I first came across this group from South Lake Tahoe at last summer's Mountain Vibe Music Gathering. It was my first time attending the event and also my first time performing so it seemed like a lot was going on in my mind.....that is until I heard Lavish Green start playing. I stopped what I was doing and ran over to the stage. After watching a few of their songs, I was hooked by their entire being. This was a very tight reggae outfit with the energy of a high octane rock show, and they genuinely seemed to be feeding off of one another. At the end of the set, I was most impressed by their ability to be able to have so much fun on stage. Lavish Green is a great group musicians that play reggae rock and and an even better group of friends, both on and off the stage. It is with great pleasure to announce that Lavish Green is this week's SF Solid Gold Artist of the Week!
I had the pleasure of sitting down with Joel from Lavish Green for an interview, and here's what he had to say. Cheers and enjoy!
What is your name and role in Lavish Green?
"My name is Joel Gruneich, guitarist & songwriter for LG. Assistant in marketing and websites."
And really quickly, how did you come up with the name Lavish Greens?
"It's inspired by an irie rooftop breakfast, eating green omelettes while overlooking the lavish Tahoe scenery."
How did the band get created?
"In the winter of 1994, atop the Sierra mountains, two high school buddies (Sanchez & Wheeler) started to realize they could jam together. One on drums & one on guitar, and they would jam for fun each while just free riding along like the snowboards they just got off of. At this time, it was purely exploratory with skill not even born. It wasn't until spring of '95, after each suffering foot injuries while skateboarding that left us both on crutches, did the real "jam" start to conspire. Both laid up with nothing else to do, one laid on the bed & foot on pillows with guitar on belly while the other was on drums with a cast on his left foot....it began.
Playing punk rock rifts for as long & fast as they could, the skills started to hone. After a couple of weeks & some really tolerant roommates, a friend came over with a guitar player, a bass rig & a P.A. It all perfectly crammed into the bedroom. They taught us a couple songs & three days later on July 3rd, 1995, it happened. We took the backyard stage for the first time. Rob Guistina, aka Robby Jah, the man who envisioned this escapade, fronted our newly formed band as we ripped the crowd into a frenzy!! Oh, it was on now!!!! Fittingly, we called ourselves THE GIMPS! Very shortly after this & changing our name to Lavish Green, we were blessed to find the man, the myth, the legend.....Joel Gruneich. A schooled & dedicated guitarist who thankfully guided myself and Chris to writing songs & setting goals. To this day, the undying "THREE CORE" continues to write songs and perform for friends & family alike. This July 3rd 2015 marks the TWENTIETH ANNIVERSARY of that glorious evening in that little backyard stage. Man, time sure flies when you're having fun, right?"
If you could describe your band in only one word, what word would you use?
"Family"
Why did you start playing music?
"I started playing guitar at around the age of 14, mainly because I had been watching my older brother & friends play guitar. Then I saw Metallica live during their And Justice For All Tour, and that sealed the deal for me on what I wanted to do."
Who or what band has been your biggest musical influence? Are they still an influence in your playing today?
"I'd have to say that Pearl Jam has had a huge influence on my playing, and they continue to inspire me to this day!"
What's your favorite song that you have written?
I'm gonna go with "Mom Song." The lyrics are about Rob's mom and remembering all the times we had with her over the years & all great memories we share with her. She was a mother to us all! The way Chris wrote the lyrics, I feel that anyone can relate it to their mom as well. We are all proud mamas boys!
So what's one album you could never get tired of listening to?
"The Who's Quadrophenia album. It's a great story, and I can listen to it from start to finish."
If you could jam with anyone, alive or dead, who would it be?
"I would have to build a band. Those not with us anymore: Jimmy Hendrix, Randy Rhodes, John Bonham, Freddie Mercury. Those still here: Dave Grohl, Joe Satriani, Flea, & Eddie Vedder."
What would you say has been the best concert that you've attended?
"For both myself & Chris, it would be The Mars Volta at The Greek Theater in Berkeley, CA. The first four songs were 45 minuets of uninterrupted music."
Best band moment, on or off stage:
"For me, it was the chance to record with Grammy award winning producer, Saliva Massy, and stay at the studio for over 2 weeks. For Chris Sanchez, it was in the bathroom pissing next to Angelo Moore (front man for Fishbone) when he said to him that they were the only band around here to get the crowd to their feet and dancing before they played. We have played with them over a dozen times and are playing with them for our 20 year anniversary."
Have ever had an embarrassing moment on stage?
"We were supposed to play The Boardwalk in Sacramento for the first time. We were driving from the Bay, and we stopped for gas. At the last second, our drummer at the time, Chris Lovering, got out to get a Pepsi. When he stepped out of the store, he watched us pull away as we left him behind. We did not realize until we were pulling out gear at The Boardwalk, and needless to say we didn't play."
Where do you see yourself 2 years from now, and where do you see yourself in 5 years?
"I want to be playing with LG & still playing guitar with my best buds, just a little more grey."
Who are some bands that you play around your area with?
