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Heavy yet bluesy rockers BLACK INK RIVER have two albums tucked snuggly under their belts! But new music is coming very soon with shows to be announced as soon as possible! The discussion goes further along with more content perhaps even a world domination?

1. Please tell us about the history of your band and its members.

Black Ink River was formed in 2016 as a studio project basically. Me (Dano) and the drummer Roger wrote and recorded some songs in Roger’s studio. We found a sound and a style that we really liked but needed a guitarist for a couple of solos and that’s where Bosse came into the picture. Bosse recorded some really sick solos that blew me away.

We talked about writing an album together the three of us, and so we did. The first album HEADSTRONG was written and recorded over a year but we had actually never played the songs as a band so we started looking for a bass player that would be a good fit for us. Anders Modd from the heavy metal band Wolf were looking for a 70s style rock band to play with and somehow we ended up together. Funny how things just happens.

We come from totally different backgrounds and this interview would be very long if I gave you the whole story. Let’s just say that musically we come from Death Metal, Blues, Rock and Heavy Metal and now we play some sort of 70s inspired bluesy rock.

2. What’s the origin of the band’s name?

Well, me and Roger just where some words around and ended up with Black Ink River. Not a fancy story or anything, we just thought it sounded cool as hell and it stuck.

3. Where is the band based out of and what is your music scene like there? Are there any local bands you could recommend?

We’re from a town called Västerås in Sweden. Nowadays Västerås is a bit sleepy but it’s only one hour from Stockholm where the music scene is pretty good and where you have a lot of good bands and venues. A band I would like to recommend is Lugnet, check them out.

4. How would you describe your style?

Riff based rock with bluesy elements. Heavy, groovy and beautiful.

5. What have you released so far and what can someone expect from your works?

Our debut album Headstrong was released 2018 and our follow up Through The Unknown was released in January this year, both released on GMR Music Group. I guess you can hear some Jimi Hendrix, Cream, Mountain and Led Zep in our music as well as some Sabbath here and there but I truly think that we have our own unique sound and songwriting style due to our various backgrounds. 

6. Do you have any new music in the works?

We actually have a single coming up in a couple of months and you’re the first to know. Can’t really tell you more about that at the moment. Also we’re writing new songs and have big secret plans in the works, hehe.

7. How about playing shows and touring, have anything planned out?

We’re just waiting for the green light and for the world to open up so that we can get out there and play, still a bit uncertain when that is but our booking agent Hannah is on it like a hawk.

8. What plans do you have for the future as a band?

World domination of course! No but seriously, we’re dying to get out there and play live with our new album and to meet all of the great people that seem to like what we do.

9. Where can we listen to your band and where can we buy your stuff?

All our music is available at all big streaming platforms and on CD, CD/DVD, download and vinyl and you can buy them wherever you buy music I guess.

10. What is it you’d like a listener to remember the most when hearing your music for the first time?

I want the listener to feel empowered by our music. You know when you hear a really good strong song and crank the volume up really loud and you feel like a fucking superhero. Like that!

Metal rockers MOON MACHINE have two single's out along with their debut album coming up soon enough! The band talks about this release and what they have planned next.

1. Please tell us about the history of your band and its members.

Moon Machine is a prog band based in Somerville, MA made up of singer and multi-instrumentalist Eric Hochwald, keyboardist Jonathan Sirota, and drummer Angel Castillo. They bonded at Tufts University in the Boston area where they discovered their kinship for expressing themselves through music as well as immature humor. 

2. What’s the origin of the band’s name?

Thinking of an original band name these days is nearly impossible. I just wanted to think of something memorable and that people could easily spell. I also liked the idea of combining natural, cosmic imagery with something mechanical and man-made. It felt indicative of the music and the themes of the album.

3. Where is the band based out of and what is your music scene like there? Are there any local bands you could recommend?

We are from the Boston area. We haven’t come across many bands who are similar to our style, but there is a strong alt and indie rock scene here. There is also a prog scene, but it is mostly centered around Berklee college of music where you find some of the most technical and learned musicians doing more of the modern djent/technical instrumental prog thing which is a bit different than our sound. Bands that we are friends with are the alt rock band Luxury Deathtrap, the indie band Old Fox, and psych rock band We Are Space Horses.

4. How would you describe your style?

Our style is classic prog metal/rock with influences of post rock and alternative rock. Our influences mostly pre-date the whole 2010s djent scene. We focus on melody, ambience and emotion over technicality compared to what is normally associated with prog these days. However, we are certainly going for a grandiose sound without any limits on genre or style. This is what I like about prog music. Some of our main influences are Opeth, Porcupine Tree, Devin Townsend, Alcest, and Tool.

