What can we reveal to you about Glorybots? Well background wise, very little except that it is a solo project, seemingly, of a musician hailing from Seattle creating a post punk/gothic pop sound which had very little trouble captivating our ears.
Our introduction to the “ Dark Alien Pop” of Glorybots comes through new single Nomad, a brand new track very quickly released after the unveiling of a debut album last November called Dark Alien Pop. A hindsight listen to the latter reveals that Nomad is a rich echo of the goodness to be found within the full-length but also it brings its own new adventure and prowess in sound and imagination.
Keys immediately entice and intrigue as the track’s realm and climate is soon an open intimation. The other-worldly landscape in turn swiftly welcomes equally alluring vocals and it is their arrival which soon sparks of the song into full bloom. Enjoyably proving hard to pin down, the song is something akin to a blend of Muse, early Human League, and Dalek I Love You with just a tint of Bowie at times. That in itself is just a tease to the individuality of song and sound while hinting at why it’s swift captivation.
Nomad is a treat of a song and gateway into the music of Glorybots, a tantalising adventure band and listener can only prosper together from with its deserved attention.
Six albums down and Jupiter in Velvet continues to nurture fresh ingredients in a sound which just seems to grow and evolve by the release. The US bred, UK residing singer songwriter has persistently refused to make it easy to pigeonhole his sound and Beautiful New Day, his seventh full-length, has mischievously not made it any easier. It is a rocking stomping slab of rock ‘n’ roll bred on all the rich essences of previous decades whilst casting more than a few new ones of its very own.
Jupiter in Velvet adds everything from pop and psych rock to indie and electro rock to a classic/hard rock hearted sound, one also just as adept at grabbing metal hues as it is at being a punk. The latest album certainly bears classic rock inclinations maybe more so than previous encounters but with a hunger for any flavour and style which allows the contagion within tracks to truly roar.
Beautiful New Day opens up with Heavy Like A Brick and immediately gripped ears with insurgent strikes of guitar; their guerrilla scythes nothing other than pure temptation. That nagging lure swiftly breaks into a prowling swagger loaded stroll as the richly individual tones of Jupiter add their own swinging persuasion. A track which just tempts more and more by the listen, it is a web of seventies and eighties rock and pop lined with strands of current day devilry; a proposition unapologetically infectious though that instinctive contagion reveals itself to be even more viral like numerous times more across the release.
Next up, Can’t Get It Right is one such instigator; the song a mix of Bowie-esque, INXS infected catchiness with a roar in its breath and angst in its heart. Its controlled swing simply manipulated hips whilst the guitar sparked the appetite with senses stabbing riffs and sonic flames. A feral edge to its tone and catchiness added further magnetism before Monsters took over and uncaged its predacious pop ‘n’ roll. As with most tracks there is a mix of familiarity and individual enterprise which grabs ears and attention and like each, the song springs hooks and melodic tempting with the hand of the Devil.
From one outstanding track to another as latest single Metanoia grips the imagination next. An irresistible blend of indie pop and melodic rock, the track bounces in with a bold and catchy gait but one which only builds greater manipulation of body and appetite when it unleashed a blazing romp of a chorus that is something akin to T-Rex meets The Wildhearts. Again hooks and grooves entangle to tempt and enslave as vocals add their own thick persuasion to another of the album’s finest moments.
The diversity within the Jupiter in Velvet sound is no better epitomised than within The Day I Fell From The Stars and its electro rock bred, celestially shimmering serenade. It is a thrilling Bowie scented courting though which boils as its simmers become tenacious flames of guitar and emotive intimation, a tempestuousness rising up and relaxing throughout without losing the song’s intensity and invention before fading away for the attitude lined punk ‘n’ roll of U Can’t Beat Me. There are flickers of bands such as The Motors, The Stones, and Iggy Pop to a rhythmically compelling, sonically tempting romp which as all tracks there is no option of ignoring.
Across the blues kissed, hard rock bopping Spare Me and the swarthy, humid melody woven balladry of With A Whole Lotta Heart, variety and magnetism only further blossoms. Neither song quite fired up the passions as their predecessors yet both enjoyably lingered in the memory after providing a body sparking, voice recruiting companion; a double tempting even more inescapable with the rapaciously strolling Take Control though it’s surf coloured psych rock ‘n’ roll is in turn eclipsed by teasing lures of Kiss The Flame. It is a coaxing though which almost becomes carnivorous as the track expels its untamed and hungrily magnetic clamour with eager imagination.
The album concludes with out and out rocker Fight 4 Your Life, a track which embodies the inspirations and kaleidoscope of flavours not forgetting craft and fun which makes up the Jupiter in Velvet sound.
Relentlessly rousing, Beautiful New Day is old school, new day rock ‘n’ roll which simply and eagerly feeds what we all want; something to boisterously rock out to.
“Her spirit is screaming and blowing on the stage. She is the drums and her soul rises up through the sacred fire of music.”
This is a line from the Vaya biography on social media which sums up the creative and instinctive roar of the Canadian singer and band, and reason enough to find out more which we recently did with great thanks to the trio…
Hello and thanks for taking time out to talk with us.
