Club Thunderbolt
Windsor, Ontario, Canada | Established. Jan 01, 2012 | SELF
Music
Press
Assembled from the survivors of Windsor, ON's '90s and '00s music scenes, Club Thunderbolt definitely act their age on City of Salt. Referencing the musical sensibilities of early-Sub Pop and the emotional susceptibilities of today's musical crop of thirtysomethings (the National, the Walkmen), Club Thunderbolt's debut brazenly blends extroverted sonic knowhow with inward-looking themes.
Over the album's ten tracks, Club Thunderbolt manage to tackle broad subjects (heartbreak, death, hometown politics) in an intimate manner, thanks to Dave Mueller, Kipp Van Kuren and Meg Farron's hushed and tempered vocal deliveries. Producer Chris Koltay (Akron/Family, the Dirtbombs), helps the sextet sound equal parts brainy and brawny as melodies build and crumble on tracks like "Holy Ground" and "House Inside My Head."
Anchored by Grainger Harris' loose-rail guitar and R.J. Brando and Nick Mitchell's titanium rhythm section, much of Club Thunderbolt's debut stays within the structured confines of indie and post rock, making City of Salt a mature and instinct-driven album from a band experienced enough to bare their chops.
(Chieftown Records) - Exclaim
The City of Roses isn't really known for turning out great Canadian indie bands, but Windsor, ON natives Club Thunderbolt are hoping to change all that. Their debut album, City of Salt, is set to arrive later this November.
Club Thunderbolt are led by Dave Mueller (formerly of Full White Drag), with several Windsor players featured on the album, including Kipp Van Kuren (Godhead), Grainger M. Harris (Silent Movie Type), Nick Mitchell (Ayndrone), RJ Brando (Silent Movie Type) and Meg Farron (Grand Marais).
As for the album, it was wecorded by Chris Koltay (My Morning Jacket, Atlas Sound) and Joe Philips in the band's neighbouring Detroit and mastered by John Drew (Tokyo Police Club, Fucked Up), and it is said to perfectly capture the "art, soul and culture" shared by the two American and Canadian cities, according to a press release.
Hear for yourself by watching the album teaser in the player below.
While there isn't a firm release date for City of Salt, you can see the artwork up above, as well as the 10-song tracklist below.
City of Salt:
1. City Of Salt
2. Eyeliner
3. Holy Ground
4. 12:57 AM
5. Threes
6. House Inside My Head
7. Don't Go, Mercedes
8. The Ocean Floor
9. Old Fires
10. Whiteout - Exclaim
Windsor, ON outfit Club Thunderbolt didn't have a firm due date for their City of Salt LP when it was announced last month, but the group are now ready to self-release the set on November 26. Better yet, you can stream the whole album now.
As previously reported, the album was recorded in Detroit earlier this year by Chris Koltay (My Morning Jacket, Atlas Sound) and Joe Philips, and was later mastered by John Drew (Tokyo Police Club, Fucked Up).
A press release notes that the record weighs in on "the feeling of fighting through the darkness in search of the light," alluding to personal struggles the band encountered before and after the recording sessions. Guitarist/keyboardist Grainger Harris lost his wife Apryl to cancer in 2012, an event alluded to on the set's "12:57 A.M.," while vocalist Meg Farron's mother died during the recording sessions.
Tracks like "City of Salt," the National-conjuring "Holy Ground" and the horn-heaving "House Inside My Head" are fuelled by an intertwining of ornate guitar work and the lonely, gravelly baritone of singer/guitarist Dave Mueller.
You can check out those songs and more in the player down below.
A full-album performance will take place at the Capitol Theatre in Windsor, ON, on November 30. Detroit's Touch The Clouds is scheduled to appear as the opening act. - Exclaim
The cover art for Club Thunderbolt’s City of Salt is gritty and matches the tone of their album. Their name is the only colour; a yellow burst that draws your attention to the lightening bolt inside the “O.”
The factory in the bottom left of the image reminds me of all the factories in Windsor and Detroit, fitting as the band is from Windsor but was recorded in Detroit at High Bias Recordings.
Club Thunderbolt, a Canadian post-punk/indie band from Windsor, release their 10-track debut album on Nov 26., with the band’s own label, Chieftown Music.
