Starved Rock

Originally posted on June 17, 2014:

WARNING

Rock may cause the shredding of air molecules strung apart by axe, minor earthquakes created by bass, and the smell of melting clocks as a result of the drumming. 

CAUTION

These sounds could result in nudity or subdominant or dominant toxicity. Please, don't leave your socks behind. - Starved Rock

          Everyone has dreams.  Whether it be to make money, to build a family, or to express yourself through some art-form.  Sometimes, in life, we achieve these dreams and sometimes we don't, but if you really want something you'll pursue it no matter the adversity you may face or how hard you might have to work.  Life may throw obstacles in your way, but the key is to trudge on to get to where you're going.  That is exactly what the members of Starved Rock have done, all while building up a catalog of mind-bogglingly awesome music.

David Click and Lydia Palazzolo at Work    

          Currently, Starved rock resides in Austin, Texas, though most of the members originally come from DeKalb, Illinois.  The band began with David Click and Mathew Judson, then high school students, at the dawn of the internet.  Soon after, they formed the first incarnation of the band, Astral Guard.  After an unsuccessful attempt at 'the California dream', the band broke up, but the 2 founding members went on to start a new band, Our Glass.  After moving around the country and finding new (and old) members, the band reformed in Austin as they are now, Starved Rock.  The current lineup of Starved Rock is David Click (Guitar/Vocals/Violin/Bass), Chris Goranson (Guitar/Vocals/Bass), Matthew Judson (Drums/Guitar/Bass), Jacob Miguel (Bass), and Lydia Palazzolo (Guitar/Vocals).  In their numerous incarnations, they have released an impressive back catalog of 4 albums (The Bakery, As Above So Below, Counting The Rings, and Holy Goat), as well as a recent single (Forcing The City Gates Over).  Throughout all of these releases, the group has been able to charm their audience with their instrumental skill and diverse musical styles.

Starved Rock's new album, "Counting Rings"

          One of my favorite songs by Starved Rock is Envy, off of their Counting The Rings release.  The song begins with a classic rock-esque (think Boston) lick that continues into the intro.  The hard-hitting drumbeat nicely compliments the proficient guitar work, while David Click's smoky vocals come in.  It's his unique voice and singing style that pulls all of the individual elements together and packages them perfectly.  When listening to this track, the image that immediately comes to mind is a warm summer day with an open blue sky and a barbecue on a sandy beach.  The song ends in the same way it started, with an upbeat guitar outro, backed by the deft accents of Matthew Judson on drums.

Chris Goranson Rockin' on the guitar

          Another exceptionally good song of theirs comes off their most recent full-length album, Holy Goat, and is Jealouse.  The track starts off with a thick, bluesy bass intro.  The guitar then comes in with a light drumbeat in the background.  A vocal harmony enters over-top this and sets the mood for the song.  When Click's vocals actually begin, they do so in a purposefully lo-fi way, similar to Scott Weiland's (Stone Temple Pilots) in the song Wet My Bed.  While the audio is recorded in this way, Click still maintains the mysterious quality that is so characteristic of his voice.  A skilled guitar solo closes the song, in addition to occasional, fuzzed, vocals.

          All in all, Starved Rock is made up of true-born musicians that want to share their special brand of music with the world.  They have overcome hurdles and setbacks, but are still here, more rockin' then ever, wanting to give us a 'starved rock'.  They have put out so much engaging material that it was incredibly difficult to narrow it down to 2 songs; so I strongly encourage everyone to check out all of their music on their Bandcamp page (http://starvedrock.bandcamp.com).  Also, be sure to go over to their Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/starvedrockband).  This is a band to keep an eye on, and I look forward to doing so.

Thank you for visiting my blog and reading this review.  Please feel free to comment on this article about whatever you feel like (suggestions, what you think of the band, etc...).  If you would like to contact me for any reason, check out the 'Contact' tab above.  Have a nice day and rock on!