The Intemperate Sons

This album takes a darker turn from their debut, mirroring the tumultuous times we live in today. In Dark Day’s Night, The Intemperate Sons explore the hidden demons within us all that no one else can see, reflecting the notion that the brightest souls often burn the shortest before fading away.

Immerse yourself in the gritty sonic landscape of The Intemperate Sons’ second album, Dark Day’s Night. With tracks like the haunting title song, the introspective “Falling Under,” and the reflective “Way Back When,” this album weaves a compelling story of resilience amidst turmoil. “Unrealized” and “CØNTRØL8” delve into the battle for autonomy in a disordered world, while “Game of Keep Away” offers a raw take on the struggle of self-destruction and survival. The album also features a heavier, more intense cover of Nirvana’s “Dumb,” adding a unique layer to this already diverse album. Dark Day’s Night is not just an album; it’s a journey through the shadows, echoing with the sounds of defiance and liberation.

The Intemperate Sons release all their music through the Frame|Work record label at the direction of Amir Derakh and Ryan Shuck. All Intemperate Sons’ tracks are mixed by Amir Derakh at Synthicide in Long Beach, CA. All mastering is done by Mike Marsh Mastering in the U.K. - Metal Heads Forever

uly 12 — The Intemperate Sons unveiled its latest single and video this week.

The band’s new single came Friday in the form of a cover of Nirvana’s classic song, ‘Dumb.’ The song was originally included in Nirvana’s 1993 album, In Utero. The Intemperate Sons’ take on the Nirvana classic stays largely true to its source material while giving the song a bit more energy in its more rocking take on the track.

The band’s cover of ‘Dumb’ is one of a handful of songs featured in The Intemperate Sons’ new album, Dark Day’s Night. The Intemperate Sons actually has released the album in whole as separate singles leading up to its recent release, this latest entry included. - Mayhem Rockstar Magazine

The Intemperate Sons have unveiled their re-imagined version of The Rolling Stone’s “Dead Flowers” via FRAME|WORK. “Dead Flowers” holds a special place for The Intemperate Sons as one of their all-time favorite Rolling Stones tracks, and they’ve brought it to life in a fresh, electrified style. Staying true to their roots, The Intemperate Sons inject their signature vocal harmonies with a mixture of a vintage acoustic foundation and current amplified guitar sounds, giving this classic a modern alternative edge while still respecting the original’s timeless grit. It’s a reimagined blast from the past, crafted with today’s sound in mind. - Metalshock Finland

Gig Whore Gig Of The Week found me at the Six Springs Tavern in East Plano to catch three original DFW rock bands, The Intemperate Sons, Flash Mob and Dark Avenue.
THE VENUE!
For those who have not been, the SST is a decent size room with a great mid low stage with plenty of tables and seats. No frills on the lights but a great sound for a live performance. Privately owned by Keri and Bradley Springs, the Six Springs is a home for the original band / musician playing original music and it’s also a 21 and over club. You gotta give them credit for holding to their guns in the mist of the music scene that is a thriving montage of wig wearing tribute acts!
OPENING ACT!
Not knowing much about the three bands on the bill, I was open minded to hear what they were going to play. The opening band, Dark Avenue turned out to be quite impressive right off the bat. A combination sound between Tool and Godsmack with a heavy alternative groove, the band delivered a consistent powerhouse performance. Full setlist of original melodic songs, but a bit repetitive at times. Pretty standard of the new rock music of the day. But to my surprise, this band has much acclaim in their behalf. Professional performers and season musicians, this group is definitely worth checking out.
FLASH MOB!
Cool name, great band with a stern 80s feel that has “party time” written from side to side and back again. Lead by two ex-members of Blackout, Stan German on vocals, Bobby ‘Bobbywood’ Michaelides on guitar, ‘Brando’ Brandon Lee Warren on bass and the beast with sticks, Mike Pritchett behind the kit. It’s easy to see this band loves to play live and pushes the showmanship at every show. Even with singer Stan a bit under the weather, Flash Mob didn’t hold back and gave the crowd a great performance. A must see DFW original, Flash Mob goes balls out and all out every gig!
THE CLOSING ACT!
The Intemperate Sons consist of a father, two sons and a bassist, so right off I had my doubts. Fronted my Max Watson on vocals and guitar, Jake Watson guitar, father Keith Watson on drums and Mark Marks on bass. A fairly new group formed in 2019, I was taken back a bit because the four piece had a tight polished sound with a few decent original rock tunes. Trading guitar leads, brothers Max and Jake mixed well together throughout the set. The groove was good, the rhythm was tight and song by song you can see this band have done their homework. Although, father Keith introducing each song giving insight kinda killed the mood between each number. Maybe it’s just me but I don’t need to know the depth of every song, just play it and let the music do the talking.
Overall the night was enjoyable considering all the music was new to the ear. Gotta give each band cred for sticking to their guns and playing original music in the mist of the DFW tribute circus. Supporting original bands who play original music is not the rave at the moment but it is the signs of the times where the music fans want to be or in this case hear. Still, I encourage more music enthusiasts to branch out, give the the tribute market a break and go see live and local original bands. #GigWhore - Michael Insuaste