5. What have you released so far and what can someone expect from your works?

We’ve released two singles “Reckoning” and “Left to Wander”  from our upcoming debut album. Check those songs out to get a feel of what you’ll hear on the album. The album drops June 25th! Spacey production, head banging riffs, epic choruses, and acoustic sound palettes all find a home in this project, along with detailed pianos and keyboards, layered vocals, and progressive drumming. 

6. Do you have any new music in the works?

We have our album coming out June 25th! Afterwards I want to experiment recording some acoustic songs. Also my psych rock band We Are Space Horses which I play drums in should be releasing an album later this year. 

7. How about playing shows and touring, have anything planned out?

No shows or tours due to COVID-19. My band is also spread out across multiple states, and we all have day jobs. We will see in the future.

8. What plans do you have for the future as a band?

Moon Machine will always be my recording project for ambitious and spacious rock and metal. Although this album was written in a room together with my two bandmates, I recorded and mixed everything myself, except the keyboards which my bandmate Jon did. In the future I envision Moon Machine having a revolving door or collaborators to make ambitious and awesome rock and metal. I hope our second album will be even more ambitious and professional sounding. 

9. Where can we listen to your band and where can we buy your stuff?

We have a pre-order live on our bandcamp. Go to moonmachinemusic.bandcamp.com and order a digital copy of the album, or a CD if you’re still into those.

10. What is it you’d like a listener to remember the most when hearing your music for the first time?

Well, I hope they don’t remember our music because they think it sucks! My hope is for listeners to be able to emotionally connect to the music - I want them to feel something. In terms of specifics though, what other people get out of my music isn’t up to me. If they like it that’s great, and if they don’t that’s okay too. It’s always interesting getting feedback on your music. One person will say they really like one aspect, and another person will say that the same aspect is the reason why they can’t get into it. To me, releasing music is like releasing an animal back into the wild. You don’t have control over it anymore. If I wanted control over how people perceived my music, I wouldn’t release it and would just listen to it myself. My only goal is for a few people that aren't my mom to hear my music and remember it positively.

Alternative rock grunge band TRASH HEADS have a few single's out, along with an EP and album even! An all new album is out this fall with a couple of shows planned too! The band goes into much chat about their music and how they got started in the first place.

1. Please tell us about the history of your band and its members. 

Trash Heads was formed in 2014 by 3 old school friends AJ, Tone and Mark. We met at Mick Jagger’s old school, Dartford Grammar and bonded over our love of music and have played in various bands together over the years. When putting together Trash Heads we found drummer Mike via online musician ads and immediately clicked. Over the next couple of years we played many gigs around London and the South East and released our debut album ‘Skyscraper Heartbreaker’ late 2015. However, by 2017 Mike had a new family on the way and was no longer able to commit to the band so left and was replaced by another local sticksmith Martyn. With a load of new songs in the bag we began to record our 2nd album ‘Vandalism’ in 2018, and although much of it was recorded pre-Covid the lockdowns have caused several delays meaning we’re only just able to finish it in the coming weeks! During the last year, Martyn also had to step down after recording his parts for the new album due to commitment issues but Mike was able to jump back on the drum stool and is back in time to unleash new music!

2. What’s the origin of the band’s name? 

An early version of the band was called ‘Trash The Set’ and we wrote a song called ‘Trash Heads’ as an ode to our fans, which signaled a change of direction musically and a new line-up so we named the new lime-up after that song and it stuck!

3. Where is the band based out of and what is your music scene like there? Are there any local bands you could recommend? 

We are based in North Kent/SE London – there’s a large rock and metal scene in Kent, lots of great bands but not many decent venues left to play! Most local scene bands play Leo’s Red Lion in Gravesend, Poco Loco in Chatham, Penny Theatre in Canterbury amongst others. Our fave scene bands are Orphan Gears, Follow The Hawk, Tailblock, Just Say Nay, Crostpaths.

4. How would you describe your style? 

Alt-Rock/Grunge.

5. What have you released so far and what can someone expect from your works? 

We’ve released 3 singles, and EP and an album – all available on Spotify, Apple Music etc and our Bandcamp page. Our music is loud, noisy and catchy as hell!

6. Do you have any new music in the works? 

We have a new album called ‘Vandalism’ due Sept/Oct 2021.

7. How about playing shows and touring, have anything planned out? 

We have a couple of upcoming shows – Saturday 12th June at Leo’s Red Lion, Gravesend (Kent) with Follow The Hawk launching the single, and then Penny Theatre Canterbury supporting Foo Fighters GB on Friday 3rd September. More shows later in year to be announced. 

