100 Watt Mind

Ashland rock band 100 Watt Mind — lead guitarist Skyler Squglio, vocalist Brynna Dean, bassist Jacob Rubanowitz, rhythm guitarist Nathan Hurlocker and drummer Robert Morris — will have a new, live CD to share with its music fans when the band performs at 9:30 p.m. Saturday, July 9, at Brickroom Gathering House, 35 N. Main St., Ashland.

The first 100 people through the door will receive the CD at no charge, and when those are gone, the cost will be $5. Cover for the show is $10.

"This is not our third album release," Squglio says. "I don't want it to be confused with a new album. It's a recording of one of our live performances. Called 'Live at Apple Jam 2015,' it's intended to give our fans something that represents our live sound, which is quite a bit different than our studio albums. Also we're more about getting the live recording into people's hands than making money."

The eight-song live CD includes longer, improvisational jams of works from the band's "Out of Night" (2013) and "Creatures" (2015) releases. There are three tracks on the live CD simply titled "Improv," and "Drew Baby" is a new song.

"Apple Jam is a completely different venue to play compared to the quick sets we perform as openers for other bands in clubs," Squglio says. "When we do short sets, we just get the songs out. It doesn't give us much time to stretch out, be creative and play rock jams."

The band calls its music garage rock — a mix of rock 'n' roll and punk rock.

"I think it stands out because it's rooted in early rock 'n' roll," Squglio says. "It goes as far back as Chuck Berry, Jerry Lee Lewis or Little Richard. It's got the hard edge of modern rock like Queens of the Stone Age or The White Stripes. We combine the spirit of good old rock 'n' roll and the spirit of the punk rock that came out in the '70s and '80s.

"Our music has the same attitude of those generations. Berry and Lewis were punk rockers in their time. They were the rebels and the bad asses back then. The same is true of '80s artists. It's that spirit of pushing the envelope, giving music an edgy feel."

100 Watt Mind's psychedelic edge and improvisational elements are like those of Jimi Hendrix or Cream, Squglio says.

"That's a whole other side to our sound, which is much more evident in our live recording."

Based in Ashland since 2010, 100 Watt Mind's "Out of Night" has a rock-opera theme, while its sophomore album, "Creatures," is more song-driven.

"Our sound was starting to come together on 'Creatures,' " Squglio says.

All of the band's recordings are released independently. The first one was produced by Milan "The Mutt" Nikolic of World Music Productions in New York, who was living in Ashland at the time. Part of "Out of Night" was recorded at Pacifica Studio in Williams, the rest at Prairie Sun Studio in Cotati, Calif., with producer Oz Fritz, who produced Primus' "Antipop."

Look for 100 Watt Mind to perform at 6 p.m. Friday, July 22, in the Performance Garden at Britt, the same night The Claypool Lennon Delirium performs on the pavilion's stage.

"Creatures" also was recorded with Nikolic. The tracks were completed over a short span of three days in a cabin outside Ashland on Dead Indian Memorial Road.

100 Watt Mind's CDs are available online at Bandcamp, CD Baby and at Music Coop in Ashland. - The Mail Tribune

Hear songs from the new CD - Ashland band 100 Watt Mind's first full-length, studio album, "Out of Night," is an impression of a rock band's lifestyle ... it's focus is on those moments spent performing music late at night in bars.

By Laurie Heuston
Ashland band 100 Watt Mind's first full-length, studio album, "Out of Night," is an impression of a rock band's lifestyle ... its focus is on those moments spent performing music late at night in bars.

"It's a conceptual album," says lead guitarist Skyler Squglio. "It's based on our live shows and what our lifestyles have become playing those shows. When people come out to see us late at night, they drink, party and get wild. Things are a little spookier at night."

The project was intended to be a seven-song EP, recorded and engineered by Dennis Dragon at his studio in Williams. Near the end of the project, the band members came up with their idea for a full-length recording.

"Out of Night" turned into a collection of 10 songs mostly written by Squglio, with lyrics by vocalist Brynna Dean.

If you go
Who: 100 Watt Mind
When: 9 p.m. Friday, Aug. 2
Where: Alex's, 35 N. Main St., Ashland
Cover: $5
Call: 541-482-8818
"It came to us bit by bit, piece by piece," Squglio says. "But it came naturally and fluidly. It was a little too easy. I think a huge part of that was because there were no egos getting in the way."

