Band Of The Week

Band Of The Week: Interstelar

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There are lots of bands out trying to do the whole stoner/sludge rock thing. Few can really do it justice. Enter Interstelar who can. Formed in 2010 in Los Angeles this group of guys have taken their influences of Kyuss, The Cult, Black Sabbath and mixed it with a bit of shoe gaze a la My Bloody Valentine. They released their debut EP in 2011 and are currently recording for a new release with Warren Riker (producer of Down 1-3). Musically they show how tight they are. The guitar tone is not so dirty that you can’t hear the notes, and the solos are intricate yet simple as to not take away from the rhythmic nature of the genre. The bass tracks blend perfectly with the drums. Vocally there are times as though Ian Astbury and Maynard got morphed into one. Their new track Hold It takes them up a notch and shows their craft as songwriters and has a bit more melody. Interstelar are one band in the genre that should not go unnoticed!

https://www.facebook.com/interstelarLA

http://interstelar.bandcamp.com/

http://interstelar.com/

By: Brian Lacy

Band Of The Week: (Damn) This Desert Air

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There truly is a great deal of great music that has gone unheard. In this day and age of DIY mentality its a shame that so many have to go unheard my the masses. Enter (Damn) This Desert Air, hailing from New Jersey. They were formed in 2007. They have a distinct melodic rock sound that is infused with space rock riffs and post-hardcore. Picture Quicksand, Failure, Hum, and Stone Temple Pilots all together. (Damn) This Desert Air have appeared on numerous compilations, samplers, tribute album appearances on both the Failure and Hum Tributes. (Damn) This Desert Air have had their previous albums/E.P’s mixed by Brian Virtue. Their most recent album Pyramids is catchy and infectious. The opening track “Hanger” is full of melodic hooks. The song “Slave” takes the direction of space rock and shows the more delicate side the band all the while keeping their hard edge. The album also includes a cover of Quicksand’s “Shovel.”

(Damn) This Desert Air have melded their influences into something that is loud and booming yet doesn’t take away from the purity of the songs. They are really on to something, and hopefully can make their way out to the West Coast for some shows.

https://www.facebook.com/damnthisdesertair

http://damnthisdesertair.bandcamp.com/

By: Brian Lacy

Band Of The Week: Anakin

There is a resurgence of solid atmospheric rock music. A slew of underrated and unappreciated bands from the 90’s are finally getting their due now. Failure and Hum are 2 that are constantly brought up as influences. It’s not surprising the impact they’ve had after listening to Anakin. Formed in Kansas in 2008, Brad Chancellor and Chris Rosenthal took their love for space rock and shoe gaze and created something with integrity and an artistic sensibility. In 2011 Anakin was approached to record a song for a Hum tribute album.  The duo released their debut album Random Accessed Memories in 2012 as well as the EP Emergency Broadcast System in 2013, both of which were engineered by Eric Graves (guitarist from the band The Esoteric…Side note The Esoteric’s album Subverter is awesome!).  Their new song Control Alt Delete from their upcoming album is chock full of the spacey shoe gaze that they’ve come to make their own. In all the songs Anakin has created the vocals and lyrics are honest and comforting with a layer of sheen to caress the listener. Musically the guitars pack a crunch without sounding too distorted. The rhythm section is tight and pushes the music as it should. The dense keyboards create the spacey and ambient sound without taking away from anything else. Anakin has found a way to pay homage to their influences all the while pairing them into a sonic explosion of melody and heaviness.

http://anakinmusic.com/

https://www.facebook.com/anakinmusic

http://anakinmusic.bandcamp.com/

By: Brian Lacy

Band Of The Week: Sidewave

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Hailing from San Francisco is Sidewave. Their music is best described as a cross between shoe gaze, post hardcore and alternative. Pretty much if you can picture Failure, Siamese Dream era Smashing Pumpkins, and Hum mixed together then you can get a glimpse of how Sidewave sounds. Their most recent release “Big Time” is full of lush sounds and powerful guitars and drums. the vocals are sail through each song in a soothing way as to not distract from the music. The songs “sundrop” “illusion of light” and “new attack” are quite provocative. Sidewave are the real deal with something to show and tell everyone.

https://www.facebook.com/Sidewave.music

http://sidewaveband.com/

By: Brian Lacy

Band Of The Week: Mossbreaker
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Every week, I keep coming across great music. This week is not any different. Mossbreaker is this weeks Band Of The Week. Hailing from Los Angeles, this 4 piece has been playing together since 2010. They have released 4 track demo as well as their “Separation Anxiety” 7″ which came out in early 2013. Their influences include Nirvana, Failure, Pearl Jam, Fugazi, Hum, Neil Young, Shiner, Led Zeppelin, Black Flag, Black Sabbath, Quicksand and many more. Mossbreaker has a great knack for incorporating melody and raw feeling into their songs. The 2 songs on their 7″ really grab the listener and does what any good 7″ does. It leaves you wanting more.  From their live videos, one can tell that their songwriting ability is grand. I’m looking forward to seeing what they come out with next.
By: Brian Lacy

