Category: Band/Artist Profile

An in-depth look at bands and solo artists

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Band/Artist Profile

Band Highlight: La Luz

Album cover of "Floating Features" with all four band members on the front

If you’re into any type of psychedelic surf rock, you’ve got to check out La Luz. The all-girl quartet makes a great contribution to the modern psych-rock genre. Their music is a delightful mixture of fun and deep feeling. In a genre that tends to be dominated by men, it’s refreshing to hear female voices on the mic playing along to heavy guitar and garage keyboard.

La Luz has been on the scene since 2012 when Shana Cleveland, who was originally a part of both Curious Mystery and Shana Cleveland & the Sandcastles, formed the band in Seattle. Inspired by the sounds of 60s rock, girl pop, and surf music, the band set out to create a playful yet intriguing sound. Their first EP, called “Damp Face,” was released in 2013, closely followed by their first album, “It’s Alive.”

After hitting some bumps in the road, including a car wreck that destroyed all their instruments and bassist Abbey Blackwell leaving the band, La Luz emerged stronger than ever in 2015 when they began producing another album, “Weirdo Shrine,” with Ty Segall. Lena Simon took up their bassist position, and they went on to create their newest album, “Floating Features,” produced by the Black Keys vocalist and guitarist Dan Auerbach.

I am absolutely in love with this band. It’s amazing to see other women represented in one of my favorite genres. I 10/10 recommend giving them a listen. Here are some more key facts about the band:

Members:

  • Shana Cleveland (guitar and vocals)
  • Alice Sandahl (keyboard and vocals)
  • Marian Li-Pino (drums and vocals)
  • Lena Simon (bass and vocals)

Discography:

  • Damp Face EP (2013)
  • It’s Alive (2013)
  • Weirdo Shrine (2015)
  • Floating Features (2018)

Song Highlights:

  • Floating Features – Floating Features
  • The Creature – Floating Features
  • Sleep Till They Die – Weirdo Shrine
  • Morning High – It’s Alive

Here’s a link to their website and instagram!

– DJ butter

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Band/Artist Profile

Slept On: Lady Wray

Album Cover for Lady Wray's "Queen Alone"
Cover for Lady Wray's 2016 "Queen Alone"

Nicole Wray got a taste of the spotlight at a young age: just after graduating high school in 1998, she was the first artist signed to Missy Elliot’s fledgling record label, The Goldmind. Before she knew it, her debut single “Make it Hot” was certified gold and she was touring with Aaliyah. But when Missy began adding new artists to her label, Nicole was overlooked, and her second album never saw the light of day. This would become a recurring theme for the next decade of Nicole’s career, with various labels expressing interest in her and then refusing to release her work. It seems we weren’t the first ones to sleep on her.

After several other artistic endeavors, Nicole has returned under a new stage name: Lady Wray. With this change in name comes a change in sound – she has abandoned the R&B style in favor of retro soul and doo-wop, though her church choir upbringing made rebranding quite easy. While her 2014 release Lady got her foot in the door, it was her 2016 follow-up Queen Alone, with its live instrumentation and impassioned vocal performances, that cemented her as a force to be reckoned within the soul soundscape. Highlights include the hit “Guilty”, written after her brother’s arrest, and “Make Me Over”, a track that finds her coyly asking her lover to take her shopping.

Against all odds, Lady Wray has navigated the fickle beast that is known as the music industry and developed a voice all her own. At this point, it is no longer a question of what she can do but what she can’t do. I recommend this artist to fans of Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings and Hannah Williams & the Affirmations.

