Bizness Suit
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Bizness Suit

Charleston, SC | Established. Jan 01, 2017 | SELF

Charleston, SC | SELF
Established on Jan, 2017
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"Indie-Rock REVIEW: Bizness Suit - KING"

Hailing from Charleston, South Carolina, the rock band Bizness Suit boasts a 4 member lineup: Sean Barry, rhythm guitar and vocals; Hunter Moss, lead guitar; Drew Tapp, bass and Jeremy Hunton, drums. Initially formed in 2014 with by Sean and Drew, the two released a self-titled debut EP with Jeremy on the last few songs. The trio then hooked up with producer Martin Guigui in LA for their full-length album, ’Grey Sky Blues’. Guigui introduced the band to legendary guitarist Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top who recorded a lead for the band's single "Rock N' Rolla”. Following the release of ‘Grey Sky Blues’, the band recruited final member Hunter on lead guitar. Currently Bizness Suit is in the midst of touring and promoting their latest album ‘King’ throughout the South East.



The album ‘King” boast 13 rock songs that remind you of what rock once was, what it’s all about and what it could be again. A few songs that caught my attention were “Gravedigger’s Hand”, “God Don’t Even Know”, “Old Road” and Peaches n’ Cream”.



“Gravediggers Hands” is a high-energy song that showcases the bands ability to develop their material into engaging arrangements. Throughout, there is a remarkable weaving of motifs on the lead guitar and bass. The song sounds a warning about a guy who “knows how to hurt.” The band shines in their ability to cut lose and solo then come together tightly as one for a performance that feels live yet is thoughtfully developed.



“God Don’t Even Know” is opens with Sean belting out “So Just Forget it.” His dynamic vocals have a nice punch. Later in the song when he sings the line “Hot-diggity-dam”, and throughout the song, he seals the deal on his lead singer acumen and appeal with a highly convincing performance that hits all the right notes and emotions with a slightly blues edge that has attitude to spare. The chorus to “God Don’t Even Know” is very memorable. This song is about highs and lows, being out of sort and the idea that sometimes God doesn’t even know what you’ve been through. Highlights include crisp lead guitar and a tight rhythm section, bass and drums that establish a great rock groove.



“Old Road” is a killer rock song. It opens with lead singer Sean Barry singing over pure power-chords. “If God willing and the creek don't rise, it'll all blow over, it'll be all right.” Sean Barry’s voice was made for rock-n-roll as it resonates with just the right amount of soul and edginess. After Sean finishes singing the first line, the song blows wide open as the band joins in. The overall format to “Old Road” is alternative with plenty of development, tight rhythmic work and nice guitar solos to keep it highly engaging throughout.



"Peaches n' Cream" is one of the final and best songs on the CD. It drives along with a thick, mid-tempo bluesy swampy rock vibe that you can lose yourself in then it picks up the tempo with frenetic energy driving you all the way home to the end. “Life ain’t just peaches n’ cream.”

The album ‘King” boast 13 rock songs that unapologetically rock. If you are a fan of rock, the kind that doesn’t call itself rock then tries to shove pop or folk down your throat like you won’t notice, then you are in for a real treat with Bizness Suit. This band is bringing rock back and they are bringing it strong. - Please Pass The iNDiE


"Bizness Suit celebrates new LP King this weekend King for a day (this Saturday, to be exact)"

Local four-piece Bizness Suit will rock My Father’s Mustache in Mount Pleasant this Sat. May 26 at 10 p.m. to celebrate the release of their new album, King. We caught up with the guys to get an idea of what's in store with the 13-song-strong collection. Here's what they had to say:

What was the biggest challenge you had writing and working on the new album?
The biggest challenge we had was picking which songs we wanted on the album. We’ve had a lot of material over the years that we have been working on and constantly tweaking, but all of it wasn’t necessarily a good match for the new album. We tend to grow attached to each song a little, so when we cut about half of the prepared songs and picked out our favorites, needless to say it caused some debate. We recorded over 20 songs and managed to trim it down to 13.

How did the album come together songwriting-wise, and was there a prominent theme or muse?
We started working on this album as soon as our first one was done. For about 2 years, we’d write and practice and write some more and see what we wanted to keep working on. We added a new member to the band, guitarist Hunter Moss, which allowed us to pursue a heavier, more classic rock-influenced sound. Maybe all of those lost songs will come back around one day

What were you listening to when writing the album that maybe affected its sound?
We pulled some inspirations from the newest Queens of the Stone Age and Arctic Monkeys albums. This album certainly feels a little darker than our first album “Grey Sky Blues,” but that’s a good thing.

