by rudyards | June 21st, 2014
Gypsyhawk (Los Angeles, CA)
https://www.facebook.com/Gypsyhawkusa
“Gypsyhawk is four metal dudes playing rock and roll and bringing the party every time they get on stage,” states former guitarist Andrew Packer, and there is perhaps no better way of surmising the spirit and sound of the Pasadena quartet. Revisiting the electrifying sounds of bullshit-free 70s rock, the band are a breath of fresh air compared to the endless onslaught of breakdown obsessed bands cluttering up heavy music. Marinating their wares in whiskey and weed, they hurl out blistering riffs and irresistible hooks and grooves, doing their damnedest to ensure that everyone at their shows is having as much fun as they are. With Revelry & Resilience, their second full-length and Metal Blade debut, this vibe bleeds from the speakers from start to finish, determinedly putting a smile on your face and compelling you to throw your hair around, no matter how much or how little you might have. “It’s music for girls to shake their asses to and dudes to bang their heads,” states vocalist/bassist Eric Harris. “It’s good-time rock and roll, and we don’t take ourselves too seriously, but at the same time we’re not one-dimensional ‘yeah-dude-let’s-party-all-the-fucking-time!’ guys, and I like to think there’s something for everyone in our music.”
If one thing is for sure it’s that the four guys in Gypsyhawk are not looking for overnight stardom and want to put the work into building something that lasts, and deservedly so. “I really want to take this band as big as it can possibly go but because it’s good music that people want to hear, and I want the chance to try different things on the records we make in the future, to really see what we’re capable of,” says Packer. “We’re just going to write the best music that we can and we’re gonna write the truest music that we can,” Harris adds. “We want to play this music everywhere that will have us, but we’re pretty realistic about everything, and we’re just having a good fucking time while we can.”
Venomous Maximus (Houston, TX)
https://www.facebook.com/VenomousMaximus
Houston’s Venomous Maximus gurgles with the sounds of proto-metal gods Pentagram and Blue Cheer as well as new-school leaders like High on Fire. The headspace of this band falls somewhere between a Alejandro Jodorowsky film and a New Orleans voodoo den. Hail Satan and pass the chicken feet.
Bands we’ve played with: High on Fire, Mastodon, Pentagram, Eyehategod, Fu Manchu, The Sword, Valiant Thorr, Red Fang, deadhorse, Royal Thunder, Tombs, Early Man, Torche, Honky, Dixie Witch, Black Cobra, Priestess, Black Tusk, Bison BC, Dead Meadow, Green and Wood, Gypsyhawk, Suplecs, Ancient VVisdom
Secret Prostitutes (Houston, TX)
https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Secret-Prostitutes/406440782699278
“The Secret Prostitutes, led by drummer Adit Samudra with Wolf on guitar and Ryan on bass, play something like the antithesis of the distended and psychologically complex music of the Energy. Aptly titled, Never Mind the K.B.D. consists of D.I.Y. punk in the style of the Killed By Death compilations, with simple, direct riffs arranged into fast, very short songs, 22 of which are dispatched in just over 25 minutes. A.D.D. indeed. Samudra has a knack for the punk technique of crafting catchy vocal lines without the use of melody, with songs like “Sabotase Barang Bukti” and “Hipnotis,” both of which feature Samudra’s sister on vocals, serving as prime examples…Confoundingly, one of the things that distinguishes the Secret Prostitutes, the fact that Samudra writes in Indonesian, limits the impact of the songs for an English-speaking audience. Not that Samudra doesn’t have every right and reason to write lyrics in whatever language he chooses, but this particular choice does limit the access of most American listeners to the content of the songs.” -29.95.com