Can you first introduce the band and give us some background to how it all started?
Victoria VAYA: Actual VAYA’s members Raphael, Philippe and me have met through this project step by step. First I met “by hazard” Raphaël through a “next door” music shop, when I had just moved into this area. The people talked about him, he is a good drummer so I contacted him. And Philippe joined us when the album was recorded and when we need to build a team for the live shows. I think he just answered to the music call. It was written. Then we are managing the stage from one year sharing the same powerful feeling for the rock music and eclectic colours if it.
RAPHAEL: Hi RingMaster, Victoria VAYA learned that I played the drums from a music store in Gland (CH). One day, she called me to record the first drums of VAYA. I never left since!
Have you been or are involved in other bands? If so has that had any impact on what you are doing now, in maybe inspiring a change of style or direction?
Victoria VAYA: Yes I was. It was totally different. It was interesting but I was always feeling that is not my all expression in it. It was good experiences for the studio record part than the stage but I felt not complete. Now with VAYA, I really have so much pleasure to express all that animal and mystical energy through sounds and rhythms: it’s magic!
Philippe: Yes, actually I’m involved in 4 different bands: 1 funk, jazz, fusion band, 1 country blues folk band, of course Vaya and I’m starting a new jazz, salsa, samba band with another guitar player and we’re looking for other musicians too. 4 years ago, I played in a Celtic rock band and a blues rock band too. It’s very different than what I played in my former bands and in my actual bands but it’s interesting to combine those different styles and I always try to adapt myself in every situations.
RAPHAEL: I have been involved in many bands before. Now, I mainly focus on VAYA. Meeting other musicians with influences from all over the world has always been a positive and constructive impact on my drums’ play.
What inspired the band name?
Victoria VAYA: AHAHAH I like this question. GOD? Or the Blow of it. As artists we just receive the flow of ideas around and translating it. So VAYA is the Legend of The White Wolf blowing on Earth. Ameridian people know more than us about the spirit of it but for sure it’s guiding and inspiring VAYA step by step. Something spiritual and for sure human.
Was there any specific idea behind the forming of the band and also in what you wanted it and your sound to offer?
Victoria VAYA: Specific Idea? I don’t know. We are guided between intuition, talent combined and lot of passion and work time. So our sound is colourful and the most important, authentic.
Do the same things still drive the band when it was fresh-faced and how would you say your sound has evolved over time?
Victoria VAYA: We are “Evolution” by defining human being. We are simply always bounded by sharing our musician souls everywhere in the world.
Philippe: Yes we evolved a lot, first we were more like a metal band, than we changed the style, we use more percussions and now we start by using keyboard and it brings a new sound of the band!
Victoria VAYA: OH VAYA has an interesting evolution and it’s probably why I’m stoked with it. 😀 The first step of the album was done with a French composer, then he has to quit and I have to continue. So arrived a Hungarian composer with a real good classical background and a good rocky spirit and he gave a lot of keys for the arrangements of VAYA tracks album. Then for the next step VAYA needed to find a powerful evolution to go on stage and it’s when VAYA met the volcanic Chilean blood of Sebastian, also with a real good academic background. So I mean VAYA is rich of differences and musicians souls
Philippe: When I was young, I was more inspired by hard-rock, heavy-metal, then I changed, I started listening, studying and playing jazz, after played more blues and now, I play so many kinds of music and I’m back to rock.
RAPHAEL: My drums are now stronger into the groove. I am happy about this, it is really for VAYA!
I have a nice memory of the recording of the first studio album. There was someone who directed the arrangements and told what I had to play. Sometimes, I had no idea what would be the final results! When I listened to this album, I was well surprised!
The live album is more representative of my own sound.
And that movement in sound and anything else has been more organic or deliberate?
Victoria VAYA: We still experienced things. No limits for music, it’s a big playground!
Philippe: Yeah, we always try to experiment new things, new sounds, new songs, new ideas, it depends in what mood we are!
Presumably across the band there is a wide range of inspirations; are there any in particular which have impacted not only on the band’s music but your personal approach and ideas to creating and playing music?
Victoria VAYA: Poetry of Jim Morrison, visionary as David Bowie, psyche as Jimmy Hendrix, sensitive as Bjork.
Philippe: I always try to adapt myself, to play and compose songs depending of the different styles I play in every band.
Is there a process which generally guides the writing of songs?
Victoria VAYA: So I am actually on the composing roots. Could be change never know, I always send ideas and people catch it for developing it, that’s the sharing part. No process. Sometimes it’s a drum that will be the first step, sometimes lyrics or a guitar riff or a keyboard song. I am receiving it and managing it to put all together.
Philippe: I think when someone has an idea for a new song, he or she brings it to the band, then we listen to it, we talk about it and then we try to play it together the best we can and everybody’s free to give his own opinion to change something, or to improve it.
Where do you, more often than not, draw the inspirations to the lyrical side of your songs?
Victoria VAYA: Everywhere.