Dave Mueller (vocals and guitar), Kipp Van Kuren (vocals), Grainger M. Harris (guitars and keys), Nick Mitchell (drums, percussion), R.J. Brando (bass, vocals) and Meg Farron (vocals), make up Club Thunderbolt.
The idea behind the album’s title, City of Salt, alludes to the perseverance and grit, and is a clear ode to the City of Roses—a title by which Windsor is known. The feeling of fighting through the darkness in search of the light is a theme that appears often [in] the album.”
The album starts off with the song that matches the album name, “City of Salt.” Initially, the music is bright and happy, and then slowly becomes more melancholy as Mueller begins to sing about a difficult love situation.
My favourite songs include “Eyeliner” which is about a girl who cries herself to sleep because she is all alone and witnesses the lies that everyone has told her come true and “12:57 A.M.” This song is full of hope, with the repeated verse, “There is a light shining in the end.”
For more information, news, videos, and show listings, visit Club Thunderbolt’s website at www.clubthunderbolt.com. - The Lance (University of Windsor)
Tune in Sunday during the Rock Indie Show as I chat with the fine folks of Club Thunderbolt! This band is compiled of 6 musicians from Windsor who are/have been in multiple other projects: Dave Mueller (Full White Drag), Kipp Van Kuren (Godhead), Grainger M Harris (Silent Movie Type), Adam Craig (Silent Movie Type), Justin Brando (Silent Movie Type), and Meg Farron (Grand Marais).
They are releasing their debut album City of Salt on November 30 at The Capitol Theatre wsg Heavy Suns! Advanced tickets come with a digital copy of the CD so get yours now right here! I am really looking forward to this show! Hope to see you all there! - The Rock 95.1 & 100.7 FM
Windsor’s Club Thunderbolt brings a background of rock, post-punk and heavier sounds combined with little math rock to create a truly unique sound with their debut album, City of Salt.
The six-piece is hosting an album release party this Saturday at The Capitol Theatre. The band spent the last year writing, recording and producing the album.
“What’s kind of developed is a sound that is a little more dynamic,” explained Dave Mueller, who plays guitar and throws down vocals for the band. “It’s like [loud guitar] rock music at the end of the day. There’s not a lot of bands out there with two guys singing, both with kind of lower register voices and then two other people singing with higher register voices, doing melodies and harmonies in the background.”
“We wanted to focus on making the best record we could,” said Mueller. “We put a lot of blood, sweat and tears into this record.”
Mueller expressed both support and respect for the Windsor music scene, commenting that there are both exceptional musicians and bands, and that there’s “a lot of respect in the community [for the music scene].”
“In my experience … the thing about Windsor is that you kind of stick together here because we all know it’s a tough place to be based as a musician if you really want to try and break out,” said Mueller. “You’ve got to stick together and support each [other], and there’s a lot of that in the community.”
Growing up in Windsor, Mueller explained that he finds it difficult to be a musician in the city and not be influenced by Detroit. “[The band] grew up here, we all spent most of our formative years attending shows in Detroit. It’s a big part of my musical DNA personally.”
As for the future, Mueller said the band is excited at how far they’ve come since making the record and that they look forward to whatever comes next.
“We all feel creatively [that] this is some of the best stuff we’ve ever done [and] feel reenergized and excited about it,” said Mueller. “The rest is out of our hands really, we’re going to do everything we can to put it out there … after that, who knows if people will like it or not.”
“All we can control is playing the best music that we can and writing the best music that we can,” he added.
Windsor’s Club Thunderbolt is performing their full-album, City of Salt, at the Joy Theatre Room inside The Capitol Theatre on Saturday, Nov. 30 with Windsor’s Heavy Suns. - The Urbanite
Published on Sep 16, 2012
Lauren Hedges interviews Club Thunderbolt, from Windsor at the 4th anual Phog Phest in Windsor, ON, on September 15, 2012.
This new group will be recording in Detroit for a couple of week this November.