Who was the producer, and have you worked with him/her in the past?
Our album was engineered and recorded by our friend, Stefan Williams, but most of the production was done by our lead guitarist, Hunter Moss. This was our first time recording with the two of them, but it certainly won’t be the last!

Where did you record the album and why?
We actually recorded the album in drummer Jeremy Hunton’s parent’s house. We moved all the furniture out of the common area and set the drums up in the middle. We had guitar amps wired throughout the house and amps hiding in bathrooms and closets to prevent any noise bleed. It was quite a scene! We chose to record this way so that we could take our time recording and tweaking the songs. We ended up recording the base tracks in a weekend, and then overdubbed and played around with the instrumentation at Hunter’s home studio for several months after. We’d also like to take this opportunity to apologize to Jeremy’s parents.

Who all collaborated on the album and what were their roles?
We all did together. We usually start with some sort of foundation, which is usually Hunter or lead singer/guitarist Sean writing the song structure, or bassist Drew writing the lyrics. Once we have a foundation, we pick the songs apart and make edits and changes as we go along. Usually it takes a couple of months of tweaking and playing the songs before we are satisfied.

What's the lead single?
The lead single is “Gravediggers Hands.” It’s as close as we go to writing a pop song on the album, but it’s really funky and can get you moving and grooving.

Favorite song on the new album?
Favorite song is probably “Peaches n’ Cream.” It’s a bit long for radio but it has a cool, sexy groove to it.

When you aren’t performing, writing or in the studio, what do you like to do?
Usually Mario Kart drinking games

What's in store for the release show?
We’ll be playing at My Father’s Moustache this Sat. May 26. The show starts at 7 p.m. with Haley Mae Campbell on the back patio, with the nighttime festivities being kicked off by Bullets Benign at 9 p.m. We’ll take the stage around 10 p.m. and be rocking until 12:30 a.m. We will have some brand new T-shirts, posters, and, of course, our new album, for sale. - Celeste Alimonti - Charleston City Paper


"Bizness Suit - Grey Sky Blues (Album Review)"

Bizness Suit is a 3-piece rock band from Charleston who released their debut album Grey Sky Blues a few weeks back. The album was recorded with Martin Guigui at Lion Share Studios in Los Angeles. It was there they ran into Billy Gibbons from ZZ Top and ended up recording the album's first single, "Rock N' Rolla" with him. As you've probably gathered, the record has a classic rock energy that makes it a record for a long day of hard work or a drive out on the open road.

Yesterday I was playing Grey Sky Blues while I cleaned my apartment, and when I left my room my roommate went in and turned up the volume, then asked me who was playing. That should give you an idea of what you can expect from this record. The instrumentation is strong, and they take their time to let each song unfold and build up until they're just rocking out and you could swear up and down they made this thing 40 years ago.

One standout track on the record is "Letters & String", a rock song that fantasizes about getting famous and making your ex regret leaving you. It's got some great progression and a nice head-bobbing beat that you can't help but turn up real loud. Plus, I'd be willing to bet that just about everyone reading this blog has had a similar thought about an ex. Like "yeah, you left me, but now I'm gonna get huge and you're going to regret it." If you haven't, it's a great way to boost your self-confidence, even if you have nothing going for you.

"Tremolo Shakes" is another song off Grey Sky Blues that I really dig. It has that buildup I spoke of earlier along with a sweet guitar solo and an energy that makes you want to jump around. The lyrics tell a self-deprecating tale about sex and being a slave to vice, which (minus the sex) is something I can relate to. This one will get the crowd moving.

I've included a Spotify stream of Grey Sky Blues by Bizness Suit below. Give it a few listens and then head mark down the date of Bizness Suit's Album Release party at My Father's Moustache on Saturday, March 25th. This record is helping these guys emerge as big shots in the scene around here and I expect to hear a lot more from them in the near future. Listen to the album for yourself to see what they're all about. See you at the album release show. - Chris Huber - Extra Chill


"Charleston's Bizness Suit creates an album featuring members of ZZ Top and Pink Floyd (Party in the Back)"

There's an old cliché in music stories. A spirited unknown band with a penchant for big riffs and a good time are playing to a cramped venue full of eager fans, when a cigar-smoking A&R from a trademarked iconic label walks in. He hears their kinetic sound and is suddenly ecstatic that his car's spark plugs disintegrated outside the music club, because he just found a new act to represent. Most modern musicians will quickly say that's a work of fiction used to tuck in young songwriters before bed, but it's also (more or less) the story of local rock band Bizness Suit.