Philippe: Sometimes when I’m home and I try to find something good, or when I’m outside, in the street, in the train or wherever, it can happen anytime in any places
Give us some background to your latest release.
Victoria VAYA: WOW, it will take too much time, just listen and discover our double album it will connect you to your deepest part.
How about some insight to the themes and premise behind it and its songs.
Victoria VAYA: Oh my Dear. So the biggest thing who’s giving to you power what is it? The law of Nature :)))))) Then second is: Human experiences/observations. And you do a bridge between them.
Are you a band which goes into the studio with songs pretty much in their final state or prefer to develop them as you record?
Victoria VAYA: Both of it. For sample Biscuit and Friends are born on studio record. The arrangement of My little curl too…So a mix of it.
Philippe: Actually, we went once to a studio to record altogether and now, we’re working on new songs for the next album, so right now if we have ideas for new songs, we record it on our own on the computer.
RAPHAEL: I’d rather prefer to go into the studio prepared to win some time (and some money). Sometimes it could be interesting to develop a song in the studio. The song BLOW is a nice example.
Tell us about the live side to the band, presumably a favourite aspect of the band?
Victoria VAYA: Absolutely: it’s being true and powerful for giving a real good travel to you guys! 😉
Philippe: The favourite aspect is when we’re on stage, with a good sound and with an enthusiastic audience, when we all have so much fun!
RAPHAEL: a live show that you will remember. The voice is so powerful, and without any light shows. I am always surprised that the audience is thankful and go back home with a smile.
It is not easy for any new band to make an impact regionally let alone nationally and further afield. How have you found?
Victoria VAYA: I am always surprised people liked our live show. First in Switzerland where we met each other; the public there is really difficult to “ seduce” with a new way of expressing music; but they liked the spirit of the sacred fire. And such a lovely warm welcome into our last East of Europe tour. It’s growing step by step but because public is really welcome and is clearly a part of our music, VAYA is continuing with them. I would like to take that opportunity to say again thank you for all your encouragements everywhere we have played.
Philippe: It’s really hard for every new band to get known! You have to keep playing as often as possible in many different places. And Yes everything can happen, if you work very hard, if you focus and believe in yourself and the band, great things can happen!
RAPHAEL: I have worked for years in order to meet the good people in the music business to get the trust in my projects. This is paying now.
How has the internet and social media impacted on the band to date? Do you see it ultimately as a negative or positive?
Victoria VAYA: So Raphael is probably the right person to answer to that question
Philippe: Sometimes things go right and sometimes wrong, it’s not easy!
RAPHAEL: One day, I put the band on Instagram and someone discovered us from Canada. Zolla Productions is now in charge of our booking in Canada. It takes a lot of time to manage the social media, but I think this is essential nowadays to show people the development of VAYA.
Once again our big thanks for sharing time with us; anything you would like to add or reveal for the readers?
Victoria VAYA: Come and share the sacred fire with us. VAYA VAYA.
Thank you Ringmaster!
Vaya are:
Victoria VAYA: songs writer, singer, drums and keyboard
Creating a tantalising yet portentous fusion of post punk and garage rock, Swedish trio Quantum Leap make their major entrance with a debut album which through its dark climes and apocalyptic tones makes for one hungrily infectious and enthralling proposition. No Reason, in the words of its introduction, “invites you to a heavy and dark feast celebrating the very last setting of the sun”, a beckoning as arousing as it is threatening.
Hailing from Uppsala, Quantum Leap consists of vocalist/guitarist/keyboardist Björn Norberg, bassist Andreas Hennius, and drummer Mats Gustavsson. With a diversity of musical backgrounds taking in thrash, death and black metal, electronica and pop, the three came together in 2014. A demo was released in 2016 after the band linked up with producer Tomas Skogsberg of legendary Sunlight Studios (Entomed, Refused, Backyard Babies, Dismember). That led to a contract with Swedish label Viskningar och Vrål (Whisperings and Growls), who now release the fiercely magnetic No Reason, the release again seeing the trio working with Skogsberg and featuring guest musicians in Lea Martinelle (saxophone), Rosa Kristalova (cello), Mattis Fredriksson (accordion), Daniel Söderberg (on modular synthesizer), and Janet Simmonds (backing vocals).
It opens up with That’s The Reason, a swiftly compelling trespass of post punk bringing an initial menace of sound before rumbling through ears on a rhythmically driven stroll wrapped in sonic dissonance. Norberg’s vocals, as strong and magnetic as the web of sounds around them, are soon accentuating the lure. It is a dark, suffocating, and invasively heavy confrontation but inescapably contagious with echoes of eighties bands such as Joy Division, Play Dead, and Leitmotiv to its rasping winds.
It is an outstanding start which swiftly aroused a keen appetite for things to come; one soon reinforced by the following In Between Worlds. It too springs from a raw sonic misting into a virulent attack, its swing eating at instincts and psyche with viral tenacity whilst spreading another exploration of stark, ravenous times. There is more of a noise infested rock ‘n’ roll attack to its post punk, bass and drums a rapacious incitement upon which guitars and keys spread a toxic glaze while escalating the infectious and fractious catchiness of the song.