– DJ Mango

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Band/Artist Profile

Artist of the Week: Doja Cat

Doja Cat

Doja Cat is one of my favorite artists at the moment. She is so unique and talented and has her own signature sound and style that makes her stand out from other artists. I found Doja Cat through my best friend. She absolutely loves her, and she showed me Doja Cat’s song, Casual. I instantly loved her voice and her vibe. She is a bad bitch and she knows it. When listening to Doja Cat, all of her songs have a different vibe. There is never a dull moment while listening to her because she always brings something new to the table. She experiments with different beats and her lyrical flow is impressive. And don’t get me started on her music videos… THEY ARE ICONIC!!!! She doesn’t do the basic type of music videos, she adds her own spin to it; whether that be being a cat (Rules) , in love with a robot (Cyber Sex), a ‘70s throwback (Say So), and looking so elegant while in a pool of milk (Streets). She is so creative and you can see that with her music, videos, and style. Not only do I love her music, but her content on Twitter and Instagram is hilarious! She is 100% herself and is unapologetic with it. 

Doja Cat (Amala Ratna Zandile Dlamini) was born on October 21, 1995 and was born and raised in Los Angeles, California. She began making and releasing music on SoundCloud as a teenager. At the age of 17, she signed a joint record deal with RCA Records and Kemosable Records. Doja Cat achieved viral recognition for her music video, “Mooo!,” which is iconic, 10/10. She also gained attention with her songs on TikTok because of the dances that people would do to her songs. 

Discography: 

Amala (2018)

Hot Pink (2019) 

Favorite Songs: 

Say So

Rules

Streets

Tia Tamara

Juicy 

Freak

Casual 

Like That 

What are some of your favorite songs by Doja Cat? 

Stay Metal, 

THE SAW 

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Band/Artist Profile

Band of the Week: The Acacia Strain

The Acacia Strain (TAS) is an American metalcore band originally from Chicopee, Massachusetts, that formed in 2001. They are currently signed to Rise Records and have 10 full-length albums. The band first started with high school friends Vincent Bennett, Christopher Daniele, and Ben Abert. They were in a band called Septic Orgasm and they wanted to take their band to the next level and make the music more technical. Their friend, Daniel “DL” Laskiewics was to play both bass and guitar, but he received a shoulder injury playing football, so the band got their friend Daniel Daponde from Blood Has Been Shed to play guitar for them. Daponde brought a heavier and technical sound to the band, so when DL returned, they asked Daponde to stay, thus creating a three-guitar lineup.

TAS has been categorized as metalcore, but I think they are predominately deathcore due to their heavy tuned guitars, their technicality, and the vocals that are used. The band has been noted to include influences from sludge metal, doom metal, death metal, and some punk rock style aesthetic. By having three guitar players, it gave a signature blend of hardcore punk, death metal, and doom metal to develop a bone crushing sound. The band sees their sound as “hardcore-influenced metal” which I can hear when listening to their music. They have some absolute skull crushing riffs and vocals, but when mixing in some 2 step riffs and other hardcore contributions, it makes for a very unique style of music. Also, when seeing TAS live, the majority of the crowd are hardcore kids. They love them some TAS!!!

When looking at the lyrics of TAS songs, they are written by their lead vocalist, Vincent Bennett, and they are generally centered around misanthropy, nihilism, misogynistic and sexually deviant imagery. He usually uses metaphors to help get his points across while keeping the songs’ overall meaning open for interpretation.


Discography:

…And Life Is Very Long (2002)

3750 (2004)

The Dead Walk (2006)

Continent (2008)

Wormwood (2010)

Death Is the Only Mortal (2012)

Coma Witch (2014)

Gravebloom (2017)

It Comes In Waves (2019)

Slow Decay (2020)


Current Lineup:

Vincent Bennett (vocalist)

Kevin Boutot (drums)

Devin Shidaker (guitarist)

Griffin Landa (bass)

Tom “The Hammer” Smith, Jr. (guitarist)

Stay Metal,

THE SAW

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Band/Artist Profile

Artist Spotlight: Cheap Time

Cheap Time Album Cover

Hey guys, I wanted to put a little bit of a spotlight on a band that I don’t believe many people have heard, although they more than deserve the recognition. Cheap Time, a punk garage rock band that started all the way back in 2006, is most likely not around anymore. In fact, they haven’t released anything since they were featured in the 2014 video game “Sunset Overdrive.” However, their music is timeless. With songs such as “Ginger Snap” and “Too Late,” it almost feels like you’re a teenager in some dry, dingy garage listening to your buddy’s band as they’re just getting started. Even though their music was made in the late 2000s, Cheap Time has a sound that belongs to the late 80s and early 90s, when garage punk first started picking up speed. 