The only difference is their chance encounter didn't come from automotive failure. It was all thanks to drummer Jeremy Hunton's aunt. "She had this contact she kept all the way from college, and he ended up being a producer out in L.A.," says Hunton when recounting how they were set up with Martin Guigui. "So, we sent him the stuff that we had recorded and he really liked it."

Guigui happened to not only be a producer on the West Coast, but also a Grammy Award-nominated engineer who had worked with Smokey Robinson, Daryl Hall, and Bo Diddley. Yes, that Smokey Robinson, that Daryl Hall, and that Bo Diddley.

Guigui was so impressed with Bizness Suit's demo that he wanted to help them with their first LP. "I think [Martin] understood what we were kind of going for, and I think he had a lot to do with the final mix and what stood out at which part," says vocalist/ guitarist Sean Barry. After a successful Kickstarter campaign, the band spent a week in L.A. recording their first album, Grey Sky Blues.

On a rock music spectrum, this collection of tunes lands somewhere between the dance-punk realm of bands like Franz Ferdinand, and the garage-dwelling blues-rock world that groups like the Black Keys occupy. With relative consistency, the album fluctuates between the two flavors, but Grey Sky Blues really shines when Bizness Suit synthesizes the grooves and the blues. Tracks like their self-titled song "Bizness Suit" feature a layered post-punk revivalist landscape as the background for Barry's fuzzy Chicago blues-guitar pluckings.

Hunton's drumming deserves a handful of high-fives for the contagious rhythm epidemic he spreads on a few tracks. His snare-hi-hat interchange on "Abused Blues" and the four-on-the-floor pulse he provides on "The Other End" give Barry and bassist/ lyricist Drew Tapp the perfect space to trade riffs.

The band also has a brief foray into cowpunk on "Outta Yer Minds." Its main push comes from the dark, moody bassline Tapp lays down before Barry and Hunton throw the song into dusty Western frontiers. The tune is also noteworthy because of its contribution from Pink Floyd's Scott Page, who adds an integral stuttering saxophone to the funkier parts of the composition.

Guigui's contact list not only landed Page, but a certain bearded Texas bluesman by the name of Billy Gibbons. Yes, that Billy Gibbons. The ZZ Top guitarist plays on the album's climactic song "Rock 'N' Rolla."

"[Martin] knows everyone. He was just like 'name a guitarist and I'll try and get him,'" says Barry. The band half-jokingly threw out a few names, like Robby Krieger from the Doors and Slash of Guns N' Roses. Eventually, the wheel of surprise featured artists landed on Gibbons, who added his talents to the swelling blues tune.

While Grey Sky Blues was recorded in May 2015, Bizness Suit did not sign with their label, Pacific Records, until September of the next year.

As for the future, the group doesn't seem content with the surprise success they've had so far. "We have a good sound right now, but we're still fine tuning it," says Hunton. "Maybe we never settle. We've got more good work to do." - Heath Ellison - Charleston City Paper


"Bizness Suit - 'King'"

Charleston, South Carolina has a rich history of blues and jazz, but what’s really exciting is the local indie bands that are cropping up making Charleston an up-and-coming hot spot for underground rock talent. One of the bands turning up the heat down south is Bizness Suit. The band started as a duo then expanded to their current 4 member lineup: Sean Barry, Drew Tapp, Hunter Moss and Jeremy Hunton. They even worked with legendary guitarist/lead singer for ZZ Top, Billy Gibbons. Today, the band is continuing the momentum with a new CD titled ‘King’ that shows just why legends like Gibbons chose to work with them and why Charleston can boast about their indie rock scene.

If you want to get the full deep, resonating rock, swampy, bluesy flavor of Bizness Suit, then dig your ears into “Old Road.” Bizness Suit captures something from the past – perhaps it’s in their attitude, confidence and grittiness. This band isn’t afraid to get their hands dirty and dig in, yet they do it with polish. “If God willing and the creak don’t rise. It will all blow over and be alright.’ The song paints a picture of driving down an old dusty road into uncharted directions and “not shaking in your boots” while you're doing it. It's less about the unknown and more about making your own truth. Vocally, Sean Barry brings back something from the ghosts of early rock that is sorely missing in today’s scene and you can almost close your eyes and picture the days when lead rock singers were like Gods. The band supports this perfectly with strong rhythm guitar, crisp drumming, driving bass, and progressive lead guitar; every member is essential and on their game.