8. What plans do you have for the future as a band? 

Finally releasing our Covid-delayed album, playing plenty of shows around the UK and recording our lockdown-written third album next year.

9. Where can we listen to your band and where can we buy your stuff? 

Our releases are available on all streaming services worldwide (Spotify, Apple Music etc) but the best way to listen and buy of music (and support the band directly) is on our Bandcamp page: www.trasheadsband.com.

10. What is it you’d like a listener to remember the most when hearing your music for the first time? 

Big choruses that get in your head and stay there!

Death metal band Blood Red Throne have gotten signed onto record label Nuclear Blast Records! Find out all the details over HERE.

English Baroque Metal band Derade released their new single  «Take Your Soul». The single was remotely recorded at Guy Radford and Richard Lee homes in Cambridgeshire and South West London. It was mixed by Guy Radford and mastered at "Parlour Studios" by Neil Haynes.

Check it out at the following links:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W7iQUC2o5cU

https://open.spotify.com/album/3VMO9ur7Q1zo0ESzAN8tkg

Derade was formed in 2017 at Huntingdon, England by Guy Radford (guitar) and Mark Radford (guitar). Later Richard Lee (vocals)  joined the band and the lineup was completed.

French Doom/Sludge Metal band Dunerider released their debut album "Ruins". The release was recorded at "DuneStudio Paris" and fully self-produced.

Check it out here: https://dunerider.bandcamp.com/releases.

Dunerider was formed in 2020 as a one-man band by its only member Fred Dupré, multi-instrumentalist. The band's sound is very heavy, overloaded with fuzz, chaotic and apocalyptic lyrics, all drowned in a dusty and arid atmosphere.

My Darkest Time have released a new song with video titled "Dwell in Us" off their upcoming album! Check it out right over HERE.

Noise makers ALTERPODES have a double-single expected out soon enough, with newer music always being crafted out! A lot is discussed about in terms of music, how said music will play out to live shows, and just wanting to reach as many people as possible.

1. Please tell us about the history of your band and its members.

Alterpodes began life as an online collaboration during the early days of lockdown in 2020, with a mission to join the musical dots between David Bowie, The Jesus and Mary Chain, The Beatles and The Pixies.  We’re still looking forward to playing our first show having been rehearsing impatiently these last months!  Our first single is due out this Friday 19/05!

Harry’s a Brazilian born, London bred musician.  He’s been part of the local music scene for a few years now both as a singer and as a guitarist, performing solo and in bands.  Reyson is originally from Puerto Rico and moved to London to pursue music having studied Fine Art in San Francisco.  Slightly more recent addition Robinson on drums (and sometimes bass) is also from Brazil and now living in London - all this geographical alignment has happened quite accidentally but we are all the happier for it!

2. What’s the origin of the band’s name?

Alterpodes are alternate spaces - they can be thousands of miles apart yet remain closely related in the imaginations of those who live within them.  In the band we all come from very different backgrounds and places but we connect through the music, so we thought it was a fitting name.

3. Where is the band based out of and what is your music scene like there? Are there any local bands you could recommend?

The music scene is definitely still going but honestly it does feel slightly on the back foot right now with a lot of smaller venues having closed due to high rents and then more obviously others having to remain closed due to the pandemic - they’ll be back though as long as people care and we know there are enough of us that do!  Also rock music doesn’t feel like it’s exactly at the peak of its cycle right now but we hope to be part of a revival - that more visceral feel of a properly live show will hopefully be something more and more people realize they’ve missed.  Harry: As for local bands to recommend my top pick would be Wolf Alice(!)  In terms of lesser known bands with bright futures and cool vibes maybe Goat Girl and When Young (not sure how local they are at this very moment but they were kicking around pre lockdown)?!

4. How would you describe your style?

The music is somewhere between post-punk and grunge and indie, broadly early 90s in feel but with some classic and more current influences too.  Sonically speaking, an entanglement of noise and melody that comes together as a sculpted wail of single coils and dissonant harmony!

5. What have you released so far and what can someone expect from your works?

We’re about to release our first double single under new management.  Expect to be wowed, uplifted and transported.  We’ve put a bunch of work into the songs and recordings and we hope they come across as well crafted and characterful as a result!  We’re trying to impart as much feel as we can given they’re bedroom recordings!

6. Do you have any new music in the works?

Always! I can think of at least three or four songs I’m really looking forward to putting out.  We’ve got way too many for one album so that seems like a good sign!  You never know when a good recording will come along.

7. How about playing shows and touring, have anything planned out?

Not yet - we’re currently getting all this material into a form that’s gonna work live and rehearsing it to the point where it’ll have the impact we want!  We hope that’s going to take the form of a live show in London before the end of summer.  Tours are likely something for next year!