I would have to say that my favorite album of theirs is, without a doubt, the self-titled “Cheap Time.” With short, fast paced songs like Back to School, Glitter and Gold, and Permanent Damage, the album fits right in in any playlist. However, Exit Smiles is a close second. Made in 2013, it is their last full album, not counting the work they did with Sunset Overdrive. The two best songs from here are 8:05 and Same Surprise. While “Exit Smiles” bears a sound that shows the growth of the band over its seven-year exhibition, it still holds that same teen angst, garage band feel that makes Cheap Time’s music so unique. Their ability to create a mental image with such ease is why I still listen to them today, and why I think you will too. 

Hope you guys enjoy the music, 

-chippypants 

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Band/Artist Profile

Band of the Week: Kublai Khan

You wanna talk about ass beating music? Kublai Khan is THE band for me when I need a pick me up. This is what I call my “bad bitch” music. Any song by Kublai Khan will for sure make you bop your head and groove to the riffs. You would totally lose a try not to headbang, mosh, or dance, etc. if Kublai Khan is on there. Kublai Khan has the perfect blend of grooves and anger. You can hear the intensity and violence in Matt Honeycutt’s vocals. But mixed with a bouncy rhythm and chunky riffs, the overall essence of Kublai Khan is absolute (HA! See what I did there? Because of their new album? No? Okay). I just wanna dance when Kublai Khan comes on, it just makes me so happy!

I have seen Kublai Khan several times and seeing them live never gets old. Honeycutt is great with the crowd and that crowd… is something else. Everyone loses their minds when Kublai Khan hits the stage. It’s so hard not to! They make it so easy to jam. My first few times seeing Kublai Khan, they were touring with predominately metalcore bands, but later they started touring with more hardcore-esque and deathcore bands. I think this is because of their sound. At first, Kublai Khan had more of a metalcore feel, but soon transitioned to incorporating more hardcore and deathcore type riffs and vocals. I love their evolution because they have mastered their sound. Now, I know there is some debates about what qualifies as metalcore, hardcore, and deathcore, etc. but this is simply my opinion and how I hear the music. Music is subjective and can be interpreted differently by others. Even though some of the songs sound redundant because of the usual riffs and sound, they make their songs so groovy that I can’t help but play them all the time.

Discography:

Youth War (2010)

Balancing Survival & Happiness (2014)

New Strength (2015)

Nomad (2017)

Absolute (2019)


Favorite songs:

The Hammer, No Kin, High Hopes, Boomslang, Antpile, 8 Years, Beligerent, and Us & Them.

What are some of your favorite Kublai Khan songs?

Stay Metal,

THE SAW

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Band/Artist Profile

Band of the Week: Jinjer

Y’all don’t even understand how ~~shook~~ I was when I first heard Jinjer. I came home from school and my mom tells me that I have to listen to this band called Jinjer. She showed me their song Pisces, which I thought was a really cool name for a song because I am a Pisces!! Where are all my Pisces at?! When the song first starts, the vocals are clean and beautiful. Their vocalist has a pretty singing voice, and when she started growling? OH MY GOD. I was in awe and shocked that she can transition so seamlessly between the two vocal styles. I love watching reaction videos of people listening to this song because the looks on their faces are hilarious!