"God Don’t Even Know” switches it up with some funky gestures and a solid rock rhythm section holding it down tightly. This song knocks it out of the park with a strong vocal performance, fantastic lead guitar riffs and a good chorus. The take away is that no one knows your hell, except you. Another song to check out is “Gravedigger’s Hands” where they come together for an all-out, full-scale sound achieved by phrases played in unison. Impressive acrobatic lead guitar conversations fill in the mix using the full language of the instrument from smooth to staccato Finally, turn up “Peaches N’ Cream.” It's not as thick and sweet as it sounds. There's a bad-ass quality to this ballad that sticks to you. The guitar cries with the blues as the vocals give an emotional yet tough rendition. “Give me hope and something to live for – give me death, someone to kill for.”

Bizness Suit might just be the most surprising rock band to hit the southern scene. An old-school rebel-rich sound coming from a group of young twenty-somethings is enough to do a musical double-take; they have brought back something that was missing and at the same time they have created something new we haven’t heard before and this is very, very exciting. Charleston, South Carolina may be looking at their next big act to hit the masses. - Tree Fortin - iNDie BREW


"10 Questions: Indie Music Interviews - Bizness Suit"

Bizness Suit is a phenomenal rock band out of South Carolina. Their lineup is Sean Barry (guitar/vocals), Drew Tapp (bass) , Hunter Moss (guitar,vocals) and Jeremy Hunton (drums). The band just released a new CD titled ‘King” that is garnishing critical acclaim. People around the country are getting very pumped about this band and watching them rise in the ranks of rock is truly exciting. 10 Questions caught up with Bizness Suit for an interview that you don't want to miss out on!



Was there something (an experience) or someone in your life that was the "catalyst" for you to start writing music? Tell us about it.



Sean (singer) and Drew (bassist) started a band in 2006 because they were bored. It was awful. One of our songs was about rescuing kittens from trees by throwing burning babies at them. There was no thought back then, it was just a passion for wanting to create something. We were young and stupid and we’d write things that sounded young and stupid. But regardless, there was always passion about the actual creation of the music. We wanted to emulate what we loved. The name of that 2006 band was Two Lost Souls, inspired by the lyric from Wish You Were Here. That Pink Floyd album contained the first rock song Sean ever heard (in the attic with his dad’s vinyl records and not knowing what a b-side, he put on Side B track one: “Have A Cigar” – and that’s the stone that started the others tumbling down the hill). And still today, we’ll toss in a cover by The Doors or The Beatles. We were inspired by the gods of rock, and that’s why it’s always been the stone that’s rolling. So that moment when Sean discovered “Have A Cigar” was the catalyst for it all. Two Lost Souls became Homer, then The Stations, then The Damn Rights, and finally Bizness Suit. Sean and Drew started it from the beginning, but Jeremy (drummer) and Hunter (guitarist) carried the vision to where it is. All of our stories are different, but every catalyst is the same, and our paths just crossed at the right moment.





Let's get this out of the way. What is the CRAZIEST thing that has ever happened to you in your music career?



Billy Gibbons plays the lead guitar on our first record for the song “Rock N’ Rolla.” We met with Billy a few times, and he wanted to do the song because he was really in touch with the lyrics. He never really said what it was about the lyrics, but every time we met with him, he’d ask, “Who wrote the lyrics?” We’d tell him, and he’d nod, and he’d say he really liked them. One of the times we met with him was over dinner, and he had mashed potatoes in his beard, but we were too nervous to tell him because how do you tell a rock and roll legend who wants to contribute to your album that he’s got a potato beard?



What has been the high point of your music path?



We were invited to the Foo Fighters’ practice studio for an annual party Rami Jaffee throws and we got to meet Rami and also Robby Krieger who performed impromptu for a couple of songs.



So, how do you approach songwriting or what is your creative process like?



We usually have a backlog of lyrics, so sometimes Sean or Hunter will come up with a catchy idea and grab something to put to it. But oftentimes it does start with the lyrics, something that’s so exciting we’ve got to put music to it right away.



What do you see as the biggest challenge facing Indie Artists today? Or, if you could ask the music industry to change one thing, what would it be?



The biggest challenge is the era we’re in. People don’t go out to shows like they used to. They don’t go out to the Tin Roof because it’s a Wednesday night and they want to check out a band they’ve never heard of. With the digital age, there’s so much music to sift through already, so it’s harder to make yourself stand out and get people in a position where they want to take a chance on you.


