"Singer-guitarist Peter Chance and keyboardist Laura Ogar are the core of The Novellas. Yes, opposites do attract. Peter is the manic front man prone to performing in the audience, Laura is the laid-back effects specialist with the knowing eye. Chance listens to a lot of SoCa (soul-calypso), Ogar listens to a lot of TV themes. What they share is devotion to serving a song and a visual acuity uncommon for musicians. (Peter is a director/cameraman during the day, Laura hobbies collage photography.) The band is rounded out by Mal Stein and Pascal Roche on drums and percussion and Mark Nixdorf on bass. True to the moniker, each song is a fully fleshed-out, well-choreographed short story. Whether evoking the sound and image of a huffing locomotive or exploring the paranormal, the Novellas establish ambience using prerecorded sound bites, synthesizer and esoteric instruments. Enter the Novellas’ secret weapon: the theremin, the instrument of choice for scoring 1950s sci-fi flicks. From what is basically an antennae, Laura summons everything from UFO sounds to ghostly wailing. Check out “There Goes Betty Again,” a tale of alien abduction with thumping udu and eerie theremin. You’ll expect Tim Burton to stand up and go, 'You guys want to play a gig at my house?'" — Peter Tahoe, wipe