Wonderland, DownUnderland
2009.02.20
Australia is known for being home to a number of very interesting things...kookaburras, wolf spiders, wallabies, just to name a few. Very soon, it will be also known for being the home of a kick ass rock band called Black Knight. Admittedly, I'm a sucker for guitar-dominated rock played with relentless intensity... so, needless to say, these cats had me hooked from the very first power chord. The music of Black Knight, however, is much more than Marshall stacks turned up to 11 pumping out riff after riotous riff. Make no mistake, their music is most definitely driven but demonstrates a discernable direction, evidence that in addition to being good musicians they are also good song writers.
The high-energy drumming of Adam Horwood and the steady Wyman-like bass of Langley Fry create a strong foundation for the band's compositions. To complete the musical backdrop, we add the solid guitar work of both Brad Fry and Matt Dale. Dale, who also pulls double duty as the band's lead singer (and who reminds me, at times, of another famous Aussie front man, Bon Scott), adds a vocal quality to the mix that more than just works, it brings it all together. What is equally impressive is their live performance (as seen in this video of their song "Run") which matches the intensity of their music. Not hard to do if a band is only gigging a few times a month... but Black Knight gigs all the time. In the last 2 years they have performed live more than 100 times, and it shows. This band is tight, their music is original, it's got balls and it stacks up better than most of the commercial hard rock acts out there today. We are stoked to welcome them to the broadcast and wait anxiously for their first gig in America, as GroundWaves plans to be there.
Also entering the broadcast today is Swiss-born indie pop siren Nadine Loren with selected tracks off of her debut album, Living in Wonderland. In this, her initial offering, the transplant to Los Angeles crafts a quirky collection of sounds that is remarkably distinct and yet strangely familiar... just like her voice. It's somewhat of a challenge to put Wonderland (or Nadine for that matter) in clearly defined box. While the "indie pop" tag is convenient, it really doesn't do enough in describing her sound. She masterfully blends rock, pop, electronica and folk en route to defining her own, unique musical experience. We're just glad she invited us along for the ride.