8. What plans do you have for the future as a band?

Reach as many people as possible.  Tour North and South America including Brazil and Puerto Rico.  Play shows for friends we haven’t had a chance to see for ages.  Have a number one album!  

9. Where can we listen to your band and where can we buy your stuff?

You can pre-save our upcoming double single, Retro Psycho, here:

http://smarturl.it/aretropsycho

Find our music on:

Spotify, Bandcamp, Soundcloud

https://soundcloud.com/alterpodes

https://alterpodes.bandcamp.com/

https://open.spotify.com/artist/5jglF9ZA0cMXv6eXbWagG3

Social Media links:

https://www.facebook.com/alterpodes/

https://www.instagram.com/alterpodes/

10. What is it you’d like a listener to remember the most when hearing your music for the first time?

That it made them immediately think about someone they care about - something specific.  Who it was, where they were when they first heard it, and how those two things related.  That’s what any good song should do: connect emotionally in such a striking way that it lives on as a memory of a time and place.  Something to aim for anyway haha!

Electro-pop act EVIE CALABASAS have an EP with new music underway! So much is talked about from music, to the start of it all to what the future holds up.

1. Please tell us about the history of your band and its members.

At the moment it’s just me, myself and I, I’ve tried in the past to be part of a band, but it never lasted and ultimately I decided to go solo. I surely miss the dynamic of a band very much, such as the jamming sessions, having different instruments or creating memories as a group, but for the time being, I don’t regret my decision. Now I feel that I’m able to express myself in ways that I couldn’t when I was part of a band.

2. What’s the origin of the band’s name?

Evie Calabasas is my stage name, which is not so different from my birth name, Evita Calabassi, but I wanted to try to make it as simple as possible and easy for anyone to pronounce and remember, so I went for my nickname “Evie” and the surname “Calabasas”, which I think is very fresh and cute. Plus, growing up, I've heard a lot about the city of Calabasas in LA and many books, movies and tv shows I love are set there, therefore it's like a homage to them as well.

3. Where is the band based out of and what is your music scene like there? Are there any local bands you could recommend?

At the moment I'm in Italy, between Perugia, where I am studying at the University, and Grosseto, the city where I was born. The music scene in Perugia used to be very lively before Covid, yet Grosseto is kind of flat, but that’s where I met my producer, so in the end, I was very lucky. One good band that I would recommend is called Minerva 40, they mostly play Italian rock and so far they have released two wonderful singles that I listen to quite often. 

4. How would you describe your style?

It kind of fluctuates, it pretty much depends on the mood I’m in and what I think the song should sound like, but it’s mostly electro-pop. I usually write lyrics and melody on my guitar first in my room, but then it comes to life in my producer’s home studio. We have a great synergy and what I love the most is that I don't need to explain too much, because he instantly gets what I think, or even what I am about to say. 

I try to be as honest as I can in my lyrics, talking about typical topics such as heartbreaks and more personal struggles. I draw inspiration from other people’s experiences as well as my own, but sometimes a song can spark just from a sentence or a line that I've read somewhere and couldn't get out of my head.

5. What have you released so far and what can someone expect from your works?

I’ve already released a 3-songs EP called “Stargirl” and the single “Home” in mid-2020, but musically speaking it was a very different project, it was more on the indie-folk side and I like to think that I’ve evolved a little from there.

I’m working with a London-based record label at the moment, I’ve shifted to a different style thanks to new musical influences and to my producer, who introduced me to a whole different world. 

6. Do you have any new music in the works? 

Yes I do! My new single OMG comes out May 21st, but I haven’t stopped working on new music so you can expect more coming soon. In fact, I have at least more two singles ready to go and one in the making. I like to call this phase of my musical career a “new era”, so I would like to convey this common thread that is the backbone of the next releases, so I am trying to curate every little detail within the music and also the visuals.

7. How about playing shows and touring, have anything planned out?

I miss playing live gigs so much! Unfortunately, I haven’t had the chance to plan any shows due to the current situation, as Italy is still in a semi-lockdown. The best I can do for now is try to record a few live acoustic sessions for my upcoming releases and share them with the world. As for online shows, I wanted to wait until I had released new music just so I would have something new to play to my audience.

8. What plans do you have for the future as a band?

As for now, I’m enjoying the process of being a solo artist and I’m working hard on my upcoming projects with the support of my producer and the record label, so I know I have the right team behind me. However, I’m always open to working with different people, but as for now, it feels right for me to continue on this path and see where it takes me. Either way, I can’t wait until I get to play live, meet new musicians and see if some kind of synergy sparks. 