Video Interview: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SBL_M3Gbjo8 - NOXTROM D.M. / XEAYZ.COM
coming fresh off of their Phog Phest 4 set that had MANY newcomers talking about them, Windsor’s Club Thunderbolt are going to also mangle the moorings of Phog when they unleash their incredible brand of music on the crowd. I love this band…and their Phog Phest set made me an even bigger fan of this SMART, SMART group. - Tom Lucier, Phog Lounge Owner, CBC & Windsor Star Blogger
Discography
CITY OF SALT - LP - Chieftown Music - 2013
Nobody Loves you - SINGLE - Independent - 2012
Photos
Bio
Club Thunderbolt announces the release of debut album, "City Of Salt"
Club Thunderbolt is a band that came together by a group of lost musicians as a sort of musical therapy after most had found their way home to Windsor, ON. What developed was a band that clearly had something to say and an album rooted in hope, perseverance and a belief that together, better days are ahead.
All involved had been in bands before and experienced the rise and fall of the music industry to varying extents. Notably, singer/guitarist Dave Mueller formerly led Full White Drag, an early-mid 2000's post-punk outfit that went onto mild success including signing to NYC based label Inner-Flight Records, touring North America multiple times, and recording with now famed producer Shane Stoneback (Vampire Weekend, Sleigh Bells) alongside musical mentor Scott McCloud of Girls Against Boys. But, after releasing an EP in 2005 (despite an unreleased stack of Stoneback/McCloud produced material in hand), Full White Drag faded away somewhat unexpectedly.
After a multi-year sojourn that would take him away from music and far from his Motor City roots, Mueller found himself back in Windsor and reached out to friend Kipp Van Kuren to get together and write some songs for fun. Van Kuren, who shares lead vocals in Club Thunderbolt with Mueller, was highly regarded from his time fronting bands like Godhead and Spine in the '90s.
The two worked together to develop the early sound of Club Thunderbolt, and later picked up others from the Windsor music community including Grainger Harris (lead guitar, keyboards), Meg Farron (vocals), R.J. Brando (bass, vocals), and Nick Mitchell (drums).
As the band was building some local momentum in mid-2012, Harris tragically lost his wife, Apryl, following her courageous battle with cancer. This terribly difficult and profound experience runs deep throughout the record most notably on 12:57 A.M. which was written directly at the time of her passing. An intense period of creativity sprouted amongst the group shortly thereafter.
The bands sound is clearly anchored in the collective history of its members, with post-punk themes and indie-rock allusions throughout, but something is different this time both in volume and intent.
Mueller's return to lead vocals brings with it a renewed voice empowered by the hard earned salt of a decade of life experiences and a new attention to melody over his signature gritty style. Likewise, Van Kuren has introduced a more introspective approach combined with his smooth baritone in the vein of Mark Lanegan, Tod A of Firewater, and even Matt Berninger of The National at times. Farron and Brando's higher octave melodies and harmonies contribute an incredible contrast to the lower registers of the two lead vocalists that helps to highlight the dark and the light upon which each song is built.
Harris blazes through the record with lead guitar work that at times is reminiscent of the solo records of John Frusciante, in both his complimentary approach to melody stretched over the gritty rhythm of Mueller and his sweeping leads on tracks like Old Fires, Holy Ground and Dont Go, Mercedes. Brando and Mitchell combine to bring a restrained rhythm section that delivers the bones of the entire record with soul and vision.
As a title, City of Salt alludes to perseverance and grit, and is a clear ode to the City of Roses a title by which Windsor is known. The feeling of fighting through the darkness in search of the light is a theme that appears often on the album. For Club Thunderbolt, City of Salt is record that states its case for surviving for better days ahead. The recording of the record in winter/spring of 2013 brought with it additional heartache as Farron dealt with the unexpected loss her mother another tragedy with no explanation behind it. The band fought on and City of Salt is now here and stands as a testament to the light at the end of everyones tunnel.
City of Salt will be released on November 26th, 2013. A truly cross border effort, it was recorded in Detroit, MI at High Bias Recordings with Chris Koltay (Akron/Family, The Dirtbombs, Afghan Whigs, My Morning Jacket, Atlas Sound), with additional recording completed by Joe Philips (Few And Far Between). Jon Drew (Arkells, Tokyo Police Club) mastered the album at Infinite Wavelength in Toronto. Tracks 5, 6, and 10 feature horns by Steven Kachnowski and John Reynolds of Detroit band Telegraph.
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