STS9.If you go• What: STS9 (Sound Tribe Sector 9)• When: 8 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 29• Where: Track 29, 1400 Market St.• Admission: $27.50 in advance, $30 day of• Phone: 423-521-2929• Venue website: track29.co• Artist website: sts9.comDiscography• 1999: "Interplanetary Escape Vehicle," "Sector 9 - The Brown Album" (live)• 2000: "Offered Schematics Suggesting Peace"• 2002: "Seasons 1" (live)• 2003: "Live at Home"• 2005: "Artifact"• 2008: "Peaceblaster"• 2009: "Ad Explorata"• 2010: "Axe the Cables"• 2011: "When the Dust Settles""They paved the road for acts like Bassnectar, Pretty Lights and Big Gigantic. I'm stoked to see them coming to Chattanooga as this is a first."- local STS9 fan Justin Casey
In most cases, the phrase "see a band play" is a bit of a misnomer. In the case of electronic gurus STS9, however, fans say the experience is distinctly audiovisual.
"They are one of the reasons that I became a lighting designer," says Justin Casey, an STS9 fan and production manager at Chattanooga-based entertainment production company Solid Rock Live.
"[STS9 lighting designer] Saxton Waller has been a huge influence in my career," he adds. "He's always pushing the technology and us[ing] the latest gear with their light shows. I have traveled around the country to just see their light shows. They are always inspiring."
STS9 - shorthand for Sound Tribe Sector 9 - formed in Atlanta in the late '90s and currently boasts a five-man lineup including Hunter Brown (guitar/sequences), Jeffree Lerner (percussion), David Phipps (keyboards/synth), Zach Velmer (drums) and Alana Rocklin (bass).
A purely instrumental outfit, STS9 has taken its dub- and psychedelic-inflected brand of electronic music around the world. It has headlined dates at festivals such as Wakarusa, Bonnaroo and Lollapalooza as well as appeared in support of major touring artists including Outkast, Bassnectar, NAS and Snoop Dogg.
On Wednesday, Oct. 29, STS9 will bring its show, lights and all, to the stage at Track 29. The show will mark the second appearance of a nationally recognized electronic artist in as many weeks, following hot on the heels of Big Gigantic's Oct. 18 performance.
The band's current string of dates features its largest touring production rig ever with "cutting-edge sound and lighting," according to a release by its publicist, Mitch Schneider Organization.
"The band is leaving no stone unturned when it comes to delivering one of the most visually stunning shows on the road today," the release says.
WTCI digital producer and electronic musician Tyler Pugh has seen STS9 play 16 times at venues all over the country. He says he doesn't think he'll be able to afford to attend the Chattanooga date, but those who can will experience a band with a super-tight rhythm section that exudes energy and variety onstage.
"There are many other electronic bands that I enjoy such as Lotus and The Disco Biscuits, but their shows aren't as dynamically impressive in my opinion," he says. "Electronic music is all about the build of energy, and many electronic bands, as well as DJ's, fall short when it comes to executing this.
"Most electronic acts turn the energy level all the way up to 10 and stay there the whole show. STS9 is really impressive on a dynamic level. They start at level 4 and build each song with effortless precision, all while feeding off of the crowd's energy to reach an explosive peak. It's magical, and there's really nothing like it."
Contact Casey Phillips at cphillips@timesfree press.com or 423-757-6205. Follow him on Twitter at @PhillipsCTFP.