Narcoleptics says it wants to 'just play a song'

One of the first things a person who picks up a Narcoleptics CD might notice is the song titles are humorous, but offbeat enough to make someone wonder. With titles like "You Can't Polish a Turd" and "Kill Your Parents, Eat Your Dog, Do Drugs," the Narcoleptics are sure to spark interest.\nDrummer John Canal says that the titles usually have nothing to do with the content of the songs themselves.\n"We write these song titles just as something to amuse ourselves with," Canal said.\nUsually, the band comes up with the title before the song. On one occasion, this process took an ironic turn. "I'm not going to jail for you or for anybody" started off as just a title, but took on a new meaning when singer Marc Rosato was accused of being the Philadelphia Center City rapist.\n"We actually had that song title, and then the incident happened," Canal said. \nFor about four months, there had been a serial rapist in Philadelphia. For fun one night a few people, including Rosato and bass player Kevin Vicker drove out into Philadelphia. \n"Marc was so loaded, that by the time they got to city, he was drunk and passed out in the car," Canal said. The band left him and wandered the city. When they came back, police officers were yelling at him and showing him the mug shot of the suspect, swearing it was him. As a result of the false arrest, "I'm not going to jail or you for anybody" became one of the angriest tracks on the album.\nFast and loud, the Narcoleptics have a wide range of influences and styles featured on their latest album, "Monkey Steals the Peach." The band has been compared to Quicksand, Tool and even Nirvana.\nCanal said the reason for this is their vastly different tastes in music, which range from indie rock to rap to classic rock. What comes from all these influences is a blend of music that they never premeditated. \n"We were never that band that started off like, 'we're gonna be a hardcore band or punk band,'" Canal said. "We've just worked on it and kind of developed our own style."\nThis style caught the attention of Scot Gallop (better known as Scot Hostile) at Bloomington's ChurchKey Music. Impressed by the first track upon receiving their CD in a promo kit, he took an immediate interest in the band. \n"When I put on the record, 'You Can't Polish a Turd' blew me away, as well as anyone I played it for afterwards," Gallop said. "This band is incredible. They work hard and deserve all the good that may come to them."\nCanal echoes these positive sentiments about Gallop and ChurchKey. The concert promoter is bringing them to Bloomington to play in a basement in a house known as the Octopus Palace at Second and Park Streets. \n"The really cool thing about Scot and ChurchKey is that you go to the shows, and they aren't making much money, but they're so excited," Canal said. He added that playing in basements is like going to a party and hanging out with a bunch of people. \nThe Narcoleptics also make it a point to have fun and keep up a good sense of humor, as evidenced by their song titles. \n"We just like playing and we don't take ourselves seriously," said Vicker. Canal agreed and mentioned seeing bands who use the stage as a soapbox to preach about issues important to them. While he respects that people are passionate about certain ideas, he wonders why some people choose to discuss these things on stage.\n"It's like, 'You're in a band, what makes you qualified to say that?'" Canal said. Rosato agreed, boiling it down to one statement.\n"Just play a song," Rosato said.\n"When we're on stage, we just play," Canal said. "We're the band that just comes out and rocks"