strangewavesband

Being a fan of indie / progressive music, I was delighted to learn of the existence of the local group Strange Waves. I had assumed that the progressive music scene in the Shoals simply didn’t exist. I couldn’t have been more wrong!

The group Strange Waves is graced with the talents of Evan Sandy (drums), Joseph Whitehead (bass), Jeremy Couch (vocals, guitar), and Jackson Gillreath (lead vocals, guitar). On the Walls album, most of the vocals are provided by Gillreath, though Couch and Whitehead make vocal appearances on some of the later tracks.

I was really surprised by the first track of Walls titled The Swan. The reverberating guitar was expertly crafted into a very pleasing, light intro. The drums and slow vocals drive a very unique and self-contained melody that whets the appetite for the rest of the album.

The introduction riffs to the 38th Parallel are nothing short of awesome. They lead into a vocal-lead groove that will probably have your head bopping in just a few measures. The organ is phenomenal.

The clipped harmonic start to Circles is quite interesting. The real gem of this song though lies at its end. They really experiment at the end and break the mold that the rest of the song cast. The triplet near the end is strangely satisfying.

Song for the Living seems like a deeper cut. The chorus is especially appealing, though, and is quite catchy.

There’s some awesome guitar dubbing and shoegazing vocals in Image. It creates an interesting atmospheric experience.

I really enjoyed the vocal harmonies on Son of Many Sons. The guitar solo that starts around 4 minutes in its excellent, and I loved its organ/guitar fuzz ending.

Wolves is the downtempo track of the album. It’s a nice acoustic-heavy, lyric-prominent song that comes across as quite authentic. Good stuff.

Make Bobby Proud’s raw vocals and cascading guitar arpeggios make for a really good listening experience. It is tracks like this that really showcase the band’s talents and demonstrates how well their sounds mesh together.

Walls, the album’s title track, takes a minute to decide exactly what it wants to be. Once it commits though and the excellent guitar riffs really open things up, you’re left with a great song.

Strange Waves reminds me of a bit harder Lunatic Soul crossed with a bit of Amusement Parks on Fire. The subtle blues elements they weave into their indie/alternative/progressive stylings fit beautifuly. Even though I’m not a big blues fan, the sprinklings they put into Waves are certainly welcome. Greg Scheshe, sound engineer, crafts an extremely clean production that helps you really enjoy the subtle ring of the guitars and temperament of the organ.

Go listen to the album on YouTube, but be warned – you’ll have several of the tunes stuck in your head for days! When the album is available on CD Baby, Google Play, iTunes, Amazon MP3, Spotify, and Rhapsody, we’ll update the links here and on Facebook/Twitter.

This band is on the cutting edge of indie. And they’re just getting started. I’m going to keep my eye on Strange Waves. They’re yet another shining example of why we should be proud of our musical heritage.

-Robert Oliver. - Shoals Daily

Local band Strange Waves released its first album “Walls” Feb. 28 at 116 E. Mobile St. Readers can catch Strange Waves on Mobile Street for First Friday March 6.

With recordings spanning two years at multiple locations, plus weighty influence from all members, “Walls” is not the typical album.

Percussionist Evan Sandy said he credits sound engineer Greg Scheske as the mastermind that unified the album. Sandy described him as a passionate detector of authenticity in people and music.

With the focus of modern music shifting toward post-production, Strange Waves did not look to Scheske to correct its work, but to use his mixing skills to create one album from the varying personalities reflected in the recordings.

Although the members are in sync live and on the album, a natural polarity exists within the band and works to its benefit. The group can be likened to a cell, with Jackson Gilreath, vocalist and guitarist, as its nucleus. Jeremy Couch, also integral to vocals and guitar in Strange Waves, exists as the more raw, sporadic Jekyll to Gilreath’s musical Hyde, even in their stage setup, as he is left-handed and the inversion of Gilreath. Couch is a disciple of rock ’n’ roll with classic, hardcore and psychedelic elements. Couch adds elements exuding early Queens of the Stone Age and The Desert Sessions to Gilreath’s Muse-esque, operatic rock.

The guitarists understand the musical virtue of coming in and leaving at the right times, meeting in the middle for the perfect sound.

The rhythm section includes percussionist Sandy and bassist Joseph Whitehead. If Gilreath is the nucleus of the cell, Sandy is the cell wall — holding it all together.

Whitehead experiments with different styles of playing, but his multifaceted nature does not stop at bass. He also performed vocals on “Wolves,” the last track on the album.

It is a turn from the preceding tracks “Walls,” “Song for the Living,” and “Son of Many Suns.” “Wolves” has a more meandering, improvisational feel, whereas the other songs are uptempo with complex guitar playing and vocals.

Despite any upbeat musical choices, the subject matter remains rather solemn, but in an optimistic and accepting way, ranging from facing one’s own mortality to garnering the courage to end a relationship.

The album title represents seeing the light through a crack in the walls that may be making you claustrophobic. It is similar to Roger Waters’ idea behind Pink Floyd’s “The Wall” – the overcoming of walls within one’s self as an artist. Whatever the philosophical implications, the music is deep, too.

-Ashley Steenson. - The Flor-Ala

Shoals rock band Strange Waves will hold its first album release show at 116 E. Mobile Feb. 28 at 8:30 p.m.

Although the Shoals is home to a wide array of musicians, there has not always been a convenient local venue for artists to share their talents until recently.

Last year 116 E. Mobile grew right in the heart of Florence.

This month, 116 E. Mobile sold out of tickets for the upcoming concert featuring bands Grace&Tony and The Pine Hill Haints.

Strange Waves consists of members Jackson Gilreath on vocals/guitar, Joseph Whitehead on bass, Jeremy Couch on vocals/guitar and Evan Sandy on percussion.

UNA student and drummer for Strange Waves Evan Sandy said he is looking forward to the album release show and has already started putting up fliers in several downtown businesses.

“Strange Waves convened for the first time in my parent’s basement in the summer of 2012,” he said. “After a few years of incubating, we played our first several shows around Florence.”

Vocalist and guitarist Jackson Gilreath said he is excited to share the album with a live, attentive audience. Strange Waves album “Walls” will be released the night of the release show.

“Greg Scheshe is responsible for the producing and engineering,” he said. “He’s actually a UNA graduate. We all feel like he is just as responsible for the way our finished product sounds as we are. So far we are beyond pleased with the outcome and are grateful to have Scheshe on our team.”

Junior Sarai Ingle said she is looking forward to hearing what Strange Waves has to bring to offer the local music scene.

“Hearing the talent that is so prevalent in this area makes me realize just how much of an honor it is to go to school here, and I definitely made the right choice when I decided to call this area home.”

-Chelsea Yarber. - The Flor-Ala