"Trey Stone, Livitz Livitz, Hemlock, Planting Seeds, and Forest Day just to name a few."
Where can people go to follow your progress and find your music?
"We're on Facebook and Reverbnation. Also have CD's so just Google us. We are all over the interweb."
Well is there anything else you would like to say before you go?
"We're really excited for our 20 year anniversary! Also stoked for Mountain Vibe, Live at Lakeview, and especially the Hard Rock in Tahoe with Fishbone. That's July 3rd, 2015. 20 years to the day! Really happy to be joined by our new drummer, Danny Barnes!"
Well thank you for chatting with me today. Congrats on 20 years of success, and her's to 20 more years of Lavish Green! Before you go, I have one more question. If you could have written any song in history, which song would you choose, and why?
"For me, Happy Birthday for the royalties. hahaha Just kidding. I would have to say "Make Yourself" by Incubus. I love the music and lyrics. For Sanch, he said Mr.Crowley, arrangement was way before its time. Piano & organ is amazing, not only that it's made its way into undying hearts that will always pay off fan wise, as well as royal tea."
1 Comment
Do you like your music loud, heavy and aggressive? If you answered yes to either category, you are in for a treat. I decided to go in a much darker direction this time for our Artist of the Week feature. Ladies and gentlemen, meet Among The Torrent. Based out of San Jose, this metal group is keeping the tradition of in your face riffs and pulsating rhythms alive by creating super heavy songs with the attitude to back it all up. After hearing just one of their songs, I immediately was taken back to the early 80's when metal ruled the land. Among The Torrent has that classic metal sound, along the lines of Pantera and Metallica, but they have brought the style into the modern day by making every song that they write heavier than the last one. I got to sit down with some of the members of Among The Torrent a while back for an interview and learn more about these metal masters. If you would like to be one of our featured artists, please fill out the submission form at the bottom of the page. Enjoy! What are your names and roles in Among The Torrent? Mike - Guitar/Vocals Kiera - Guitar David - Bass Where are you based out of? "We base ourselves out of the San Francisco Bay Area, but we really region out in San Jose." And how did the band get created? What did you hope to achieve by starting this project? "Among the Torrent (AtT) was formed in San Jose, CA in the winter of 2011. Material immediately began development once Mike and Adam (Former Guitarist) came together. We were able to get our ideas recorded using a drum machine since we didn’t have a drummer." "Mike soon contacted Dave, who was the former bassist for Exordium, to join the ranks. Material continued to progress during the hunt for a drummer. We ended up recruiting Zach (former drummer) and was able to enter the show circuit with Mike and Adam on Vocals and guitar, Dave on Bass and Zach on drums. "This line up continued for about 3 years until Zach and Adam exited the band for career reasons. We soon recruited Kiera on guitar, and Mike then took over all vocals. At the time of this interview, we are still-hunting for a drummer. We are still in the show circuit and are using live drum samples for our set. We can’t stand the idea of allowing the absence of a drummer to slow our progress and exposure. We keep moving forward!" I love the determination that you guys have. It must be tough not having someone to play those parts live, but that doesn't stop you. That's dedication to the max!. So if you could describe your band in only one word, what word would you use? "We would say "Relentless" is a good choice." When did you all start playing music? Mike: "At the age of 12, I began playing guitar. As a kid, I use to love movies that had epic sounding musical pieces during emotional sections of the script and of course…video games have always offered some of the most fascinating electronic pieces. Listening to bands like Metallica, Green day and Smashing Pumpkins made me pick up the guitar and want to start learning. The bands that got me into the metal scene were Opeth, Diecide, Dimmu Borgir and Decapitated to name a few. Music essentially was and is an emotional outlet that allows me to develop in so many aspects in my life and as a human being." David: "I started playing guitar around when I was 13. First thing that got me into Metal was Metallica, the first metal album I owned was “…And Justice For All.” on cassette tape. Got into Pantera, Slayer and that’s what styles I wanted to play when I was young. It seemed like I was late in the game though since I lived in Hawaii back then and all the cool tours already happened. I was just in awe from what I found from friends recommending things." Kiera: "I always did at least one extracurricular thing when I was young and had initially played piano from 10 to 12. When I turned 13, I switched to guitar and immediately fell in love with it. No Doubt got me into music but Evanescence got me into alternative music. Eventually bands like Killswitch Engage, Metallica, Dream Theater and Cradle of Filth got me into metal." What band has been your biggest musical influence? Are they still an influence in your playing today? Mike: "It's so hard to choose, but I will go ahead and say that Opeth was a driving force in my overall development in the metal scene. Their ability to be so diverse and bring so many musical elements to life was always something I was inspired by." David: "I would say bands like Metallica, Pantera, Iron Maiden. Their stage presence lit their performances right up, and that's what I like to do. For modern musical creativity, I go with Beyond Creation, Katatonia, & Decrepit Birth. More speed and melody is what I like to listen to." Kiera: "Cannibal Corpse and Behemoth influence my writing the