With an even darker climate Blind comes next, the track a calmer but equally emotionally and atmospherically invasive proposal. It offers a more art/alternative rock spicing with not for the last time within the album a Bowie-esque hue which only adds to its persuasion before Yeah sees the band embrace a metal lined garage rock flavouring with matching success. The diversity within the band’s sound is in full swing at this point, each song revealing a new shade and flavouring to keep things unpredictable and intriguing. Trust quickly backs this variety up with its seventies psych toned dark rock. Though all uniquely different, the quintet of tracks so far all slip perfectly alongside each other, the alluring overall Quantum Leap voice uniting their eclectic characters.
The Fiction In The Daily Life bounds in with a mix of garage punk and heavy rock straight after; the excellent track swiftly stirring up attention and pleasure while Sea repeats that tempting straight after with its again Bowie reminding saunter. There is a definite Heroes like feel to the track which maybe does not lead it to impress as some of its companions within the album but only richly pleases within its fuzzy climate.
Through the bruising and hungrily rousing rock ‘n’ roll of All I Ever Wanted and the Bauhaus meets Wire like gothic/post punk air of I Don’t Know attention and enjoyment only escalated, both tracks unsettling magnetism while Dreaming taps a poppier gait to its darky lit romancing to equally attract. A bit like a blend of Modern English and Modern Eon with once more that hint of Bowie, the song entices from start to finish.
The album concludes with firstly the groove wired heavy punk ‘n’ roll of Mayday and lastly the senses consuming, imagination sparking sonic tides of Like A Memory From A Long Time Ago. With a melodic Skids like current ebbing and flowing in its infectiously sinister but thickly alluring ominous waters, it is a last entrapment for the suggestively impending apocalypse and another sepulchral proposal which is quite irresistible.
Quantum Leap have uncaged a debut which simply demands attention of the band and their dark foreboding layered sound…so stop reading and go explore.
Calling All Astronauts have been no strangers to attention and acclaim for their multi-flavoured and adventurously eclectic electro punk nurtured sound; albums and singles sparking eager ears and support with persistent success. They have inflamed the senses and zealous praise yet again with new EP, Influences; the London trio sharing some of their keenest inspirations in their own inimitable way. Thinking it was high time we caught back up with the band to talk about the EP, a new album and plenty more, we had the pleasure of grabbing some of vocalist David Bury’s time….
Hi and welcome back to The RingMaster Review.
It has been almost two years since we last talked with you, around the release of your album Anti-Social Network. Could you bring us up to date with all things CAA?
We released loads of singles from Anti-Social Network, all of them were really well received, as per usually we did loads of remixes and our ubiquitous low budget videos. We actually wanted to release every track as a single, but in the end didn’t want to be accused of flogging a dead horse, so there are still some absolute gems, that only people who bought the album will know
You have just released the Influences EP made up of a quartet of covers. What was the spark to its idea?
We started writing our next album early last year, however, my wife and I (David) had our first baby in August, so time was kind of against me, but we really wanted to release something new, so we thought it would be a good idea to record versions of four tracks, this then evolved into the idea that we’d make it a “Quadruple A-Sided” single, so we made videos for all four tracks, and had them staggered two weeks apart on the streaming sites and YouTube, having to send promo out on four releases two weeks apart has been crazy, and really not something I would recommend to anyone J
Would you talk a little about each track for those yet to hear the release?
First of all is a drum and bass meets metal version of Gary Numan’s (Tubeway Army) Are ‘Friends’ Electric?, we managed to get synth sounds that are quite similar to the original, but it’s now at 176PBM, with noisy guitars all over it, next is a stripped down version of T-Rex’s Metal Guru, we’ve really slowed it down, to an atmospheric post-industrial type sound, thirdly we’ve taken on the legend that is David Bowie, and put own stamp on his song Scary Monsters; far be it from me to say our version rocks more than the maestro’s original, but you can if you want J, and last but definitely not least, we’ve absolutely brought Deep Purple’s Smoke On The Water screaming into the 21st Century, it’s like Skinny Puppy, Rammstein, Ministry all rolled into one, according to the reviews; I’m not sure it is, but I’m happy if that’s what people are saying.
Many bands play covers but most just seem to approach them in the same way the original artists did and maybe hope their own sound comes across. You seem to have gone far deeper into the songs and taken the CAA imagination to certain aspects; the result tracks which are as much yours as their creators. How did you approach each track and decide what way to go with them?
We approached them exactly like we do when we are writing our songs; we kind of got an idea of how we wanted to do them, started off with drum patterns and then layered everything on top of the drums, we didn’t really have any trouble with any of them, the fill before the verse on Scary Monsters was a bit of a challenge, but I came up with that kind of dubstep drop and it all came together nicely.
Obviously the theme to the EP is in its title but in its case is it the songs which were primarily the influences or the artists, and if the latter why these particular tracks from their arsenal of persuasion?
