Adjusting focus.

Chad States of FCS North talks about his band's techno-jazz and his search for a boyfriend

"You know it's pronounced `focus,' right?" Chad States asks. As the man behind the keyboards of Seattle's instrumental jazz trio FCS North, States knows the vowels missing from his band's name can confuse people almost as much as the guitarist and vocalist missing from his band's lineup. "We get treated strangely," States laughs. "[Promoters] ad like we're an anomaly."

In the town where grunge rock once ruled, the sophisticated electro-jazz styling of FCS North sound almost alien. But these days artists like FCS North are changing the sonic landscape. "[Our music] is unusual in Seattle," States admits. "Now we're fine, but before, we had to wait for bands to actually ask us to play with them." With their self-titled indie CD currently gathering impressive reviews, FCS North is breaking through. "We're getting great responses from crowds now," States says. "People are noticing us."

It's the recognition off the stage, however, that States didn't expect. "It was strange being in [the gay bar] the Eagle and being approached by a guy who said, `You're in FCS North, huh?' I thought, Who are you, where did you come from, and why did you know this ?" he laughs.

States, who says he's "definitely looking" for a partner, found coming out in Seattle's music community to be a nonissae. "I'm not dealing with the Limp Bizkit crowd," he says. "People are open-minded in indie music."

Breaking the news to his parents that he's gay was similarly hassle-free. "They're probably way more excited about me being gay than I am!" States says of his family's reaction, adding that he and his parents even spent this past Christmas volunteering at Lambert House, a Seattle gay community center for teens and young adults.

Whether it's with his family or with his music, States knows his experiences are not the norm, and it helps him keep things in perspective. "There are people who say, `Wow, I've never heard music like this before,' and I'll take that as a compliment," he says. "But I don't want to take it too far. I also know what's ahead of me."