Foursome the Rx Bandits first appeared on the national scene in the mid-/late '90s as part of a particularly promising class of Southern California ska revivalists -- literally. Band founder Matt Embree went to the same Orange County high school as members of at least two other bands that would rise out of the same scene to pop prominence: Reel Big Fish and Save Ferris.
Like their peers in school and in music, the Rx Bandits (originally
known as the Pharmaceutical Bandits), married a particularly beachy
brand of upbeat ska with hefty doses of bright new wave and rock. By the turn of the millennium, though, the group was turning away from subcultural constraints.
Instead, the Rx Bandits sound became further-reaching and more experimental, embracing many more genres (though most rock-based). This was a wise move that has allowed the band to keep going strong into 2011, which finds the band touring with a suitably mixed bag of supporting acts. The current tour arrives in South Florida next Thursday, July 7, at Culture Room.
For a taste of the band's live sound, below stream, via the band's Bandcamp page, its latest live EP, Live at Park Avenue CDs.
Rx Bandits. With Maps & Atlases and Zechs Marquise. 7:30 p.m. Thursday, July 7, at Culture Room, 3045 N. Federal Highway, Fort Lauderdale. Tickets cost $13. Call 954-564-1074, or visit cultureroom.net.