Squglio and Dean, along with bassist Nathan Hurlocker and drummer Robert Morris, came up with the concept for the album after recording the first seven tracks. Then they wrote the frenetic, punk rock "Out of Night Intro," the first track on the album. It stands as a first impression of what the band represents ... complete authenticity, honesty and no pretenses.

"Nobody's pretending to be anything," Squglio says. "We're just playing music from the heart. When we're being ourselves, the music comes through in a very real way that resonates with our listeners."

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Hear three songs from "Out of Night"
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"Intro," along with "Out of Control" and "Out of Night Outro," were recorded with engineer Oz Fritz at Prairie Sun Studios in Cotati, Calif., north of San Francisco.

"He's worked with Primus, Tom Waits, Ginger Baker, Iggy Pop, just to name a few," Squglio says. "Our producer, Milan Nikolic, has a lot of studio experience and played the middle man between the engineer and the musicians."

The album's last track, "Outro," is actually a sequence of six tracks — a small rock opera, if you will — about going out at night to hear a live rock show. It holds all of the anticipation, mystery, darkness and excitement of such an experience, accompanied by Dean's deep, powerful vocals, Squglio's versatile electric guitar, and Hurlocker's and Morris' steady bass and drum lines. Nikolic played keys through the six-song medley.

"All of the tracks feed into each other," Squglio says. "It's really intended to be one piece."

Sandwiched between the album's "Intro" and "Outro," Squglio's gritty guitar riffs and Dean's gutsy vocals and lyrics stand out on rockers "Cat Lady," "100 Watt Mind" and "Attack." Other songs feature straight-ahead rock 'n' roll, and "Down on the Streets" and "?" are full of pop hooks. Squglio's guitar on "Streets" has a downright wistful sound to it.

"We don't set out to write songs in the style of any genre," Squglio says. "We can do hard, soft, punk and country. We find a cool line or progression and let intuition take hold. That's why there's such a variety. We're all very much on the same point about what we play. We're not trying to fit in anywhere. We're more of a collective vessel for the group mind."

100 Watt Mind will celebrate the release of "Out of Night" with a show at 9 p.m. Friday, Aug. 2, at Alex's, 35 N. Main St., Ashland. The cover is $5.

The CD will be available at the show and at Amazon, CD Baby, iTunes and Facebook. - The Mail Tribune

The kids from 100 Watt Mind are setting to unleash scathingly danceable rock music at Bombs Away this Thursday. Tragically unaware that punk is dead, these three Ashland-based boys break out the Doors-esque energy and Ramones-esque attitude the moment they take the stage.
And then there’s Brynna Dean, the proverbial elephant at the show. A lead singer and leading personality, Dean brings out a stage presence so potent that it’s hard to shake those ever-cliche Janis Joplin comparisons out of your head. Guitarist Skyler Squglio has no illusions about the allure the boys would have alone. “Everyone comes and sticks around for Brynna. Not only is she hot, but she’s the best singer I’ve ever played with.”
Squglio and Dean do a little collaborative songwriting. “I usually start off with a riff or chord progression and Brynna will come up with some lyrics,” said Squglio. What results is a unique blend of progressive punk and classic rock that viscerally confronts the casual listener and compels even the wallflowers to cease their passive leanings.
Squglio also seeks to involve fans and strangers in his band’s songwriting process, opening up his repertoire to the whims of the audience. “Oftentimes we’ll play a song before it’s finished and see what the crowd responds to the ideas and adjust.” It’s a crazy, noisy, messy process, one that fans and critics alike may find respectable, or at the very least, hard to ignore.
100 Watt Mind is playing with Corvallis punk group Browntown on Thursday, Oct. 9 at 10 p.m. at Bombs Away Cafe. There is a $3 cover charge. - The Corvallis Advocate

Heisenberg’s uncertainty principle states that observation of a particle inherently changes its behavior. Southern Oregon band 100 Watt Mind’s principle of rock and roll is pretty much the same.

“When you know you’re going to record something, you don’t get the same result,” says guitar player Skyler Squilio. “There’s too much pressure to get it just right, not to experiment.”

But when they’re on stage, being watched, that all changes. The band cuts loose and lets the improv fly, which is why the band feels that their live shows are a wholly different experience than their two albums, but still one their fans ought to be able to access just as easily.