Jinjer is a Ukrainian heavy metal band from Donetsk, Ukraine that formed in 2009. The band considers 2010 their official formation when Tatiana Shmailyuk replaced Maksym Fatullaiev on vocals and Roman Ibramkhalilov was picked up for lead guitarist. The band was still trying to create and develop their sound until bassist Eugene Abdukhanov joined the summer of 2011. Their first EP, Inhale, Do Not Breathe, gained significant attention within the metal community, and Jinjer began touring constantly throughout the year with their own money. The band gained more attention after winning the “Best Ukrainian Metal Act” in 2013 and again in 2016. Jinjer was gaining a lot of recognition after the release of their EP, so the band quickly wrote another album and self-released their 2014 album, Cloud Factory. This album would later gain the attention of Napalm Records, which is the current label the band is signed to. The band has mentioned that many of their influences for their music are Slayer, Death, Pantera, Lamb of God, Gojira, and Opeth. Hip-Hop acts such as Cypress Hill and House of Pain has also influenced their sound.


Current Members:

Tatiana Shmailyuk (vocalist)

Roman Ibramkhalilov (guitarist)

Eugene Abdukhanov (bassist)

Vladislav Ulasevich (drummer)


Discography:

Inhale, Do Not Breathe (EP) (2012)

Cloud Factory (2014)

King of Everything (2016)

Micro (EP) (2019)

Macro (2019)

Stay Metal,

THE SAW

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Band/Artist Profile

Artist of the Week: City and Colour

The first time I heard of City and Colour was on an episode of One Tree Hill where he played. It was the episode where Clay took Quinn out on a date and surprised her with a private show by City and Colour. How romantic!! I would love to have a private show by Dying Fetus, that would give me butterflies. Now, One Tree Hill is one of my favorite TV shows and I really enjoyed the sound of City and Colour because it was very soothing and I love music that is created with an acoustic guitar. It gives the music an authentic and pure sound to me. His songs are very emotional, passionate, and calming. I feel relaxed when I listen to his music. Simply put, City and Colour is a breath of fresh air.

City and Colour is the Canadian musician Dallas Michael John Albert Green. He is also known as a singer and rhythm guitarist for post-hardcore band Alexisonfire. In 2005, he dubuted his first full-length album, Sometimes, which became platinum in 2006. The name City and Colour comes from Green’s own name: Dallas (a city) and Green (a color). Green first got started with City and Colour by releasing songs on the internet for listeners to download and then compiled some songs in order to make his first album. Green has stated that the best type of music for him is sad music, he believes that this is the type of music he can escape to and the idea of sad music that people can identify with. A lot of the songs that Green writes about are from his own experiences and writing music is how he copes with it.


Discography:

Sometimes (2005)

Bring Me Your Love (2008)

Little Hell (2011)

The Hurry and the Harm (2013)

If I Should Go Before You (2015)

A Pill for Loneliness (2019)


Favorite Songs:

Love Don’t Live Here Anymore, Northern Wind, Sensible Heart, Sleeping Sickness and Hello, Im Delaware.

What are some of your favorite City and Colour songs?

Stay Metal,

THE SAW

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Band/Artist Profile

Band of the Week: Bolt Thrower

When I was first in search of some groovy death metal, the band that came up the most (besides Obituary, of course) was Bolt Thrower! Right when I heard Bolt Thrower, I fell in love with their sound. They are so damn groovy I can’t even. The first song I heard by them was “The Killchain” and I LOVED IT!!! It begins with a fade into the song and then the opening riff with them grooves…. Iconic. I was walking around campus like I was strutting the runway when that groove kicked in.

Bolt Thrower was an English death metal band from Coventry, England, that formed in 1986. Over the course of their 30-year career, Bolt Thrower has toured Europe, the United States, and Australia. They have also released 8 studio albums. On September 14, 2016, the band announced that they were breaking up following the death of their drummer Martin Kearns… big sad.

When Bolt Thrower first developed, they were a grindcore band, influenced by Slayer, Cras, and Discharge. The band was founded by bassists Gavin Ward and guitarist Barry Thomson. Now this is a funny story, they first got the idea of the band while on the toilet during a hardcore show. Bolt Thrower has a very flexible sound. They incorporate death metal with hardcore and doom metal making their songs heavy, groovy, and doomy (ha, did you see what I did there?)

