Out of a jam

When Transfer guitarist and vocalist Matthew Molarius talks, his voice doesn’t sound much different from when he’s singing onstage—one of those smooth voices that seems to always be carrying a tune.

The voice on the phone was definitely the one I had heard numerous times on his former band’s records—that former band being Ten Pound Brown.

Go back six or seven years and things looked quite a bit different in the Chico music scene. The words “jam band” hadn’t yet become dirty words as groups like Electric Circus and Puddle Junction played regular gigs to twirling bodies at places like LaSalles and the downtown park.

It was during that time that Chico’s beloved Mother Hips and a young five-piece called Ten Pound Brown were showing the influence of those bands’ loosely structured jams while incorporating a more succinct songwriting approach.

Then at the turn of the century things changed. The Hips began calling the Bay Area home before going on hiatus and Electric Circus and Puddle Junction both called it quits after a decade of performing in Chico.

Ten Pound Brown followed suit, relocating to sunny San Diego in 2000 and touring behind its second record, cleverly titled No. 2. After some personnel changes, the band reemerged in 2004 as Transfer, which includes Molarius and former TPB guitarist Jason Cardenas and bassist Jeremy Chambers, and San Diego drummer Michael Cooper.

After nearly a decade of dealing with ins and outs of being in the music business, Molarius still sounds like a guy who enjoys what he’s doing—and for good reason. The members of Transfer have found the warmer climes to their liking, having been nominated for two San Diego Music Awards and releasing their first full-length, Faded Signal, on their own Obscure Magpie Records earlier this year.

Not bad for a band that has gone through its share of drama.

The cracks in the façade began to show in 2003. Former guitarist Keith Barker was dealing with personal issues and Ten Pound Brown disbanded. The members went on to work on other projects, not an easy thing considering Cardenas and Molarius had known each other since fourth grade.

“When you split ways with people you play with it really rocks you to the core,” Molarius said. “We all kind of dove into this self analysis.”

Two months later, Chambers, Cardenas and Molarius got back together and formed Transfer, adding Cooper, who Molarius said “just brought a whole new dynamic” to the band.

With renewed focus, Transfer released two EPs and made a name for itself in the San Diego music scene.

For Faded Signal, the band worked with Alan Sanderson, who had his hand in Weezer’s “green album” and Slayer’s Diabolus in Musica. The new music retains the earthy qualities of their former band, but with a sharper focus on hooks and structure. The members have also traded in their T-shirts and jeans for pressed suits during live performances.

And things have steadily been looking up from there. Transfer has already filmed a video for the first single, “The Rest of Your Life” and recently appeared on MTV2’s “On the Rise” segment. The band also has a song featured on Playstation’s MLB 2006 alongside artists like The Black Keys and Dilated Peoples.

The band is working on a documentary and new material that should see the light of day in 2007. In the meantime, the members of Transfer will make their return to Chico this weekend with a performance at The Graduate—the place where they got started so many years ago.

But even as it looks Transfer may be on the cusp of success, Molarius says that the new songs and solidified lineup are making music fun again, explaining simply: “We’re writing material that we love and that we can stand behind.”