most, along with Dark Fortress for the more black metal riffs. I always felt like Behemoth's riffs sounded good no matter what they did, and I took so much from that style of playing." What's your favorite song that you have written? Mike: I'd say "Lights in Elevation", our new song, has become my favorite at this point. It was simply one of those songs you sit down and write with the greatest of ease. Everything fell into place. Funny enough, I worked completely backwards with this particular song. I couldn't get the outro riff out of my head and decided to capitalize on the riff and just started adding synth/electronics and guitars piece by piece." "Lyrically, I always try to shoot for supernatural encounters/alternate dimension sort of things. This song in particular was based off of the idea of those who claimed to have been abducted by supernatural beings and the struggle they feel when they are released back to live life among peers as a monitored animal of the superior forces. Nobody ever believes someone when they claimed to have been abducted, and they pass that person off as crazy and out of their minds. The thing is, one would never know unless it happened to them and sadly enough....the cycle would continue, and you would then be the crazy one." Kiera: "Proselytize, a song that is still under works but I love it so much because I feel like it has a lot of potential. I love dramatic orchestras and keys and when I started writing that song that's exactly what came from it. Simple harmonies but loud orchestras. It has so many parts that just make me want to head-bang and that's what I want to have in the riffs and songs I write." What's one album you could never get tired of listening to? Mike - Old mans Child - Vermin. It's just got such great composition and solid flow. Tons of classic and catchy riffs David - Hypocrisy – Hypocrisy. It's really the best melodic death metal album & really under the radar for this bands overall discography. I believe they went to space and returned with this masterpiece. =) Kiera - Evanescence - The Open Door. This album is what inspired me to make great orchestral pieces. It's definitely their most "dramatic" album to date and has many haunting orchestral pieces. If you could jam with anyone, alive or dead, who would it be? Mike - "Steve Vai or John Petrucci, both are wizards and have amazing style." Kiera - "Chuck Schuldiner or Pat O'Brien.....because they Shred!!!" David –"Dimebag Darrel & Cliff Burton. To be able to jam with the legends of metal, in my opinion, would be the best thing ever." Best band moment, on or off stage: Mike: "Delivering a successful set with out a drummer. We spent a lot of time and money into getting our programmed drums to sound great live, and we pulled it off with flying colors. Also introduced a new song during this set. It is extremely difficult to pull this off for metal bands." Kiera: "I'm gonna have to second Mike. We somehow managed to play a good show without a drummer, and I'm glad that we were able to do it." David: "I would say touring last summer was a great band moment. Everyone got to know each other "really well." lol. Everyone traded off equally, and traveling/going across the states has to be fun, ya know?!" Have ever had an embarrassing moment on stage? Mike: "I once called a guy in the crowd a girl in New Mexico. I said, "This chick down front is moshing harder than half the guys out here, pretty impressed!" Low and behold, the drummer at the time whispers, "Dude.....it's a dude." I think it was because he had his bangs cut much like a girl would and his face was baby butt smooth. I could only laugh at that point." David: "Hahaha Mike's story takes the cake really, but while running across the stage and kicking the kick drum mic at one of our shows once, I do remember being slightly embarrassed. The kick drum in the mix disappeared as soon as I tripped on the mic. Oh well, it happens." Where do you see yourself 2 years from now, and where do you see yourself in 5 years? Mike: "Signed and touring more aggressively within 2 years. In 5 years, hopefully have 3 albums out by then and be touring with the metal acts that I grew up listening to." David: "Signed, touring, have lots of shirts for sale and hopefully doing well overall. " Kiera: "Getting signed would be great, and touring across the country. I'll also finally be graduating from college in two years." Who are some bands that you play around your area with? Mike: "Couple of great bands such as Anisoptera, Kinnefret, Cyborg Octopus, Flub, and Imperial Omen just to name a few." David: "To add to that list, The Fresno Boys of Evisceration, Logistic Slaughter, & Soon with Crepuscle." Kiera: "Behold the Desecration and Plagues of the Armada." Where can people go to follow your progress and find your music? "Our website, AmongTheTorrent.com, and also on Facebook, Reverberation, iTunes, band camp, Pandora Radio, and about 40 other digital distributors. We are all over the place." Anything else you would like to say before you go? "Stay tuned for the upcoming album dropping late 2015, early 2016. We always encourage bands, promoters, etc, to contact us via Facebook if interested in booking us or simply networking. We are also currently seeking a drummer so if there are any interested candidates in the San Francisco Bay, shoot us some reference material with your inquiry. We've got a So Cal tour in the works and will need a candidate locked and loaded." Last question: If you could have written any song in history, which one would you choose? Mike: "Moonlight Sonata by Beethoven" Kiera: "I would second Moonlight Sonata, but for something else. Rachmaninoff - Prelude in G minor Op. 25 No. 5" David: "S.Y.F.F.U.F. by the creators of South Park, or the intro to Beavis & Butthead. lol" |
AuthorJacob Schmidt is the lead guitarist for the Bay Area band Overland, an amateur photographer, and an avid writer. Archives
November 2015
Categories |