Martin Kearns, who had been their drummer from 1994-1997 and again since 2000, died unexpectedly at the age of 38 on September 14, 2015. As a result, Bolt Thrower went on hiatus and cancelled their upcoming Australia tour, which would have been their first tour since 1993. Exactly one year later on the anniversary of Kearns’ death, Bolt Thrower announced that they would not continue as a band. They say that Kearns’ was much more than just a drummer to them, so when they carried his coffin to his final resting place, the Bolt Thrower drummer position was buried with him.


Final Lineup:

Barry “Baz” Thomson (guitar)

Gavin Ward (guitar)

Jo Bench (bass)

Karl Willetts (vocals)

Martin Kearns (drums)


Discography:

In Battle There Is No Law! (1988)

Realm of Chaos: Slaves to Darkness (1989)

War Master (1991)

The IVth Crusade (1992)

…For Victory (1994)

Mercenary (1998)

Honour – Valour – Pride (2002)

Those Once Loyal (2005)


Favorite Songs:

The Killchain, For Victory, Through the Eye of Terror, Cenotaph, Forever Fallen, and To the Last…

What are some of your favorite Bolt Thrower songs?

Stay Metal,

THE SAW  

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Band/Artist Profile

Artist Spotlight: Greta Van Fleet

Jake Kiska by Nicolas Padovani / CC BY (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)

I was introduced to Greta Van Fleet by a close friend right before Christmas of 2019. We were both in awe of the (gorgeous) boys and their power on stage. Strangely enough, their music was what brought me to love classic rock as much as I do now.

Since their debut album, “From the Fires,” was released in 2017, they have captured the hearts of young and old audiences alike by reviving the spirit of 60’s rock. Originally from Frankenmuth, Michigan, the band is comprised of three brothers; Jake, Josh, and Samuel Kiska, as well as their childhood friend Daniel Wagner.

One of the most common things you’ll hear when listening to interviews with the group of four is how they deal with being compared to Led Zeppelin, one of the greatest rock bands of all time. It is impossible not to see the similarities. Josh, their lead singer, has the same powerful screech as Robert Plant. Jimmy Page’s prowess on guitar is reborn through Jake Kiska. Even their fringe vests, tight pants, and feathers mirror the Zeppelin era. However, Greta Van Fleet definitely injects a more contemporary feel in their music. Taking inspiration from both classic and modern rock, the blues, and soul, their sound is a mixture of upbeat tones and heavy rock.

Their on-stage performances are fantastic to watch. Instead of definitive breaks between songs like most bands, their set usually just comprises of one incredibly long ballad, made up of bits of their own songs and pieces of covers. A true standout is their 30-minute-long performance of “Lover, Leaver” that can be found on YouTube and Apple Music. Though it begins and ends like the original “Lover, Leaver,” in between you can also hear some of their other songs like “Safari Song” and “Brave New World,” as well as a cover of “Rollin’ and Tumblin’” by Muddy Waters. A great part about their live performances is how you can really see how intuitively connected and synced they are. Maybe it’s because three out of the four are brothers, but I’ve never seen a stronger bond between bandmates. Their guitarist, Jake Kiska, is especially a force to be reckon with when he commands the stage with his insane riffs.

Above all, Greta Van Fleet has made clear that their mission is to promote peace, love, and unity through their music. Their newest album, “Anthem of the Peaceful Army,” is a testimony to these ideals.

Discography:

  • From the Fires (2017)
  • Anthem of the Peaceful Army (2018)

Members:

  • Josh Kiska (Vocals)
  • Jake Kiska (Guitar)
  • Samuel Kiska (Bass & Organ)
  • Daniel Wagner (Drums)

My Favorite Songs:

  • Lover, Leaver (Taker, Believer) [Live]
  • Brave New World
  • A Change is Gonna Come
  • Mountain of the Sun
  • Edge of Darkness

-DJ butter