You should be aware of this great rock band

JOYOUS WOLF

Joyous Wolf from Orange County, California, have come a long way since vocalist Nick Reese met guitarist Blake Allard in the acoustic room at Guitar Center in 2014 (where they jammed CCR’s Born on the Bayou). The band, which also includes bassist Greg Braccio and drummer Robert Sodaro, dialed in their high-energy, hard-rocking sound (see out their excellent 2018 cover of Mississippi Queen) in just four years, landing a deal with Roadrun-ner Records. Place in Time, a grunge-infused guitar exercise containing the unmistakable jam Mother Rebel, was released in 2019 and earned the Warner Music subsidiary prestigious bookings opening for Slash and Deep Purple. With a giggle, Allard explains, “I’m definitely not reinventing the wheel by connecting a Gibson into a Marshall.” “However, the number one thing I aim toward and want to improve at every day is creating music that gives people a different emotion than a rock-influenced band… or, at the very least, a terrific, fresh listening experience!”

THUNDERPUSSY

Thunderpussy are a Seattle-based four-piece with a classic-rock vibe… and an unashamed wild streak, led by ex-Deerhunter guitarist Whitney Petty. They also feature vocalist Molly Sides, bassist Leah Julius, and drummer Ruby Dunphy. Their sound is reminiscent of classic rockers like AC/DC and Led Zeppelin (Never Know and Speed Queen from their 2018 self-titled debut) as well as Jefferson Airplane (behold their pitch-perfect 2019 cover of Somebody to Love). Thunderpussy also has a rock icon on their side: Mike McCready of Pearl Jam not only produced and played on the band’s debut single, Velvet Noose, but he also handed Petty her main axe, a Gibson McCready edition 1959 Les Paul. “Rock ‘n’ roll is 100 percent in my bloodstream,” Petty says, “and I’ve loved and consumed so much vintage rock over the years that there’s no way that it doesn’t impact my writing and sound.” I believe we have attempted to reintroduce some of that vibe and aesthetic. If something isn’t broken, don’t fix it. We are honored to continue the tradition.”

REVIVAL BLACK

Alan Rimmer may have been inspired to take up lead guitar by Slash’s performance in Guns N’ Roses’ Appetite for Destruction music videos, but it was late, great AC/DC rhythm ace Malcolm Young who led him to his current go-to axe: a Gretsch G5230T Electromatic Jet. In Revival Black, the rowdy English five-piece in which he shares six-string duties with Adam Kerbache, Rimmer channels both of his heroes. The band is now recording the follow-up to their 2019 debut Step in Line at Liverpool’s prestigious Motor Museum Studio (Oasis’ Definitely Maybe, the 1975), which Rimmer describes as a “hard-hitting,” “grown-up” update to their already high-impact debut. “We are a live band at our core,” Rimmer explains, “so playing live is what we do best.” We record all of our songs live in the studio, which gives them the vibrancy and raw energy that we seek, and I believe that shows in our studio albums.”

STATION

Station, a New York City band founded by guitarist Chris Lane and vocalist Patrick Kearney, transmit the winning formula of melodic riffs, earworm vocal hooks, and soaring solos of ’80s hitmakers like as Kiss, Van Halen, Whitesnake, and Winger. Chris Lane’s go-to axe is a Jackson SL1 shred machine, which he says allows him to “go from driving rock to power ballad really quickly.” Station has recorded two full-length albums since establishing in 2011 – 2018’s More Than the Moon and 2019’s Stained Glass – as well as performing at major festivals like Rocklahoma and warming up crowds for Y&T, Pat Benatar, Lynch Mob, and others.This summer, the band plans to release their third “spectrum-expanding” album. “A lot of bands from the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s impacted us, and I think it shows in our taste in both production and songwriting,” Lane adds. “We’re continuously trying new things and expanding on the ‘classic sounds,’ but our roots are in a massive power chord and a stack of amplifiers.”

THE STANDSTILLS

When guitarist Jonny Fox found his brother’s Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin albums, he became hooked on classic rock. The Standstills’ “power and groove” led him down a musical path that he still pursues with drummer/singer Renee Couture to this day. The Standstills’ fiery riffs and thundering drums may evoke modern-day heavyweights like the White Stripes and Queens of the Stone Age, but Fox isn’t shy about the band’s desire to pay homage to the “really fucking good and timeless” classics of his youth, as evidenced by their latest album, Badlands, which is “guitar driven, outlaw rock ‘n’ roll.” The Standstills are working on their fourth album, which Fox calls “next level on all fronts.” Fox explains, “We spend a lot of time playing on grooves with explosive hooks.” “We constructed the majority of our sound on that base. Renee and I are also a pair, so our creative energy is uniquely shared, and we believe this tells a different tale onstage and in the studio.”