerson is quick to admit that "I'm all about the energy. If a band can't deliver live, then it's not there in the music, then they're just getting up and playing. You have to push the vitality through the music and transcend the ordinary nature of making sounds."