A lot of living since The Urge

People expecting to hear the ska and funk elements of The Urge in former frontman Steve Ewing's latest solo album are going to be in for a surprise.

Instead, "Last of the Dominoes" delivers a seemingly unblendable mix of electronic, R&B, rock and soul.

"We really went out of our way to do something different," Ewing said while traveling between shows in Columbia and Springfield, Mo. "What I wanted to do is depart from the Urge sound completely."

His 15-city tour promoting his latest album, which he produced, will bring him to Cape Girardeau tonight.

Ewing said people at the Cape Girardeau show can expect it to be high-energy. "It's going to be crazy, I can tell you that right now," he said.

The Urge, which was based in St. Louis, broke up in 2001 after releasing eight albums (three on major labels) and touring for over a decade. They experienced minor national success with the 1998 album "Masters of Styles" and the single "Jump Right In" that featured Nick Hexum of 311.

The breakup stemmed from creative burnout, Ewing said. Although all the members felt like they could just continue touring, they felt like they had reached a dead end as far as creating new material.

Despite going their separate ways, Ewing said he and his former band members keep in touch, and drummer John Pessoni has worked on Ewing's solo material. "We're like family," he said.

After departing the band, Ewing released his debut solo album "Here We Go Again" on an independent label in 2002. Several of the songs on the album were written while Ewing was still in The Urge, and because of that it had a similar sound, he said.

While recording "The Last of the Dominoes" in his home base of Los Angeles, Ewing consciously stayed away from any musical influences he didn't want to hear on his album.

"It's just different from anything I'd expect to hear on the radio or from what people would expect me to do," he said of his latest effort.

"It's definitely a rock album. It has a lot of funky sounds. It's almost like Peter Gabriel meets rock meets soul."

Then there are soul and R&B elements. "I couldn't not do that if I tried," he said of bringing these musical styles into his music, especially with his vocals.

Finally, the album also has "a huge element of drum and bass and electronica."

Putting these musical genres into a cohesive whole was like "putting square pegs in a round hole," Ewing said.

"I had a sense of what I wanted it to sound like, and it kind of evolved. When I went in [to the studio] I wanted it to be all electronic, like a new Kraftwerk. It just turned into this crazy mess of sounds."

The result, however, is something Ewing is happy with. "I am as proud as can be," he said.

Judging by the new faces Ewing has seen at his shows, other people also are happy with his music.

Since starting to tour as a solo artist, Ewing said he has noticed that the audiences are usually 50 percent Urge fans and 50 percent fans of his solo material.

"What I'm starting to realize is that I have new fans," he said, even though "there are still so many Urge fans that are expecting to hear Urge music."

Ewing does acknowledge those fans by playing a few of the band's songs, which usually goes over very well. "It means a whole lot to them," he said.

One change Ewing has noticed at his solo concerts is that there are more women in the audience, which he can understand. Although his solo music is still heavy and loud, "it is not as testosterone-based," Ewing said.

The Urge were a group of angry, young guys, he said. "We were really able to communicate with young people with that music."

Now, at age 33, things are different for Ewing. Since the breakup of The Urge, he has gotten married and has been living in Los Angles for six years.

"I'm older. I've gone through different experiences," he said. "Since the making of the last Urge album I've lived a lot of life."

kalfisi@semissourian.com

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