I think it was a bit of both; they are four artists that we liked as kids, and still as adults, in fact Gary Numan’s two most recent albums are awesome, I can’t recommend them strongly enough. I was a big T-Rex fan as a kid and regularly drive past the spot where Marc died; there are so many of his songs to choose from, we wanted to pick songs that we liked but were not too obscure, you know. If we’d done Fad Gadget, Cabaret Voltaire, Japan and Psychedelic Furs tunes, they would still have sounded like us, but only people of a certain age would know the originals, so we picked four tunes, we felt had been significant to us that other people would know.
For us it was a brave move to take on four not only well-known but legendary tracks which virtually everybody knows and so many reveres. It has obviously proved a great move as fan and critical praise has quickly gathered but did you have any doubts at any point in taking on such classics?
We did obviously worry that we could face a backlash, or just get dismissed as, “another rock band doing covers” but after finishing them, we felt that we had, as they say on TV talent shows, made them our own, however unlike TV talent shows, I don’t think we have ruined any of them, I hope we have given a modern flavour to them, that will hopefully make some of our listeners revisit or even visit for the first time the artists that original wrote and recorded these songs.
Has the buzz, support, and acclaim for the EP surprised you in its swiftness and richness?
It’s truly been astonishing, we have honestly never done so many interviews before on any release, I’m feeling there isn’t the stigma associated with covers that there used to be (The Dickies excepted); people seem to have embraced it in the spirit that it’s intended, and for that we are very grateful.
Was there any specific intent in unveiling the four tracks within Influences one by one over a handful of weeks rather than as a single entity?
The original idea was to just release it as an EP, but when we got them back from Max, our mastering engineer, we were like, these are just too good to promo as a group; tracks are going to get lost. We thought it would be a shame if that happened, so we came up with the idea of 5 different release dates, 1 for each single and a final one for the EP as a whole, I’m glad we did it this way, because different DJs have had different favourites, so we’ve ended up getting an amazing amount of radio play
Tell us about the videos accompanying each song.
Here we are, confession time, as you know we have very small budgets, so we commissioned two of the video’s on Fiverr, the Scary Monsters lyric one and the Smoke On The Water one; for Scary Monsters, we just sent her the lyrics, told her we’d like it to be scary, paid her $12 and that’s what she came up with. The SOTW one, cost a little more, $30 I think, we gave the director carte blanche to do what he wanted and what he came back with, though quite surreal, works perfectly. Are ‘Friends’ Electric? was a little different. We have a friend called Stevie Mac, he makes animations for video games. He had a short story of around 90 seconds that he’d done, that wasn’t owned by any of his employers. He kindly said we could use it, so I cut it together with royalty free footage that Paul found online. Metal Guru is a whole other story. A Twitter friend of ours in Texas offered to make us one for Metal Guru, he was making a stop animation video for us but as release date loomed it became obvious he wasn’t going to get it done in time, so he came up with this one. He did go back and re-edit it as there where a few scenes towards the end that were quite disturbing, but all in all to come up with four videos for less than fifty quid, is a right result J
Was there anything about recording the EP which was more difficult than creating your own music?
I wish I could say there was something, but Paul and J are such accomplished musicians, they got their parts down really quickly and everything just fit into place. The mixing is always the hardest part for us, because we always have bass, kick drum, sub bass and bass synth sitting in the same part of the audio spectrum, so a lot of use of lo-pass and hi-pass filters is always needed.
Is there a possibility of an Influences Part 2 in the future?
Without a shred of a doubt, we will revisit this; we’ve just had so much fun with it. Don’t ask me when, there’s album three to finish first
Any hints to songs or bands which might be considered, I know you guys have eclectic tastes and inspirations.
We have tried a lot of other songs; we did Adele’s Someone Like You [but] my vocal was so out of tune, I cried with laughter’ I’d like to cover some things that nobody would ever expect us to, maybe The Shirelles’ Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow? or The MVPs Turning Your Heartbeat Up. Who knows, we will just have to wait and see.
As you mentioned, the band is working on their third album. How is that actually coming along and have you a timescale to its release?
We have 16 songs so far in various stages. It’s sounding enormous, and as eclectic as you would expect from us; it goes from drop D metal circa Lamb Of God to expensive anthems almost reminiscent of early Simple Minds. The 16 songs we have so far will probably not all end up on the album; we will undoubtedly write some more, amalgamate some of them, and probably save some for singles B-Sides
I also heard there could be a release for a previously unreleased album from J’s previous band Caffeine on your label, Supersonic Media; could you tell us more?
They had a couple of albums which are now on Supersonic from when they were touring with the likes of The Offspring, AFI, New Found Glory etc. Alain their original single left and the recruited Scott who is now in the Candle Thieves, they recorded an album with Andy Hawkins from Midget producing. It’s a fantastic album that never got released; it’s quite reminiscent of Jimmy Eat World or Alkaline Trio. For fear of sounding like Trump, it really is fantastic, super, terrific, maybe it’ll do well in Mexico J
Our big thanks David for taking time out to come chat with us; anything you would like to add?