9. Where can we listen to your band and where can we buy your stuff?

You can listen to my music on pretty much any streaming platform, such as Spotify, Apple Music and Amazon Music. 

10. What is it you’d like a listener to remember the most when hearing your music for the first time?

I generally believe that it’s not what you say, but how you make people feel that helps them remember you, so I try not to focus that much on words themselves but on the feelings they convey when they’re put together with music. 

I would definitely love for my listeners to be able to identify themselves in what I write and to feel understood and relieved that they are not the only ones feeling a certain way.

I’m always happy when someone comes up to me after hearing one of my songs and tells me that they felt something, that is exactly what I strive to achieve.

Alternative grunge rockers LARSEN have a debut EP, debut album, with a follow-up EP expected out this year. The band just wants to get their music heard with lots more coming soon. The band goes into chatter about nothing but their music!

1. Please tell us about the history of your band and its members.

Larsen began when frontman and rhythm guitarist Liam Christensen approached high school friend and lead guitarist Sam Massacci about forming a grunge band. They found drummer Alex Andrews on the internet through what essentially amounted to a dating service but for finding bandmates, and Sam asked his cousin Steven if he wanted to play bass. The four lads met at a rehearsal space in August 2014, and all four members remain to this day, almost 6 years on from the band's formation. We played our first gig in February 2015, released our first EP later that year, and have been playing gigs and releasing music ever since, evolving the band's sound to a more mature brand of alternative rock, but still with those original grunge and post grunge flavors. 

2. What’s the origin of the band’s name?

Larsen is simply the name of the street where Liam, Sam and Alex first played together. Finding a band name is one of the hardest parts of putting an act together, so we settled on something relating to our origin. We later found out that the “Larsen effect” is another term for the feedback one gets when you put a guitar up to an amp, a happy coincidence. 

3. Where is the band based out of and what is your music scene like there? Are there any local bands you could recommend?

We are all born and raised in Adelaide, capital city of the state of South Australia. The saying goes that no one is sure whether Adelaide is a big town or a small city, and the music scene tends to reflect that. Ours is a vibrant, diverse scene, with representation from many different genres. Some mates of ours include Agapanther, Paper Sunsets, Down and Out, Copious Dribble, Bitchspawn, Indiago, Lost Woods, Wolf and Chain, Mum’s Favorite, and that’s just a handful of great local bands from the scene. 

4. How would you describe your style?

Starting as a pretty straight up and down grunge band, our songwriting sensibilities started to get into a broader sense of alternative rock, taking cues from different genres outside of bands like Nirvana and Violent Soho, and looking at mature sounds of bands like Basement and Balance & Composure. Each member has a fairly different music taste from each other, and little details always end up in the melting pot that becomes a song or EP or album, all tied together as the Larsen sound we’ve cultivated over the years.

5. What have you released so far and what can someone expect from your works?

Our first EP titled Another Realm, Another Day was our first attempt at throwing stuff at a wall and seeing what stuck. Certainly rough around the edges, but you can definitely tell that we are the same band we were back then, just much more refined. We released a full length Album in 2016 titled Weightless Again. 11 tracks long, this was us pushing ourselves to our songwriting capabilities as a band. Plenty of songs on the album are still live staples for us, and the success of those songs have stylistically informed our releases since then. After a handful of singles from 2017 to 2020, we’re now poised to release a new EP later this year. The EP will collect five songs that we as a band unanimously agree is our best work to date. We’re super excited for people to hear it!

6. Do you have any new music in the works?

As mentioned above, we recorded five new tracks in January, one of which is our latest single Eating Me Alive. We plan to release one more single in July, before releasing the full EP later in the year

7. How about playing shows and touring, have anything planned out?

We’re currently in the middle of a tour for Eating Me Alive, with a show in Melbourne this weekend and two shows in Tasmania in June. It’s been very freeing to be back on stage in front of an audience after COVID lockdowns. 

8. What plans do you have for the future as a band?

Aside from the release schedule this year, we have plans as a band to just keep producing music we’re proud of, and take steps to get as many people to hear it as possible. We love doing what we do, and we'll keep doing it until we stop loving it.

9. Where can we listen to your band and where can we buy your stuff?

You can find us on Spotify, Apple Music or wherever you listen to music, and you can buy our merch from our BandCamp!

10. What is it you’d like a listener to remember the most when hearing your music for the first time

We'd like people to be reminded of the golden age of 90s Seattle grunge, but not so much that they think we're doing a bad impression of it. We'd like listeners to hear the roots of that grunge, only evolved into something more diverse and mature as a musical experience. And obviously, we'd like listeners to like what they hear.