The Click Five: Taking Asia by Storm!

I had — of  course — already heard some of their songs when I was asked to interview the hot pop-rock boy band The Click Five when they were here last week. I had sung along to their prior hit Just the Girl and even knew the lyrics to their latest hit single Jenny, so I was excited to get the chance to meet them and get to know more about the newest all-boy sensation that seemed to be getting bigger and bigger by the minute.

So I, along with several other fans and reporters, headed over to My Cinema at Greenbelt 3 last Saturday to meet the five members of one of today’s hottest pop groups and to say that I had only scratched the tip of the iceberg with what I knew of them would an extreme understatement. In many ways they were exactly what I thought they would be, but in many other ways they took me completely by surprise and were nothing like what I had imagined.

The first huge misconception would be that they are not, in fact, British! This was something I was sure I knew about them. From their sound to the look of their videos and photos, I was sure I was dealing with a hot act straight from the U.K. They looked and sounded very much like the modern-day Beatles, so I was quite surprised when they told them they were all from Boston and avid Red Sox fans (except for lead guitar player Joe Guese who’s torn between the Sox and the Rockies, having come from Denver… I feel you!). When I told them of my mistake they simply smiled and said it wasn’t the first time someone has come to the same conclusion.

“It wasn’t a conscious effort on our part to look or sound that way,” keyboardist Ben Romans explained. “It may have come out naturally, though, because we are influenced by our musical inspirations, one of which is, of course, the Beatles.” Indeed the band has several influences when it comes to their music, most of which hail from the rocking ‘60s — melodic rock bands like The Kinks, the Who, and The Raspberries. “We have a wide array of influences but basically power pop — which is our main influence — takes its roots from the ‘60s and ‘70s rock bands. It’s basically rock with good hooks and catchy melodies.”

And the band has translated this style with finesse and ease applying the sunny style of ‘60s rock-and-roll to the modern musical sound. Easily one of today’s hottest groups, The Click Five is steadily growing among the expanding list of “power pop” bands. The group is composed of Ethan Mentzer on bass and vocals, Ben Romans on keyboards, Joey Zehr on drums, Joe Guese on lead guitar, and newest band member Kyle Patrick on vocals and rhythm guitar who came into the group to release their sophomore album “Modern Minds and Pastimes.”

I  was really fortunate to be able to come into the group at such an exciting time,” Kyle admitted. “Even though I was the new guy to them we really came together right away and just hit the ground running to work on this album. It was a really fast process with almost everything getting done in three months so my adjustment period to the group was basically done during the work. Everyone was great about it, though, and I think we all really fit. The product of our combined efforts really speaks for itself,” he concluded.

To be sure, The Click Five has come a long way from their beginnings of learning about music while playing in a variety of high school bands, shifting from covers to originals, and from style to style. With Kyle as the new vocalist, the band has emerged with a more mature and refined sound and musically headed in a new direction with the single Jenny in the spring of 2007. The rest — as they say — is history.

“Our second album isn’t so much a deviation from our original sound,” Ethan noted. “It’s just more mature in a sense that we have learned a lot about music and performing and arranging since the debut album and we’ve been able to incorporate a lot of it into our new songs. We’ve basically grown up together both personally and musically and it shows in our new work,” he said. “It’s still the same fun rock and pop and catchy lyrics but with a more refined sound,” Drummer Joey agreed.

The title of The Click Five’s second album, “Modern Minds and Pastimes,” perfectly sums up the quintet’s raison d’être. An eclectic mix of styles dating back from the ’60s to the current day, the band’s prevailing sound is a product of multiple generations. It is impossible not to have heard their smash single Jenny, which is one of the most played songs on the airwaves these days. The band’s dynamic duality in style and substance is evident throughout the dozen power-pop gems in their sophomore album. And their fame is easily evident as well for when they played Jenny to the fully jam-packed audiences at TriNoma, Greenbelt and Alabang Town Center, every single person in the audience sang along!

“It’s been incredible here,” Joe said. “It’s our first time here in the Philippines and the reception has been amazing! We’ve really felt so welcome it’s been wonderful!” Kyle quickly added, “We’ve been awed by the warm hospitality we’ve gotten from the moment we arrived. Everyone has been so friendly and they’ve been constantly feeding us!” he laughed.

Not to mention the numerous fans that flocked to the Ayala Malls to catch their show. The Click Five opened their Asian Tour in TriNoma to a full crowd of over 10,000 screaming, adoring fans who sang their songs along with them. “It’s indescribable seeing all those people sing along to the songs,” Kyle said. “I can only imagine how Ben must have felt seeing the response to Jenny since he wrote it. They love that song.”

That’s actually another thing about The Click Five that I was pleasantly surprised to learn. Unlike many other boy bands that are simply given music to perform, this group works with their producer, arranging and composing a lot of their own music. Their work really is a collaborative effort and these boys are true musicians. The even met at the Berklee School of Music. “Creation is really important to us,” Ben explained. “To see a song through from the beginning — writing, arranging, recording, it’s the whole process that excites us.”

“Modern Minds and Pastimes” truly is a collaborative effort by the band and everyone they work with and when asked which song on the CD was their best effort they gave a variety of answers:

“I really like Addicted to You,” Ethan answers. “Ben and I wrote and arranged it over the course of a year and it grew and evolved. I like it because it surprised me and turned into something quite interesting. That whole creation process was enjoyable.”

Ben quickly added, “I’d have to agree with Ethan and say Addicted to You. That song I feel is more of a composition than some of the other tracks. And while I love all the songs on this album I feel that the music and the lyrics of Addicted to You are very layered, making it more complex and three-dimensional.”

“I think I’d have to say I enjoy I’m Getting Over You the most,” Joey said. “I really enjoyed working on that song. Every time I listen to it I’m reminded of how much I enjoyed the production process.”

“It’s really difficult for me to pick just one song I like,” Joe mused. “I really liked working on all the songs and my favorite is constantly changing. I just like being the band,” he said with a laugh.

“It’s strange you should ask that question,” Kyle continued, “because I was just listening to All I Need is You and I realized again just how much I liked the song. I like the fact that it has a good message and that the song itself is very upbeat and uplifting.”

Indeed there is much to look forward to from The Click Five. From promoting their album to shows in Japan, Korea, and Thailand among others, and even concerts with The Black-Eyed Peas, they’re all set to take Asia by storm and they’re very grateful to all their Asian and Filipino fans and to everyone who has helped and supported them from the beginning. “It’s been really amazing,” Kyle concluded, “and we’re really happy and excited for everything that’s ahead.”

So with a successfully concluded concert series at Ayala Malls — TriNoma, Greenbelt, and Alabang Town Center — the Ayala Malls have once again lived up to their promise of brining in exciting and fresh talent to entertain their loyal costumers and The Click Five certainly did that. Check out their sophomore album offering entitled “Modern Minds and Pastimes” available at record bars nationwide.