Not Sure About The Glow But They Are Indeed ‘Heavy’
No, the headline has nothing to do with anyone’s weight. If you have not yet heard of them, Heavy Glow is another contemporary band that has that classic feel about them. After hearing them, it’s hard to argue that this trio doesn’t pull off a big sound, and pull it off quite well.
Heavy Glow, based in San Diego (man, I’m envious of the weather you guys have out there!) was founded by guitarist and lead vocalist Jared Mullins and bassist Joe Brooks who formed up in 2008.
There are more and more contemporary groups that seem to be embracing a classic sound these days – a development that’s certainly welcome by those of us that tire easily of many other current rock bands that sound pretty much the same.
That has to be key to classic rock’s longevity – there was no way you could mistake Journey for Kansas or Bad Company for Foreigner. You get the idea.
Maybe it’s just me, but I wasn’t too far into my first Heavy Glow track before one name popped into my head: Hendrix. I’m not trying to steer this down the tired old “that guy is no Hendrix” rat hole, but the gritty, raw guitar-bass-drums sound of this trio has a kind of Hendrix feel to it.
They’ve been compared to Queens of the Stone Age, Blue Cheer, and The Black Keys, but from a classic rock perspective, it’s hard for me to stop thinking Hendrix.
The group’s self-titled 2009 debut EP included six songs, and was produced by Stevie Salas. Frontman Mullins says the group strives for “hard-hitting, gritty, infectious and melodic rhythms to create a sound that is both informed by the past and undeniably modern.” Well said.
During 2009 Dan Kurtz joined the group as their new drummer, and they soon began work on their second EP, a 5-track collection titled The Filth & the Fury, which you can check out by following the links on the group’s web site. It was released this past January.
A real interesting tidbit regarding The Filth & the Fury is that it was basically recorded in one take. In other words, the tracks were laid down with the group all performing together in the same room over the course of six hours. I think recording five songs in six hours could be considered “one take,” when one considers the amount of multi-track overdubbing and other technological magic that goes into the making of so many other albums.
It’s really great to hear some of these contemporary rock groups adding a bit of classic style to their material and combining it with a more modern sound that strikes a nice balance between past and present. Heavy Glow is an excellent example of this welcome trend and is definitely worth checking out.
