Red hot

Valentine's Day. A time for flowers, candy and the celebration of love in all its splendor. Some regard this holiday as a truly special one meant to celebrate love shared with a significant other, while others see it as a nauseating commercialized fiasco put on by big corporations trying to cash in on sappy consumers. Regardless, this year Bloomington folk can just use it as an excuse to go hear a few "red-hot" bands play. \nLocal band Jim Fix will open for out-of-towners the Red Hot Valentines and Ultimate Fakebook. \nFor the Red Hot Valentines, Thursday is the band's "unofficial holiday," an anniversary of sorts. \n"We played our first show two years ago on Feb. 13, 2000. This is our first time playing on Valentine's Day," bassist David Gerkin says. The band is kicking off a short Midwest tour tonight at Rhino's playing before the Kansas rockers, Ultimate Fakebook.\nThe Red Hot Valentines come from Champaign, Ill., or "Cow-Town" as the musicians refer to it. Currently a four-piece band (the group is between keyboardists), the Valentines consist of guitarists Tobin Kirk and Jeff Johnson, bassist David Gerkin and drummer Eric Humbert. The Red Hot Valentines started out at the University of Illinois, as a couple of freshmen with too much time on their hands. Since the band's inception in 1999, the musicians have put out a six-song EP and just recently released their first album (self-titled). For now, their goal is to be able to support themselves off of their music alone. \n"It's not a big thing for us to be famous; we just want to provide for ourselves and live comfortably off of making music," Gerkin says. Currently their day jobs include: Text Book Thugs (clerks at a college bookstore), Culinary Dough Specialist (pizza boy) and Temp Agent of Justice (office grunt).\nOf their influences, the band claims to be ever-evolving, listening to "a ridiculously eclectic mix of music." The Valentines have been categorized as a punk band in the past, much to their annoyance. "A lot of people try to put us in the punk genre, because our first EP was really fast with punk undertones. But we think of ourselves as straight rock," Gerkin says. The band also thinks of their style as not so much mainstream, but catchy, with pop resonance. For recent inspiration, songwriters Kirk and Johnson have been listening to the likes of Cat Stevens and Nick Drake. \nShows consist of all original music, despite the occasional Josie and the Pussycats cover. \n"When you're onstage, it's all about your personality and capturing an energy. I saw Ben Folds recently, and he's great because he does it all from behind a piano and puts on a great show," Kirk says. The guys claim to put on a good show themselves, usually drawing a respectable response from the crowd.\n"There are a lot of good vocal harmonies, and our sound is really guitar driven," Gerkin says. "We try to keep talking to a minimum at shows and play as many songs as possible, because people come out to hear the music."\nAfter finishing their current tour, the musicians plan to embark on other tours later this spring, opening for Duvall and Ultimate Fakebook. \n"We're all rock bands with similar sounds, so we work well together," Gerkin says. Through touring, they hope to establish connections in venues, build their fan base and get their music out to as many people as possible. Most importantly, they hope to improve as a band.\nAfter their set, the Red Hot Valentines can be found in the audience as fans watching Ultimate Fakebook, or at their merchandise table, where they talk with fans.\n"No one who comes to the merch table ever has anything bad to say about us. We like to just hang out and talk with people. We're not snobby or anything," Gerkin says. \nUltimate Fakebook will follow the Red Hot Valentines tonight at Rhino's. Bob Nugent, Rhino's youth program leader and entertainment booker, backs Ultimate Fakebook with enthusiasm. \n"They're all about the rock," Nugent says. "They have this kind of essence that a lot of '80s metal rock bands had. Just going out in front of everybody and rocking out."\nWith a sound they derive from influences the Replacements, Cheap Trick and others, guitarist Bill McShane says his band wants to rock out. \n"We're all about our live show -- that's where we try to put our best feet forward," McShane says. \nThe band hails from the college scene in Manhattan, Kan., and has since moved on to play a majority of all-ages shows. McShane says the kids at all-ages shows are a "million times better" because they generally go to listen to the music instead of drink and hang out with friends. \n"Our crowds are really not reserved. They just let it all hang out," McShane says. "It's definitely better that way." \nThough dissenters might say the band carries a sound that stays pretty close to the current nerd rock trend, McShane maintains Ultimate Fakebook's positive sound is needed instead of dark rock and roll on the airwaves. He says kids need music they can rock out to -- simple songs that carry a good melody, a trait he admires in recent breakouts the Strokes. \nUltimate Fakebook writes about many of the themes featured in the lighter hearted rock of the day -- girls, innocence and wanting to rock when you're a kid. He says he and his two bandmates, bassist Nick Colby and drummer Eric Melin, have wanted to play music for a long time. \nThis year holds some new developments for the band -- Electric Kissing Parties, the band's second album, is due out in March. Ultimate Fakebook also holds a few spots on 2002's Warped Tour after submitting music for the bill in past years without reward. \nThough he finds it sometimes hard to be away from his friends and girlfriend while touring, McShane says playing music is worth it. Besides, he says his girlfriend isn't angry about his Valentine's Day absence because they celebrated this past weekend.\nNugent has planned ahead, too. \n"I'm going to be spending Valentine's Day with my girl here," he says. \nAnd they all just might try to make it a red-hot holiday.