If you could share the stage with one other artist or band, who would it be and why?



On the surface, this seems like a really easy question to answer because the obvious response is Prince. That’s also the correct answer. Why? Because he was the most talented musician we all look up to.



What are your rehearsals generally like? Or, how do you prepare for a live show?



Generally, we try to rehearse everything. We don’t prepare set lists for our shows – we like to feed off the energy of the room. Every time we’ve made a set list, we end up scrapping it after about the second song in. So it’s best if we rehearse everything. However, we frequently get sidetracked working on new song ideas.



Pick one song that was your greatest challenge to write. Tell us about it!


“Old Road.” We wrote and recorded it on the last day of our recording session. It was something we came up with and couldn’t let go, so we had to capture that moment.

What's coming up in the future?

Our second album King just dropped on May 26th, and so we’re currently promoting that as we play around the southeast. Our goal is to continually evolve our sound, and as we’ve already begun writing new, unrecorded songs, we’ve seen ourselves maturing as performers and songwriters, and that’s the path we aim to follow. We’re always looking for new connections to other bands and music that will inspire us to challenge ourselves. We want the future and we want it now! - BWH Music Group


Discography

Bizness Suit (self-titled) - EP (2014)

Rock 'N Rolla - single (Pacific Records, Jan. 2017)
Grey Sky Blues - LP (Pacific Records, Feb. 2017)
House of the Rising Sun - single (Pacific Records, Mar. 2017)

KING - LP (Loser's Club Records, May 2018)

Photos

Bio

Bizness Suit is a four piece rock band from Charleston, SC. The band was originally founded in 2014 by founding members Sean Barry (guitar/vocals) and Drew Tapp (bass). Between the two, Bizness Suit funded, recorded, and tracked their first EP, self titled Bizness Suit. Around the time of the final tracking of the EP, the band brought in Jeremy Hunton (drummer) to record the last few songs and become the third member of the group. With the EP in hand, Bizness Suit promoted the album coast to coast.

In 2015, the band connected with LA producer Martin Guigui and began making plans to record a full LP at Lion Share Studios in Los Angeles. After a three month fundraising campaign through Kickstarter and a trip to the City of Angels, Bizness Suit had recorded their debut album, Grey Sky Blues. During the mixing process, Martin introduced the band to two rock and roll legends: the first was Scott Page, saxophonist for Pink Floyd and Supertramp, and the second was Billy Gibbons, who Martin toured with during Billy’s first solo album, “Perfectamundo”. Page contributed to two tracks on the album and Gibbons recorded the last piece of the album - a solo for the single, Rock ‘N Rolla and did so with Martin while on the “Perfectamundo” tour.

Shortly after that final guitar solo was recorded, Bizness Suit met and signed with Pacific Records out of San Diego. With the backing of Pacific Records, the band released the single, Rock ‘N Rolla, on January 10th and the full album, Grey Sky Blues, a month later on February, 10th, 2017.

On March 25th, 2017, Bizness Suit had their CD release in Charleston with local opener, Pluff Mud Queen. Because the band had to fill the epic shoes of Billy Gibbons for the Rock 'N Rolla solo, Bizness Suit wanted to have the final songs feature Pluff Mud Queen’s guitarist/singer, Hunter Moss. The result of having Hunter as the guest guitarist was the band bringing him on as the fourth and final member of Bizness Suit. The now four piece band had a busy 2017 touring around Charleston and the greater Southeast promoting Grey Sky Blues.

On May 26th, 2018, a year and a few months after their debut album, Bizness Suit released their sophomore album, KING. This album was a bit different from their first - not only did it have Hunter on the album, but it was completely recorded and produced by the band in Charleston, SC with the bassist from Pluff Mud Queen, Stefan Williams, acting as sessions engineer and production advisor. The band had four days to record 17 tracks at Jeremy's parents house (they would like to thank Mr. and Mrs. Jeremy’s parents), then Hunter spent the next few months mixing and mastering the best 13 tracks that now make the album KING, and the first single, God Don't Even Know, was released along with the album.

Currently, as of June 2018, the band is booking a Southeast tour from Charleston through Upstate SC and into NC and TN that they hope will fill out their fall and winter 2018 schedule. The band anticipates great things and wants to bring you into the fold.

Coming to a stage near you, Bizness Suit, means bizness!

Band Members