Repetitiously providing some truly striking times with their own songs, UK trio Calling All Astronauts do it again by giving an insight into the sounds and artists which have lit their individual fires through their new release, the Influences EP. Offering four tracks simply echoing the EP title, the threesome of vocalist/programmer David B, guitarist J, and bassist Paul McCrudden take on four highly familiar, indeed legendary songs with their instinctive imagination and sound. The result is a hell of a lot of fun and a release which pays enterprising homage in unique style.
West London based, Calling All Astronauts create a fiery mix of alternative rock, electro punk and numerous other flavours in a sound which is truly individual to the band. The question for us when news of their new release broke was would it transfer to songs which pretty much everyone knows and so many idolise and more so could they give them a new character rather than just replicate like so many bands do with covers. The answer was soon escaping the speakers with pretty much a loud vocal yes. Certainly the band has not dissected and reassembled the songs in their own ‘image’ but each has been given a deep makeover which sparks the imagination.
Described as more of a quadruple A-side single, Influences opens up with a glorious version of Tubeway Army’sAre ‘Friends’ Electric?. From its first breath there is a sense of urgency to the track if one initially restrained. When it does free its shackles, it brings a drum and bass meets metal contagion to its zealous stroll, though keys still shimmer with the original’s elegant yet melancholic gait; the contrasting attacks perfectly merged by CAA in one delicious encounter. You cannot say that the band has eclipsed Gary Numan’s creation but they have certainly given it a new energy and breath which deserves to be pushed as a full standalone single.
Following it is a take on the T-Rex classic Metal Guru. Here CAA has taken the essences of the song and immersed them in their own atmospheric invention. Whereas they pumped up the first, its successor has been slowed to allow its shadows and dark shades to dance with the imagination. We will admit that at first the song did not quite catch with ears but over time it has made a compelling persuasion and will surely emerge as a favourite for a great many within the release.
With a song like Scary Monsters it is hard to redesign what is an almost perfect template so CAA don’t but they do inject Bowie’s gem with their own dark intent and electro instincts to elevate its raw captivation and rock rabidity resulting in another thumping slice of rock ‘n’ roll with a fresh tang and organic energy where shadows seem even more alive.
Finally the release sees CAA give an electro/post punk work out for Deep Purple’sSmoke On The Water. To be honest this is a song which never lit our fires but CAA have more then made it far more palatable with the flames of J’s guitar searing the growl of McCrudden’s bass and the electronic infused punk ‘n’ roll both court.
We always love to hear influences taken on by artists, a treat which seemed to grace many a B-side back in the day, just a shame so many do not try to bring something of themselves to them just as Calling All Astronauts have magnetically done.
The Influences EP is released March 30th via Supersonic Media.
There is an increasingly mighty roar coming out of California and it goes by the name of Swirl. This is a band really beginning to make a vocal name for themselves with their multi-flavoured, hard rock fuelled fusion of rock and metal. Welcomingly given the opportunity to get to the heart of the band with Swirl creator and guitarist Duane “DT” Jones, we talked beginnings, songwriting, successes and plenty more….
Hello and thanks for taking time out to talk with us.
Hello to you too. This is ‘DT” guitarist and founder of the band Swirl out of Southern California. Thank you for your interest in Swirl! We are always grateful to anyone taking an interest in what we do.
Can you first introduce the band and give us some background to how it all started?
I started the band in the Pacific Northwest in a town called Mukilteo, Washington. I had 3 other members than the current line-up; we rehearsed, wrote songs and made plans to record our debut in Santa Monica, CA. About a week before we were to leave I got a call from the drummer saying he wasn`t going to make the trip. I called my brother, Brian “Bam Bam” Jones who was playing in a band in Arizona at the time and asked him to come out to California, learn the songs and track drums to which he was all too happy to help out. That version of Swirl toured the US and Japan on a full length release titled Out Of Nowhere that was produced by former Quiet Riot and now RATT guitarist, Carlos Cavazo with former Rough Cutt bassist Matt Thorr engineering or producing tracks as well.
After those tour dates finished the band parted ways with the original singer and touring bassist. By then Brian had moved to California so I joined him there. I was introduced to current Swirl singer Alfred Ramirez and bassist Shane Carlson by former Dio keyboard player Claude Schnell who was looking to produce a demo for a band they had, however they had parted ways with their guitar player and Claude asked me to write with them so he and I could get into a studio together. After a few writing sessions we decided to go play the songs live and it was there that a friend pointed out to me that Alfred would sound really good singing Swirl songs so I asked him to go into a studio with Cinderella drummer Fred Coury and I. The end result of those sessions were the two songs Mad Disease and Time To Fly with the latter being particularly well received so tour offers followed. The natural choice was then Shane Carlson and we have been together ever since. 2018 will mark the 10 year anniversary of this line-up for Swirl.
Have you been or are involved in other bands?
