The Don’ts & Be Carefuls, Coming Into Their Own

Jenn Cohen | March 1, 2012 | 0 Comments

by Charlie Sullivan

It’s been a few years since I picked up on the Don’ts And Be Carefuls at a battle of the bands sponsored by Fort Collins’ Scene Magazine, (they ruled the night), and they’ve been on my radar ever since. Penning catchy earnest pop songs, these lads still manage to maintain an aura of independence.

Churning out their brand of electro/indie/pop, the Denver locals kicked it up a notch with the release of the Sun Hits EP, a collection of songs about relationships going south. The crew’s new music is moving away from their 2009 freshman release, Risk Assessment, and the unforgettable “You’ve Been Warned”, with its howling chorus, “Wo-wo-wo-wo-wo-wo-won’t!” I still think the song is the bomb. Check out “Defector” and “So Money” off of Sun Hits. The two songs transition smoothly, almost making them one long piece, and the catchy melodies had me crooning them through the day.

“We’re definitely infusing the music with more synths and taking it in another direction,” relays Casey Banker (vocals, guitar, synths). “We’re working with analogue synthesizers, more electronics, and guitars without distortion that have a clean disco sound.”

The Sun Hits EP showcases a band coming into its own, and recent performances reveal a band that’s starting to hit its stride. Together, they are churning out some of the finest no-restraint, danceable sounds on the local scene.

The founding fathers, Banker and Luke Hunter James-Erickson (drums), teamed up with Cody Witsken (bass, keyboards) in 2008 and they have stayed the course. The dynamic-duo of James-Erickson and Witsken has been providing a serious knockout punch as a rhythm section that’ll keep you bouncing all night. Mix this with Banker’s guitar playing and vocal agility, reminiscent of Chris Martin (Coldplay) and Ian Hunter (Mott The Hoople), and his vocals become one of the instruments in the band. The band has been through several keyboard players, though it appears the newest member, Paul Banker (Casey’s brother) is settling in nicely. “Paul’s been a great addition to the band,” affirms James-Erickson. “He has a great attitude and is incredibly talented.”

“We want to write intelligent music,” says Paul. “It’s harder to say something simple that connects to something and has meaning, than it is to say something that sounds cool but has no meaning or connection to anything.”

When they sit down for rehearsal sessions, Casey handles most of the lyrics and brings some chord progressions to the table. “We work through the progressions together,” he says. “It works out nice when we flush it all out together.” Witsken has also been an integral part of the song-writing process since the beginning, along with Paul, who’s been writing for a while, and laying down some demos that could help the band expand on its catalog.

“Live, we don’t want to rock you,” states James-Erickson. “We want to provide an enjoyable experience.” Affirms Banker, “It’s more fun to be a part of what’s going on than to watch it. We want people to come and have fun. Our goal is to get people up and dancing.” And dance they do. The band lays down their infectious grooves, and the crowd takes to the floor. The crew has been kicking up their heals primarily at Denver venues recently. Check out upcoming dates on their Facebook page, and while you’re at it, track down a copy of the Sun Hits EP and give it a spin.

“One good thing about music, when it hits you, you feel no pain.”– Bob Marley