New Noise:
CONCRETE RITUAL
www.concreteritual.com
www.myspace.com/concreteritual
Band:
Gabriel McGahee – Vocals
Billy Connally – Guitar
Peter Souza – Bass
Rob Bujak – Drums
BIOGRAPHY:
Formed in 2004 in San Francisco, California, Concrete Ritual is a collective of sound, existing to persist within the ever evolving definition of music itself. This hydra of styles and taste is built on the foundations of early hard rock anthems of the ’70s, the atmospheric progressive sounds of the ’80s and the heavy crunch attitude of the ’90s. Fueled by hypnotic, crowd-moving rhythms, coupled by down and bluesy riffs and soulful, melodic vocals, Concrete Ritual is a welcomed return to rock, done with an original, fresh grandeur. It is this band’s drive to create intensely memorable songs that erase all comparisons and present the listener with the formation of a new musical standard, CONCRETE RITUAL.
REVIEW:
Concrete Ritual’s self-titled debut, available from CD Baby and iTunes, lives up to the billing. Frontman Gabriel McGahee’s vocals recall Chris Cornell in his prime, and each song is packed with catchy, melodic choruses backed by meaty guitar riffs courtesy of Billy Connally. The highlight of the disc, “Dust to Dirt,” is Soundgarden meets Black Label Society, a melding of the sounds of a quintessential ’90s hard rock act and one of today’s leading metal bands. Other bright spots include the bluesy opener, “Groundless,” and the acoustic-based “Stay Awake.” Concrete Ritual is the real deal, a band of substance and obvious talent, having written, recorded and produced the disc on their own. All signs point to a bright future.
Concrete Ritual’s Gabriel McGahee on …
The meaning of “Concrete Ritual”:
“Everybody has rituals they engage in on a day-to-day basis. Making music is our ritual. We do it without fail. It is absolute, concrete.”
Concrete Ritual’s message:
“That we are not unique, we are not special, life is short, enjoy every single second you have on this little rock called Earth, discover what you love and defend it till the end.”
The band’s sound:
“I once heard it described as the Incredible Hulk having an orgasm. I thought that was very colorful.”
Vocal influences:
“Anyone with soul. Sam Cooke, Ann Wilson, Bjork, Sammy Hagar … I could go on forever.”
The bands Concrete Ritual has shared the stage with:
“All the bands we have played with have taught us something. That’s what makes it so great. We have learned from them all and made a lot of friends. That’s my favorite part.”
Spinal Tap déjà vu:
“Once we were backstage at a place in San Francisco and we couldn’t find the way to the stage. So we keep yelling in our best British accents, “Rock and roll!” as we fumbled up and down stairs.”
Concrete Ritual’s goals:
“To enjoy ourselves and others, to create a soundtrack to people’s lives including our own and to die without regret.”
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