To remedy the situation, they’re releasing a new recording on Saturday, July 9 at Brickroom, Live at Apple Jam, which features an especially epic set from the band from the festival’s mainstage in 2015.

“There’s some shows where you only have a half hour or 45 minutes,” says Squilio. “With an hour and a half there’s more room to experiment, and Apple Jam is always an especially good place to do that.”

100 Watt Mind hadn’t planned the performance as a live album, but heard a mix of it later, and thought it was good enough to release.

“It’s not really a bootleg,” says Squilio. “But we do want to be clear it’s a live recording not our official third album.”

That album, he says, is still in the works, as the band endlessly tinkers with the sound, trying to capture the feel of their live sets. It was something they also shot for on their sophomore release, Creatures,but more through minimalist production rather than sprawling, freeform composition.

Until the band gets it right for the third disc, they may offer up some more of the live recordings for their superfans.

“We might do another in six months or so,” he says.

It’s a way to give fans that extra live dimension, but also the warm glow of nostalgia for listeners.

“Quite a few of the people that will get this recording were probably at the show,” he says.

And speaking of people at the show; the first 100 through the door for 100 Watt Mind’s Live at Apple Jam release party at Brickroom will get the album for free. - The Rogue Valley Messenger

It sounds strange that a hard rock band would choose a country cabin powered by solar energy and a generator to record an album.

"It was our intent to record music that has all of the energy and sounds of a live show while maintaining a clean recording, one without crowd noise," says Skyler Squglio, lead guitarist for Ashland group 100 Watt Mind. "It was challenging when the power ran too low. We'd flip the generator on and notice a difference in the sound."

It was an obstacle the band overcame, recording nine songs in three days with no trace of the power lags on the tracks.

"We pretty much knew what we wanted when we went there," Squglio says. "The cabin has great acoustics. It was a midpoint between a live show and a studio recording. Our engineer and producer, Milan Nikolic, let us have all the creative control."

100 Watt Mind's new album, "Creatures," follows the band's 2013 debut release "Out of Night," a conceptual collection of music meant to create an impression of a rock band's lifestyle ... those moments performing late at night in bars. Its last six tracks ran together, melding into a short rock opera.

"Creatures" deviates from that path with distinctive songs that feature 100 Watt Mind's signature hard rock — edgy, aggressive and frustrated — along with pleasingly melodic music with a softer appeal.

The band will celebrate the release of "Creatures" at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Jan. 9, with a concert at the Historic Ashland Armory, 208 Oak St. The show will feature Portland blues-based rockers Patrimony, Medford garage rockers Boomrang Kids and alt-country duo The Brothers Reed. Tickets to the all-ages show cost $10.

100 Watt Mind formed in 2012. Along with Squglio, its lineup includes vocalist Brynna Dean, bassist Nathan Hurlocker and drummer Robert Morris.

"I think the new album represents the band's evolution and direction," Squglio says. "We've morphed parallel to the album. The sound is polarized. The hards are harder, the softs are softer, the reds are darker, the yellows are brighter, the ugly is uglier and the pretties are prettier. 'Bad Intention' and 'Justified' are the heaviest, edgiest songs we've ever written, kinda nasty, and songs like 'Painted Hills' and 'StarZ' are smooth, tranquil and beautiful."

Dean's vocals — called Joplin-esque by fans — contribute to the variety of the songs on 100 Watt Mind's sophomore recording. She lets us hear a little soul with "Love Sometimes," superfast, punk rockabilly on "My Baby" and lilting melodies on "Painted Hills" and "StarZ."

"I worked hard on my vocals recording this album," Dean says. "There's more of a mix of styles, and a focus on making the lyrics more accessible for listeners."

Now the band plans to tour as much as possible, building fan bases up and down the West Coast.

"We've played High Dive in Seattle, Dante's in Portland and the Milk Bar in San Francisco," Squglio says. "People liked us at those places. It's encouraging. We'd like to perform at venues like those regularly. I think that's the direction we should take at this point."

The CD will be available at the show and online at Amazon, CD Baby, iTunes and Facebook. It also can be purchased at local record stores Musichead in Medford and Music Coop and CD or Not CD in Ashland. - The Ashland Daily Tidings