My only involvement with other bands was the above mentioned writing project that introduced me to Alfred and Shane as well as one other band in California that hired me as one of their touring guitarist for a self-produced disc. That was actually my first ever “bus tour”. Actually it was a converted mobile home, but still I got the rock star treatment on that tour. It was fun, but the band broke up. As that band had already recorded their disc when I joined and there were no writing opportunities I can`t say it had any influence on my writing direction, but it was a great series of lessons on things to not do when running a band.
What inspired the band name?
Usually one look at a picture of the band is all it takes to answer that question, but it goes deeper in that we all have different nationalities and personalities that come to together to create the Swirl music.
Photo by Neil Zlozower
Was there any specific idea behind the forming of the band in what you wanted it and your sound to offer?
No particular theme to starting the band. I just wanted to play in a rock band that wrote songs good enough to share stages with my idols. Some of those goals have been accomplished!
And that same intent drives the band?
Absolutely! At the end of the day we enjoy what we are doing and are hell bent on capitalizing on the success Swirl has had to date. We are not where we want to be, but clearly we are on our way. The crowds are getting bigger, the stages are getting bigger and the bands we have opportunities to work with are larger, more well know bands as well.
Since your early days, how would you say your sound has evolved?
While I am an 80s metal head guitarist at heart I have adapted my playing to a more modern approach when it comes to writing and guitar tones. I guess the best way to think of it is “what if you took a band like Shinedown, Seether, or FFDP and put a guitarist like Jake E Lee, Warren DeMartini or George Lynch in it.
As for the reason for the evolving sound?…The credit for that goes to Brian who wanted to push the music in a more modern direction, but knew I was still going to be me on guitar and have those moments. Our first attempts at this proved very successful with a self- produced EP titled SWIRL that wound up with 3 songs being featured in a full length, 2 time award winning film called Ditch Day. Those songs are Rise Up, Spell, and We Are Alive. That movie is now out in 6 countries with more to follow. Another indicator that Swirl made a smart move in terms of musical direction is the incredible social media success we have enjoyed while being an independent band. We have a very strong online presence.
Has it been more of an organic movement of sound or more the band deliberately wanting to try new things?
The change was very deliberate and I had to do my homework in listening to bands that normally I would not have given the time of day to, just to get a feel for what was going on with the guitar playing and production. I fought it at first, but in the end decided it couldn`t hurt to try. I am so glad I was open to the idea.
Presumably across the band there is a wide range of inspirations; are there any in particular which have impacted not only on the band’s music but your personal approach and ideas to creating and playing music?
Well I already touched on my 3 biggest influences on guitar and yes all four of us have very different influences that we bring to Swirl. Shane is the most “metal” of us all with his influences being bands like Korn and Metallica while Alfred cites David Bowie or Billy Idol as biggest influences for him. For Brian and I we started off as KISS fans, but he went in the direction of Rush and various jazz drummers.
For myself when producing Swirl music I lean a lot on Shinedown or Seether for production and “ear candy” ideas, but since I am not the only one working to produce/ mix the songs I am sure the other guys have their influences well represented in the final product that you hear from Swirl.
Is there a particular process to your songwriting?
Normally we start with a guitar idea that is almost a complete song then I get together with Brian to work on the arrangement before presenting it to Shane and Alfred who then add their influences to the arrangement and of course the vocals. Alfred creates them almost exclusively.
Where do you, more often than not, draw inspirations to the lyrical side of your songs?
“I would like to start by saying that when I write lyrics it’s usually tied to a personal experience of mine or one that I have witnessed in the world we live in. I also feel what’s most import is not so much what my lyrics mean to me, but more importantly what my lyrics mean to the listener. I want the listener find their own story within the lyrics. To me that means the listener can interpret and apply them in any way they choose.”- Alfred Ramirez
Give us some background to your latest release.
The Lift is a departure in some ways from the typical writing pattern for Swirl songs and given the new heights of success we are having with it this may become the way we do things going forward. Again I had the basic structure and worked on the arrangement with Brian, before bringing it to Alfred and Shane. However Alfred and I had a separate writing session to make changes to the verse and bounce other ideas off each other. Then we got back together as a band and went from there.
During the final mix sessions Shane Carlson made some more brilliant suggestions to improve the song to let it become what you hear from us now.
As Alfred is the songwriter he sets the tone for the theme of the songs. If there is one constant I have noticed when I look at the reviews we get it is that the bands “message” is a positive one. A lot of life affirming, motivational and inspirational themes go into his work and I am very happy about that. I am pretty positive person most days!
Here are some samples of reviews we have received whether they are for The Lift single…
“…everything possesses a joyous, downright celebratory spirit…the track positively teems with life”- Skope Magazine
or the SWIRL EP
“An uplifting vibe…” The Happy Headbanger
“After listening to Swirl in its entirety it has lifted me up mood wise!!”- Metal Temple
“…if you are looking for a really sweet hard rockin’ melodic band that will have you humming along and singing with the CD in just a few listens than make this new SWIRL release yours. 9/10 Stars”- The Examiner
Give us some insight to the themes and premise behind it and its songs.
