Buzzbox

Timbo Gutschenritter from National Fire Theory just had his first brush with the wrong side of the law: the side that subjects hard-working rockers to the wasted day of not getting selected for jury duty. National Fire Theory sounds official enough to get its members locked down on any jury, but Gutschenritter says he didn’t meet the attorney’s stringent requirements to be on the panel of peers. “They just picked a bunch of weird people that I thought they wouldn’t pick.” Kansas City music fans should have no problem picking Timbo and his drummin’ brother, Dallas, out of a lineup; they served years of duty in the melodic punk juggernaut Sunshine Vandals, but Gutschenritter requests entry in the witness protection program. “We’ve been together for about two or three months, and we’re trying to get away from that comparison,” he says. “We are not to be confused with the Sunshine Vandals. It’s totally different, more aggressive, and more complex than the Vandals.” Reinforcing the group’s advertised intensity as well as boosting its local rock cred is the fact that Season to Risk founder Duane Trower recorded its promo EP, which the band is shopping to record labels. In the meantime, the discs will be available at National Fire Theory’s upcoming shows, including a gig at El Torreon Saturday night that’s open even to those too young to serve jury duty.