Band Of The Week

Band Of The Week: Abloom

300x300

In 2004 there was a band that broke onto the Los Angeles music scene and turned it upside down. They had all the right elements of melody, heaviness, sultry sounds, and a live performance that rivaled any big name. Abloom was formed by Jasan Radford and Levon Sultanian of One Side Zero, Mikey Doling, Roy Mayorga and Marcello Dias (Who all played together in Soulfly amongst other bands). Now in 2014 they have returned in a revitalized form to decimate audiences. The first song they released back then was “What You Came For,” a great track with tons of emotion and intricacies. The other song released ” After That Quiet” has that genuine sensual melody mixed with sultry vocals, all the while still packing quite a punch. There are some other songs of theirs floating around the interweb, and its definitely worth searching out! During their time the first go around, I saw them at least a dozen times (I’m not kidding). They are that good!!

What  You Came For:

 

After That Quiet:

 

By: Brian Lacy

Band Of The Week: With Our Arms To The Sun

Image

The desert has a very interesting way of bringing out creativity from those that inhabit the area. There must be something in the air. With that in mind, I bring your attention to With Our Arms to the Sun, a rock band formed in the desert of Arizona. The music is full of epic moments mixed with modern electronics to create music that has substance and plays off the old “concept album” structure. You can hear influences of Tool, Isis and little bit of shoe gaze and space rock. On their most recent release “A Far Away Wonder,” the drums were engineered by Aaron Harris of the bands ISIS and Palms, and some songs feature a collaboration with film composer Jonathan Levi Shanes. The band describes their live shows as unique and emotional, bringing back the energy of the punk rock and grunge bands of the past who used to play to basements and art galleries. With Our Arms To The Sun are real in their approach to create music that creates an ebb and flow that play off your auditory senses and imagination. I’ve had the pleasure of seeing these guys live and they do not disappoint. They are a transcendent bright spot in a world that is lacking honesty and realism.

Cosmonaut:

Tessellation:

 

http://www.withourarmstothesun.com/

https://www.facebook.com/WithOurArmsToTheSun

 

By: Brian Lacy

Band Of The Week: 3 Teeth

Image

The use of electronics has become a focal point of many bands today. The problem is that most of those bands don’t use it properly. One band that really does is 3 Teeth. They have brought back the harder industrial/electronic sound that has gone missing. Their music has that old Ministry, Nine Inch Nails, My Life With The Thrill Kill Cult influence to it. Based in Los Angeles their music has everything that industrial should present, extreme aggression, heavy guitars and plenty of thumping bass. The guys in 3 Teeth have managed to add little bits of modern electronic music. Their debut album is 14 tracks of unrelenting heaviness. Songs like “Pearls 2 Swine,” “Dust,” “Dissolve,” and “Too Far Gone” are all stand outs. 3 Teeth are gearing up to take their music to the stage, I can only envision the amount of volume and energy these guys will put out.

 

By: Brian Lacy

Band Of The Week: Goldsboro

Image

In today’s musical climate its always nice to see bands take their influences and wear them with pride. A great example of that is Goldsboro. They take their love of 70’s rock, specifically Thin Lizzy and incorporate a good time vibe to it. This power trio are bursting with energy. Singer/guitarist Kevin Roentgen plays chunky powerful riffs while carrying the melodic nature of the song with the vocals. His voice is somewhat reminiscent of Phil Lynott of Thin Lizzy. Johnny Lonely takes the rhythm of his bass and dials it in perfectly with the ferocious drums of Chris Cano. Chris is a beast behind the kit. He also plays in another band featured here called Dekades. Since 2012 the band has been hand picked to open for Guns N Roses and have been highly endorsed by Steve Jones of the Sex Pistols. Goldsboro are part of a new breed to show that rock n roll is alive and well.