Band Of The Week: Open Hand

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Open Hand, formed in 1998, and has been a highly underrated yet powerful band throughout their career. Their influences are scattered through the genres of rock though most can be found in the  post – hardcore music of the late nineties. Over time, Open Hand has  constantly combined genres and grew musically. Both their albums “The Dream” (2000 / Trustkill Records) and “You and Me” (2005 / Trustkill Records… co-produced by Open Hand & Paul Malinowski of Shiner) made serious impacts in the underground scenes. Extensive touring turned the rest of the world on to their live experience. It looked as though Open Hand were poised to break through. The group released “Honey” in 2010 on Anodyne Records after years on Trustkill Records. The record was co-produced by Open Hand & Hum frontman Matt Talbot, incorporated new styles and arrangements. Due to the label folding during Honey’s release, proper touring was put on hold. The band during this time  went from being a 7-piece, complete with back-up singers and keyboards, to a commanding power trio. As this new 3 piece, Open Hand released a 10 minute track titled “Mark of the Demon” in 2011 that encapsulates what has become of Open Hand. Now in 2014 sees the band ready to unleash new songs . Currently in pre-production is the long awaited follow-up to “Honey” The band are gearing up to release their upcoming album titled “Weirdo”

I’ve had the opportunity to see them live recently and Open Hand packs one hell of a punch. The new songs are great and translate wonderfully live. As a 3 piece they really have a full lush sound that blends perfectly into one another.

https://www.facebook.com/OpenHandRocks

http://www.reverbnation.com/openhand

Open Hand is:

Justin Isham – vocals, guitar
Erik Valentine – bass, vocals
Ethan Novak – drums, vocals

Hard Night:

The Hand:

The Kaleidoscope:

By: Brian Lacy

Band Of The Week: LIGHTSYSTEM

There must be something in the water in Los Angeles as of late. An influx of great bands have been coming out and revitalizing the artistic integrity of playing honest music that is self gratifying ,but also has the ability to connect with many others. Enter LIGHTSYSYTEM. Comprised of John Kyle (drums), Danny Byrne (Vocals/Guitar), and Jason Greenly (Bass), they have taken the atmospheric art rock sound to another level. There are pulsating drums, thumping bass and shoe gaze guitars that are reminiscent of Isis and My Bloody Valentine. Vocally and lyrically they almost connect automatically. The whimsical nature of the soundscapes pull you in deeper and deeper. Their album Lost Language which came out in 2013 is quite an epic. Songs such as Plurals, Time and Shape and Mirrors really drive in the notion of being epic. There is something to watch out for here. Lightsystem have what it takes to pull you out of the dark and expand your mind.

http://lightsystem.bandcamp.com/

https://www.facebook.com/lightsystem

http://www.lightsystem.us/

By: Brian Lacy

Band Of The Week: Ghost Idols

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Ghost Idols was created in 2012 with the intention of creating a sonic experience of all their influences combined. As a trio, Ghost Idols have crafted quite the wall of sound. Taking cues from Hum, Failure, and I’d even say My Bloody Valentine, the music and lyrics combined, take the listener on quite an excursion of heaviness and melody. The song Shrines really captures the essence of the bands sound. Back in May of 2013, Ghost Idols released their self titled EP. It is 5 songs full of chunky riffs, bombastic drums and fuzzy bass, all the while blended ever so delightfully with vocals. Be on the lookout for Ghost Idols.

http://ghostidols.bandcamp.com/

https://www.facebook.com/GhostIdols

By: Brian Lacy

Band Of The Week: …And We Are Them

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And We Are Them is a 4 piece rock/post-hardcore band from Los Angeles. They have taken their influences of Far, At The Drive In, Failure, Quicksand, amongst others to create an infectious sounds. Their vocals are crisp and clear really articulating the words. Musically their tight rhythm section holds down the driving emotion of the songs while the guitar has a chance to stand out in a way that doesn’t take away from any of the other members of the band. They are currently gearing up to release a new EP entitled Align. You can tell from listening to this band that they are in tune with each other and believe in what they are doing.

https://www.facebook.com/AndWeAreThem

http://andwearethem.bandcamp.com/

By: Brian Lacy

Band Of The Week: ÆGES
ÆGES is a Los Angeles based rock band that delves into the whirlwind sound of melodic rock and post hardcore. The bands dynamic songwriting and depth really shine through on their debut album “The Bridge.” Stand out tracks like “My Medicine” and “Southern Comfort” show their influences of Quicksand and Failure (two other bands that everyone should know about). This band is poised to breakout of the Los Angeles music scene and on to bigger and better things.

https://www.facebook.com/aegesband

Review by: Brian Lacy