Murfreesboro band How I Became the Bomb feeds fan fever

How I Became the Bomb

How I Became the Bomb

KNOXVILLE — For years Murfreesboro band How I Became the Bomb has been building its cult following, and as rabid followers of sci-fi, comic books and all things "nerdy," the group is ready to meet the demands of its audience with a slew of extra features and bonuses to keep fans salivating between releases.

As the band becomes an increasingly frequent visitor to Knoxville stages, The Bomb's fan-friendly bonus releases will likely also grow in demand.

Leading up to its last release "Deadly Art," a composition of the year's recordings, How I Became the Bomb released its material as it was recorded in monthly installments made available for free download through the band's Web site www.howibecamethebomb.com. Accompanying these tracks were also a number of videos. At the end of the year, these monthly episodes or "volumes" were combined into the full-length album composed of a whopping 16 tracks.

In 2010 The Bomb hopes to push the envelope of treating its loyal fans by posting its material in even smaller intervals, serving up content in its developmental stages. How I Became the Bomb hopes to provide a window into its process by offering clips of songs as they take shape from start to finish.

"I think the mini-albums were successful in keeping our longtime fans sated, as far as new material goes," says Bomb frontman Jon Burr. "I'm not sure if it actually did very much to raise our profile, as it seems people still desire to purchase or download larger chunks of music. I say this because we seemed to get more orders for the whole album than any particular 'volume,' as we called the mini-albums. I guess this shows that the current business model of the industry isn't completely dead.

"We really just wanted to do the things we wished more bands would do. We're in the age of 'special features' and 'bonus materials' and the like, and, since we enjoy such extras, we figured our fans might as well. I've always been the sort of person who enjoys the annotations of certain works as much as the actual work, so anything like that has always intrigued me."

In addition to finding innovative ways to delight current fans, How I Became the Bomb is also finding creative means of obtaining new followers. As a band with a penchant for all things "nerdy," The Bomb's sci-fi and superhero themed subject matter will find an ideal venue in an unlikely spot when the group begins performing at sci-fi and comic conventions on a regular basis. This decision comes after the success of The Bomb's 2009 performance at Atlanta's Dragon Con.

"We played Dragon Con last year and had a complete blast, so we hope to get on some more conventions," says Burr. "I think the subject matter we're into, both lyrically and sonically, makes us more palatable for the Cons than most bands. We're mostly nerds, and I'm using that term in the most endearing way possible, so we have fun at nerdy events."

How I Became the Bomb will also return to Austin's South by Southwest festival in 2010. Underwhelmed at the prospect of exposure provided by the festival, Burr says that the sheer number of bands makes it difficult to stand out, but still cites the event as a worthwhile experience. The Bomb may get more exposure in having many of its songs featured in upcoming independent films and trailers.

"We've been lucky enough to get some great licensing opportunities and, hopefully, that will continue," Burr says. "It helps keep the band going financially and lets our parents know that we aren't wasting our time. Our latest coup was having our ridiculous track 'Fat Girls Talkin' 'Bout Cardio' be featured in the trailer for the feature film 'Pretty Ugly People.'"

Thursday night How I Became the Bomb is set to take the stage at Pilot Light along with local band Cold Hands. The show is slated for 10 p.m. and costs $5.

n THE HITS KEEP ON COMIN': The Hits join The Pinstripes, Royal City Riot, 50:50 Shot and 7 Step Drop at The Longbranch Saloon Saturday night at 8 p.m. Admission is $5.

n THE ONLY ESKIMO IN THE TRIBE: Preservation Pub hosts The Only Living Boy Wednesday night. The show is slated for 9 p.m.

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