Investigation doesn’t stop songwriter

There are plenty of stories about rock bands annoying neighbors. But, while recording its latest album, the rock band Idaho was being annoyed by one of its neighbors.

O.J. Simpson’s house is right over a hill from Piercing Sound Studios, where singer and multi-instrumentalist Jeff Martin was recording the album over the summer, and he had to deal with helicopter noise and the buzz of the press at the ex-football star/murder suspect’s home.

The Los Angeles-based band, which opens for the Cranes at the Post Office night club, has been building a West Coast reputation over the last few years for a sound which ranges from an atmospheric tinkling with the guitar to an all out six-string assault.

The slightly raspy voice and intimate lyrics on Idaho’s new album, This Way Out, invite a scan of the credits to see if former Replacement Paul Westerberg is somehow involved. Sometimes the sound slides from somber to sonic blast so subtly the listener doesn’t immediately realize what happened.

Essentially, This Way Out is a creation of Mr. Martin. For Idaho’s tour, Mr. Martin recruited three musicians to join him in creating that fluid sound.