Speaking from a rock ’n’ roll fantasy camp in Los Angeles, Max Watson, singer/guitarist for Dallas’ alternative rock band the Intemperate Sons, doesn’t sound much like a rock star. Soft-spoken and deliberate, he sounds like a person in complete control. And he’s only 23.

“Yes, I know intemperate means lacking self-control,” Watson says, “but the truth is, we’ve never done anything too crazy.”

Well, besides having his brother and father in the band. That’s right, the Intemperate Sons consists of Max, his brother Jake (on second guitar) and father Keith on drums.

“Dad came up with the name,” Watson recalls, “because he wanted a play on words with sons or brothers or something like that.”

The Watson family have been playing together since 2019. Keith has a long history of rocking out in Dallas with bands such as Gun Hill and Natural Born Thrillers. Seems once dad heard the music created by his own sons, it felt like a natural fit.

Even though it still can’t be that cool to have your dad around all of the time, Max insists the family unit actually improves the band’s music.

“It’s weird, but it’s also awesome because we already have chemistry,” Watson says. “We don’t need to build that.”

That familiarity helped create The Color Within, the Intemperate Sons’ debut full-length that came out in 2022. The album shows a band mining influences as diverse as Alice in Chains, the Allman Brothers and REM. But Max claims it all falls under the banner of alternative rock.

Alternative is probably the best to describe what we do,” Watson says. “Or maybe ’90s post grunge.”

Songs such as “Wall of Glass,” “Going Crazy” and “Way Back When” demonstrate a skill and maturity that belies the relative newness of the band. Maybe that’s because dad writes all the lyrics.

“My dad has a novel’s worth of lyrics in his head,” Watson says. “We could probably make six more albums and not have to write any more music. I’ve only written one song, ‘Going Crazy,’ and, on ‘Way Back When,’ I contributed the first verse and the chorus.”

But right now, they’re just concentrating on touring and spreading the word about The Color Within. Since the band didn’t have a permanent bass player (they used two studio aces on the debut), Dad brought in his old bandmate Mark Marks to solidify the lineup.

“It’s kind of like having my uncle in the band,” Watson laughs. And with the new bass player in tow, the brothers can concentrate on playing guitar and producing a fuller sound.

“When we first started,” Watson explains, “me and Jake would just switch around playing bass and guitar.”

But even with the brothers switching between instruments, the sound on The Color Within is fully realized. The music and lyrics evoke a person looking back at relationships, good and bad, and realizing who’s to blame, even when that might be that person.

“‘Wall of Glass’ is about watching another person slowly fade away — a lost relationship whether or not it’s your fault … because of things you can’t control,” Watson says. And not only do the words tell the tale, the music’s polished ebb and flow creates these same emotions.

“Way Back When” is the most like Alice in Chains, but when a band mines an influence, it’s best to go at it full throttle.

And then there’s “What’s Done is Done,” a song so introspective that it could have been written by Bruce Springsteen or Elvis Costello.

“Dad wrote that, and Jake came up with the guitar riff,” Watson says. “It’s about making so many mistakes and feeling so sad that you can’t fix anything anymore — a really sad song.”

The Intemperate Sons make a cautious, thoughtful noise, a curious mixture of an older man’s trials and his sons’ youthful indiscretions. Yet, it still must be weird having your dad there when you’re living that rock ’n’ roll lifestyle. Not so, explains Watson.

“Now that I’m older, I’ve told my dad about the dumb shit I did,” Watson says. “One of our songs [“Going Crazy”] is about an acid trip gone wrong.”

“Besides,” says Watson. “Dad can drink way more than me. I’m a lightweight.”

So with one album under their belt, and those sometimes-burdensome family issues not appearing to be a problem, the Watson family is looking toward a bright future.

“We’re working on our second album,” Watson says. “We’ve released two songs that will be on the album, and we’ve recorded three others. All three of us are a database for guitar riffs.”

So far, the band has been mainly playing in and around Dallas, but they’re planning for a longer tour to happen in the next year.

“We have an idea of doing a West Coast and back kind of tour,” Watson says, “leaving from Dallas, playing New Mexico and Arizona, making it out to L.A.”

Medium-size steps to be sure, but the family that plays together, stays together. These Watson brothers have done the seemingly impossible. They’ve made dad cool. - Texas Music Magazine