It’s impossible to have decent rock n’ roll without passion. You can scream empty lyrics in a microphone, bang on guitars and insist you’re angry about something but that doesn’t mean it’s rock n roll. When you look throughout history, it’s easy to pick out which artists had that passion. Elvis, The Beatles, Iggy, Bowie, Morrison. All artists who reached out into the void and held on to something not easily obtained. Their craft was otherworldly but the passion is what fueled the magic. I hear a similar passion when I listen to When It Gets Worse, the debut album from The American Weather.
The hints of rhythm and blues help accentuate the groundwork set by hard rock.
The American Weather
Being from Las Vegas, the general assumption would be a band of flamboyant theatrics or at least an emphasis on spectacle.The American weather is a band that focuses more on what their message is. That’s not to say The American Weather doesn’t take their live show seriously. They’ve been cutting their teeth in various off-strip venues and festivals for the past few years. In that sort of environment, a band kind of isn’t allowed to be boring.
When It Gets Worse kicks things off with “Pray”, a blues rock anthem that sounds like The White Stripes doing a cover of Pink Floyd’s “Money”. An opening track that solidifies the band’s influences from the get go. The follow-up track (and my personal favorite) “Piano Bench” continues the pentatonic groove of blues-based rock but with a subtle hint of early Stooges prowess.
If an artist believes it, you’ll believe it. The American Weather only preach truth.
Channeling the growl and angst of The Doors and the mysticism of early Soundgarden, The American Weather have crafted a unique style that’s not driven by nostalgia, but the simple inner-workings those artists utilized. Each track spins a different tale of the human condition, all told with honesty and hostile vulnerability. Despite not having a love song or a ballad for miles, there’s still enough passion for connecting the artist with the audience. It’s that kind of honesty that’s missing in a lot of today’s mainstream rock.
When It Gets Worse is The American Weather’s first full-length album as well as Huntridge Record’s first release. There’s a sentimental quality in that aspect that creates this sort of poetry. A band hungry for world domination and a new label willing to take risks on artists that are anything but cold and corporate. An authentic camaraderie willing to take chances all in the name of honest to goodness music. That’s something I respect in terms of art and business.
The American Weather have deep rooted influences in the music I grew up listening to; late 60s blues flavored rock as well as brooding, angst-heavy grunge. However, they’re not defined by it. When It Gets Worse is just as fresh and unique as it’s familiar. It hits all the notes of a band weary of travel, but ready to go where ever the road takes them.
The American Weather “When It Gets Worse” Huntridge Records
For more information on The American Weather, please visit them on Facebook
To purchase When It Gets Worse on vinyl, please visit Huntridge Records
