Robbers on High Street Regroup, Rock Out at SXSW

Nine-piece band Gogol Bordello mesmerized the crowd with their gypsy-punk theatrics, newcomers Ganyngs mystified with their 23-member rock orchestra, but six seems to be the winning number for New York rockers Robbers on High Street.

"It's way more fun with six guys," says drummer Mikey Post before the band's SXSW show at Momo's Wednesday night (March 16). "We're like a gang. No one messes with us," singer Ben Trokan adds. And you can understand why, when you have six dudes together, things are bound to get crazy.

The group -- consisting of Trokan, guitarist Steve Mercado, Post, bassist Morgan King and keyboardist David Sherman and the finishing piece, tambourine, cymbal player Doug -- rarely gets drowned out on stage by another. That's just how good they are.
How good was proven as the band shot through a mix of older tracks from their last album, 'Grand Animal' and newer ones from their upcoming one 'Hey There, Golden Hair,' out in April.

The Robbers emit a sharp 1960s and '70s presence on stage. Perhaps it's their partial-bowl haircut and long, messy tresses or maybe it's Doug's long, blond beard, which the band jokes they're going to include (pieces of) in their new album for fans. Whatever it is, aesthetics, British invasion riffs and good, old jam-outs set Robbers apart from the pack who are all 'trying' to get that exact sound. It just comes so naturally to them. What you see is what you get.

The band, which formed in 2002, when Trokan and Mercado -- childhood friends -- started playing together, doesn't shy away from their drug use. As Trokan moves into a new song off of 'Hey There,' he reveals "This is a song called 'Crystal Run.'" "It's about acid yo," he says before thumping into the groovy track.

Off-stage, the band is comedic and, at times, mock one another, with each member jumping in to make their point known. "The band has changed," Trokan tells Spinner. "We sound a lot like we used to sound." Guitarist and founding member Mercado adds,"It's a lot mellower."

Even though they only have three albums under their belt -- in their eight-plus years together -- it was all worth the wait.

All six current members see the new lineup as one that will last a long time. Still, the band is mildly reluctant to answer why it took them so long to get their act together in between records. "It was a year of not knowing what the f--- was going on." Trokan admits. Drummer Mikey, acting as the level voice, adds in, "It was a lack of organization." Whatever the timeline, or how many albums are in their discography, Robbers prove that sometimes it's really the more the merrier in rock.