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One of the crowd favorites from the mid-90's, Spydial brought an enery and style to the stage that can simply be defined as "cool". Anthony Bright's strong (if not unintelligible) vocals, and distinctive moves made Spydial shows a cant-miss. Rounding out the band were Dean Smith on bass, Mike Pepin-Donat on guitar, and Jerome Cruzen on drums.
One of the best bands from the Tri-Cities, bar none. From the style, to the moves, to the music, these guys had it all. They inspired a lot of people, myself included. The guitar in this song inparticular is simply crushing, and the Jon's vocals are the Tri-Cities best-kept secret in rock'n'roll. This band was, and remains, very important to a lot of people. Visit Ladybird on myspace: www.myspace.com/theladybirdunition.
Savage Sun is a one-man hip-hop act currently based in W. Richland. Growing up in California, S.S. played in bands since the age of 15, and eventually turned his focus to hip-hop around 1996. This selection, "Ghosts of the Gangs", is a solid, emotionally honest track. We were especially impressed with its professional production quality, and look forward to hearing more from S.S. in the future. Visit Savage Sun on myspace: www.myspace.com/savagesun.
The Morning are a quartet of busy guys, balancing work, school, and rock. Their music is grounded in their Christian beliefs, but their music can be enjoyed by any modern rock fan. Drawing inspiration from other popular bands such as My Chemical Romance and Hawthorne Heights, these guys sound like they can put on quite a show. See them live at the 321 on Jan 28th, and at Ray's Golden Lion on Feb 5th.
This jangly alt-country trio has a unique sound, and light-hearted, playful lyrics. They describe their sound as "the ocean without all the water and seagulls", whatever that means to you. This track begins with a fun two-step pace, and has some interesting tempo and dynamic changes. Some of the other tracks on the album, like "She Walks Alone", feature some exceptional guitar work. Hear more at http://www.myspace.com/blueiscold.
This is one of my favorite albums to come out of the Tri-Cities. I was actually prety good friends with these guys while they were recording this album, and got to watch them record some of it. This track is one of my favorites on the record. Not only is the song excellent, but it also shows off some of their excellent musicianship. The final chorus of the song and the end part features two drum tracks. Isaac Carpenter - the human metronome. And the plinky-plunky sounding instrument on the bridge was a borrowed thumb harp. Good stuff.
"4 Guys got together after many years of searching for the perfect combonation of musicians to meet their musical tastes, and Aud Fauce was born." These four guys from Richland create a mellow, and generally musical style of rock. Citing Inclubus and the Dave Matthews Band as influences, they are definitely not your typical Tri-Cities indie rock or hardcore band. Unfortunately rumor has it they are on hiatus as they are off educating themselves. I hope to hear more from them in the future.
While steel guitar and synthesizer don't exactly come to mind when describing Tri-Cities rock'n'roll, these instruments are just a small part of the instrumental arsenal that is Mu Meson. But these guys know how to play, and play well. Songwriter and vocalist/guitarist/keyboardist Kris Welsch tends to experiment with different styles and genres, but always produces a sound that is distinctly his own. Rounding out the band are Brian Shaw on guitar/lap steel/keyboards, Joel Watrous on bass/piano, and Aaron Cramer on drums.
This track, "Trudy Ripley", has an almost fable-like plot, telling the story of a girl who traumatizes her family because of her love for make believe. This song and many others will be available on Mu's upcoming release of 3 full-length CDs at their December 17th concert at Battelle Auditorium in Richland. Learn more at www.mu-meson.net.
One of the most influential bands to come from the Tri-Cities, Small was always a crowd favorite. Formed in 1991, Small included Jon Boetes on vocals, Craig Woodall and Kris Boisoneau on guitar, Billy Hughes on bass, and Jim Acquavella on drums. They played a uniue style of fast-paced punk with strong, melodic vocals. Small went on to change members and its name to The Ladybird Unition in 1994, another outstanding Tri-Cities band.
Diddly Squat was the first punk band in the Tri-city area. Formed in 84 they started out playing U2 covers but quickly went on to cover such bands as The Butthole Surfers, Dead Kenndys, Raw Power, and lots more. In 85 they wrote the "Squat Theme" and "Cows and Beer" and started playing them at shows and recorded them for the "Bowling for Humans" compilation tape. In 86 they released "Peroxide in the Scablands" tape and then in 87 they recorded and released a self titled tape and 7" on Kil-tel records.
Diddly Squat broke up in 88, and on the day of their last show gutarist Jason Cobb drowned while swimming with friends. F.O.D. still played that night (in tribute to Jason). The other members of Diddly Squat went on to play in other bands like, The Brotherhood, Christ on a Crutch, Asprin Feast, State of Confusion, Sunny Day Real Estate, The Treepeople, Foo Fighters and others.
Better Off Naked is a three piece punk band from the Tri-Cities. They are a young bunch of guys, with a very oldschool attitude. Their mantra: "ANY VENUE, ANY TIME, ANY WHERE, YOUR BIRTHDAY, YOUR FRIENDS BIRTHDAY, YOUR SCHOOL DANCE, YOUR MOM'S UNCLE'S COUSIN'S BEST FRIENDS STEP MOTHERS' FUNERAL, WE DON'T CARE. WE WANT TO PLAY MUSIC."
The music matches the look and the attitude - and the spiked mowhawks are quite impressive. This is punk done right. We love it.
Car Scars is the latest project of Tim Leingang, founder of Funkytonk Records in Tri-Cities, WA. Car Scars is a departure from his previous projects, substituting the experimental hardcore aesthetic for a more mellow, thoughtful sound. Rounding out the band are Jeff Luttrell, Andrew Zilar, and Drew Gale. This selection, Sunglasses, is a catchy, poppy tune with sparse vocals and beautiful yet discordant keys.