“What The Lift means to me is that we all need help sometimes, be it an emotional lift or a physical lift. We shouldn’t be afraid to ask for help when we need it. We also shouldn’t be afraid to offer to help when were able to. We are all on this planet together and we are all connected, so let’s help one another.
My personal Lift was given to me by “The Minor Goddess” who lifted me out of a depressed and stressed out anxious time in my life. Thank you MG! “Your words will always stay with me “. – Alfred Ramirez
Are you a band which goes into the studio with songs pretty much in their final state or prefer to develop them as you record?
We like to have the song pretty much done by the time we go into the studio so we can be more efficient with the recording process, but of course we leave room for those “happy accidents” that happen when tracking that are unique to a session.
One of the unique things about the sessions for The Lift is the process we used to get into the studio. We were introduced to producer Emad Alaeddin at Granted Records by Ditch Day producer Megan Waters. He suggested the band use “crowd funding” to cover the cost of the sessions. This was a first for the band and it was very successful. As an unsigned band who happens to be self- managed as well as our own booking agents we wear many hats to make Swirl the known name that is it becoming. Our fans are our record label and they decide how often we make new music and release videos or tour. We weren`t sure what to expect, but with this first attempt and the success of the campaign (we had enough money donated to book our first session in just 48 hours of activating the page at https://www.gofundme.com/launch-new-music-by-swirl-the-band ). The page will remain active. To be clear we are not opposed to record labels, management or booking agencies….we just refuse to wait on one to discover the band when we can get our music and band out to the people who support us!
Tell us about the live side to the band, presumably the favourite aspect of the band?
We are a band that thrives on stage! We love being out there. Swirl is a high energy show with emphasis on the word “show”. There is always “someone doing something”. It`s actually the only way the band “fights”….we fight for the attention of the audience and are quick to let the others know who won the night after our set. It`s all in good fun and ultimately the audience is the winner.. We have been able to tour with established bands like RATT, Cinderella, Extreme, Red Dragon Cartel, LA Guns, Lynch Mob, and Slaughter just to name a few. We also headline shows in Southern California. In fact the first stop on “The Lift” tour will be in Hollywood, CA at the Whisky A Go Go on Saturday February 3, 2018.
It is not easy for any new band to make an impact regionally let alone nationally and further afield. How have you found it your neck of the woods? Are there the opportunities to make a mark if the drive is there for new bands?
We firmly believe that you create your own luck so yes you can make your mark. The real question is how bad do you want it? We are, have been and remain hungry to succeed! We were recently listed by Gerry Gittleson, a writer for Metal Sludge in Los Angeles as one of three local bands that actually draw a crowd when we play.
Another way Swirl has separated itself to a degree is getting involved in licensing our music into movies and television. For example Swirl has 3 songs in the 2 time award winning Ditch Day movie that stars Emmy award winner Bill Oberst Jr. The songs are Spell, We Are Alive and Rise Up (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6_RhbgL5Cv0&t=11s ). So far that film is available in 6 counties. We are working on more licensing deals for our music from the SWIRL EP as well as The Lift.
How has the internet and social media impacted on the band to date? Do you see it as something destined to become a negative from a positive as the band grows and hopefully gets increasing success or is it more that bands struggling with it are lacking the knowledge and desire to keep it working to their advantage?
I have no complaints about social media! Swirl is doing very well with it. We also spend quite a bit of time and effort marketing our band globally. Again it`s a how bad do you want it situation. We didn`t wake up knowing what we know and have made mistakes along the way, but we learn, we grow and we apply lessons to the next venture for the band whether its online, in the studio or on stage.
We have been able to reach people that would otherwise have had very little chance of discovering our music so we are very grateful for social media. It is a big part of the music business now and I don`t see that changing any time soon.
Once again a big thanks for sharing time with us; anything you would like to add or reveal for the readers?
Thank you for your time and interest in Swirl. Look for the band to be on tour in and out of the United States in every country where the music making an impact on radio or through movies released that feature Swirl music.
From one outstanding track to another as latest single Metanoia grips the imagination next. An irresistible blend of indie pop and melodic rock, the track bounces in with a bold and catchy gait but one which only builds greater manipulation of body and appetite when it unleashed a blazing romp of a chorus that is something akin to T-Rex meets The Wildhearts. Again hooks and grooves entangle to tempt and enslave as vocals add their own thick persuasion to another of the album’s finest moments.
Was there any specific idea behind the forming of the band and also in what you wanted it and your sound to offer?
It is an outstanding start which swiftly aroused a keen appetite for things to come; one soon reinforced by the following In Between Worlds. It too springs from a raw sonic misting into a virulent attack, its swing eating at instincts and psyche with viral tenacity whilst spreading another exploration of stark, ravenous times. There is more of a noise infested rock ‘n’ roll attack to its post punk, bass and drums a rapacious incitement upon which guitars and keys spread a toxic glaze while escalating the infectious and fractious catchiness of the song.
Obviously the theme to the EP is in its title but in its case is it the songs which were primarily the influences or the artists, and if the latter why these particular tracks from their arsenal of persuasion?