 

https://www.facebook.com/goldsboroband

http://www.goldsboroband.com/

 

By: Brian Lacy

Band Of The Week: Wild Throne

1526912_1429499573951421_1055910830_n

There is something happening with music nowadays. I’ve come across some truly great bands since starting this site. Adding to that list is a great band out of Washington called Wild Throne. This awesome 3 piece was conceived by friends Joshua Holland (guitar/vocals), Noah Burns (drums) and Jeff Johnson (bass). The end result of their music is a blend of bands like Judas Priest and Mastodon, mixed with 70’s rock, thrash, a little bit of prog rock and a dash of melody. As the story goes, while on tour the band caught the ear of famed producer Ross Robinson, and he took them into the studio to record their latest EP Blood Maker. Since the bands inception they have shared the stage and toured with Red Fang, Helmet, Kylesa. The 3 songs on Blood Maker are a jolt of life into the stale autonomy of the mainstream. The guitar riffs are heavy and rugged with nice subtle tones of clarity. The bass is dirty enough to fit in the sludgy thrash spectrum while at the same time complimenting the subtle clarity of the guitar. The drums pound hard and thump with aggression. Vocally the raw emotion coming from the voice of Josh Holland is real. Basically what I’m saying is Wild Throne is fantastic!!!

https://www.facebook.com/wildthrone

http://wildthrone.bandcamp.com/

http://www.wildthrone.com/

 

By: Brian Lacy

 

Band Of The Week: Barrows

Image

Instrumental bands are unique, in that they take you on a musical journey allowing you to make your own interpretation as to what the song is. Without lyrics to guide along, the listeners imagination is allowed to run wild. Which brings us to Barrows. Hailing from Los Angeles, this four piece band takes their brand of instrumental rock and throws in psychedelia, prog rock, and ambience to create a soundscape that is lush and full. The music is able to breathe and sways gently with the rhythms. The guitars are crisp and clear, even when the distortion is turned on. The bass simmers amongst the etherial sounds. The drums have a way of pulling you into each change with great emotion as certain parts are played harder than others. Barrows recently released their second album entitled Red Giant. The cover art is vibrant, just as the music that accompanies it. As the saying goes a picture is worth a thousand words. 

http://barrowstheband.bandcamp.com/

https://www.facebook.com/BarrowsTheBand

Band Of The Week: Obliterations

Image

Heavy music has some of the most dedicated hard working people in the bands. The music is not necessarily accepted by the mainstream, but the fans of the genre are die hards. Mixing their love of Black Flag and Black Sabbath, Obliterations have an unrelenting sound of fury and destruction. They recently signed to Southern Lord Records and recorded their upcoming full length at Studio 606 (Dave Grohl’s studio). The band is made up of current/former members of Black Mountain, Saviors, Night Horse and Pink Mountaintops. Singer/Screamer Sam James Velde has a raspy yet take charge vocal style. Stephen McBean’s guitar playing is heavy and crunchy with a very clean style of playing. Austin Barber and Flo Schanze are an extremely tight rhythm section that can explode and play blisteringly fast or in the laid back pocket. Obliterations have released two EP’s so far. Both are in your face with their driving force. Their sound harkens back to the days of real hardcore punk and heavy rock. Obliterations is part of the solution to the junk that is mainstream!

 

 

https://www.facebook.com/Obliterations

http://obliterations.bandcamp.com/

By: Brian Lacy

Band Of The Week: Digicide

Image

 

The resurgence of the “space rock” genre is ever growing and full of very talented bands. Florida’s Digicide is part of that pack. Having been included on a recent Hum tribute album, their debut album Far From Home stretches past their influences of Hum, Failure but also Deftones, Quicksand and Autolux. Jonathan Whittaker’s voice has the same charm as Ken Andrews, while at the same time a voice all his own. Larry Suglio does a tremendous job on the music. The riffs, are heavy yet full of melody and fits the space rock mold perfectly. Songs like “Anchors & Astronauts,” “Confines,” “Gated,” and “Hypothesis” are epic in nature. Currently they are putting the pieces together for a live band.

 

 

By: Brian Lacy

Band Of The Week: Machines Learning

Image

The 90’s sound of quiet to loud has always played a large role in rock music. The ability to take a delicate melodic part and transition it to a loud and heavy part takes the right amount of patience and creativity. Machines Learning have honed their craft of being able to do just that. Hailing from San Diego, California, this three piece band has taken their influences of Sonic Youth, My Bloody Valentine, Hum, and Sunny Day Real Estate and blended them into a powerful sound. Singer/Guitarist Paul William Balmer has a very subtle yet very textured voice that compliments the loud dirty guitars. The bass sound that Bradley Botbyl has borders on the 90’s sound and the more modern sludge of heavier bands. The drums are thunderous when it needs to be and understated when those softer parts come in. Machines Learning have released 2 exquisite EP’s, and from the sound of them , they are surely headed on the right path.

 

 

https://www.facebook.com/machineslearning

http://machineslearning.bandcamp.com/

 

By: Brian Lacy