Communicators honor Independence Day with a concert celebrating 'Merica

IF YOU GO¦ What: The Communicators present: That '90s Show, Red, White & Blue Edition.¦ When: 10 p.m. Friday, July 4.¦ Where: Rhythm & Brews, 221 Market St.¦ Admission: $10.¦ Phone: 423-267-4644.¦ Website: www.rhythm-brews.com.

photo "Team America: World Police"

If there were a tag line to the Fourth of July-themed concert by local cover ninjas The Communicators, it would probably sound like it was plagiarized from the soundtrack of "Team America: World Police."

Unfortunately, the lyrics to the film's theme song are hugely inappropriate, so propriety dictates that they be paraphrased:

"America, [you're great]! Freedom is the only way, yeah."

Those who prefer less censorship with their music can hear The Communicators play the unedited song - whose title is also too risque for print - and about two dozen other covers Friday night, July 4, at Rhythm & Brews.

"It'll be a lot of fun, John Cougar [Mellencamp] and Tom Petty kind of stuff," says Jonathan Susman, one of the ensemble's founding members and a drummer with local indie trio Glowing Bordis.

"There are so many different anthemic songs about America," he adds. "There's such a big catalog of those songs. It's about the celebration of 'Merica."

Susman and his Glowing Bordis bandmates founded The Communicators about three years ago. Its rotating membership is drawn from local bands, and the group's performances range from genre-themed shows to start-to-finish renditions of classic albums such as Beck's "Odelay" and Red Hot Chili Peppers' "Blood Sugar Sex Magik."

A good bit of Friday's set will sample the group's back catalog of pop, hip-hop and alt-rock favorites from the '90s, Susman says. In keeping with Communicators tradition, the show also will feature guest appearances by opening act The Power Players Show Band, a local funk/rock band slated to open this week's Nightfall concert earlier in the evening.

"They've done New Year's with us for the last two years," Susman says. "I can trust them, as musicians, to just show up and know what songs we'll ask them to play on and that they'll have their stuff together.

"They're professionals and solid musicians, one of the tighter bands in this city."

Contact Casey Phillips at cphillips@timesfree press.com or 423-757-6205. Follow him on Twitter at @PhillipsCTFP.

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