WMD Studios

Rehearsal Space, Recording Studio, Website Service, Record Label.

  • Rehearsal Space
  • Book Online Now!
  • Band Reviews
  • Video Podcasts
  • Directions
  • Contact Us

John Aulabaugh – Of Sins Present and Past

September 29, 2015 by Casey Douglas 1 Comment

Of Sins Present and Past is the debut album from Alt Americana Rock musician John Aulabaugh, a man with a mission to use the healing power of music in the treatment of the bumps on life’s rocky road.

file-1Having seen personally the life-destroying effects of alcohol and drugs on others, John has released his album with the drive to financially support the organizations he works with, such as Transitions, a non-profit that provides recovery treatment services.

While all of his tracks feature soulful vocals and varying mixes of violin, guitar and drums, there are some that stand out more for me than others. The first is “Elasticity”, a shortish track at under three minutes but one that utilises a catchy hook in the form of many lines beginning with “There’s a…” This helps the track carry the listener along, especially with the repetition of words like “It’s gone it’s gone it’s gone.” I really like this lyrical device and enjoy the way it adds heft to the words. The next track that really caught my attention was “Undone”, a track with a languid pace, echoing vocals and a dreamlike quality with lyrics like “My baby, she fell on my gun” and “She’s come undone”. An introspective track that echoes around your mind.

“Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore” is another track full of great images conjured by the lyrics. There are more than a few nods to childhood stories like Alice in Wonderland with the lyric “Chasing little rabbits down the tiny rabbit hole”. The lyrics seem quite sad yet the song is quite upbeat in tone, to me at least. I quite like that. The final track I want to highlight is “Awake”, a track full of echoing guitar notes and a more distorted sound. I particularly enjoy the “wailing guitar” solo just after the midpoint of the track; it seems to embody the night-time funk felt in the rest of the track and hints at the strange qualities that night can sometimes contain.

I didn’t find much at all to dislike amongst the other tracks. The only thing I noticed was that in “It’s Coming”, the chorus lyrics struggle a little against the background music in volume. This is only noticeable because the majority of the tracks have a very strong chorus sound. It’s a minor difference but I would like to hear this chorus as crisply as in the other tracks.

Of Sins Present and Past is described as an anthology with themes of hope and empathy and I certainly get that from the sometimes quite dark lyrics. John is joined by Dave Krusen on the drums and Jessy Greene on the violin, the mixture of the three creating a great album containing tracks that feature a variety of pace, tone and sound but that all manage to hang together and make it an album well worth a listen.

You can visit John Aulabaugh’s website at this link for more information.

Filed Under: Reviews Tagged With: alt rock, Dave Krusen, guitar, healing, John Aulabaugh, Of Sins Present and Past, Soul, violin

Xander Demos puts his best shred forward!

June 23, 2015 by Casey Douglas Leave a Comment

Master guitar soloist Xander Demos puts his best shred forward!

Xander DemosSome modern rock/metal bands seem to throw everything and the kitchen sink into their music. Something that may be overlooked in their zeal is the guitar solo: sometimes short, sometimes long and meandering, but both give space in the track where someone can truly shine. Shred guitarist Xander Demos doesn’t overlook this and hearing him play reminded me of what other bands sometimes gloss over.

Fronting his own band XDB and performing in various tribute bands, he’s certainly an adaptable busy guy. I checked out the songs on the XDB Reverbnation page and certainly enjoyed what I heard: songs that harken to some of the giants of rock and metal, and instrumental tracks that allow the shredding to truly shine.

Dancing Through Daggers features frenetic fingering accompanied by clear and epic vocals that set this song up as a great partner to fantastic mental scenes. Under a Darkened Sky is home to a fast solo that rises and falls in tone and tempo but grabs the ear and won’t let it go. Boys of Summer has a grittier sound than the others, the song interspersed with solo flourishes that grow in duration and intricacy each time they occur. I enjoyed these songs, the lyrics painted pictures and the sounds and rhythms were catchy to the ear. Where Xander really shines in my opinion however, is the instrumental tracks.

White Knuckle Driving has a grainy sound that alternates between bass segments of relative calm and fast fingering solos that increase the pace once more. I loved the periods of peace where things breathe before being launched back into the soloing. If you keep the title of the track in mind, it’s easy to imagine a souped up Mustang crunching and shaking as it turns suicide bends, the quiet parts of the song accompanying when the driver momentarily loses control, the frantic parts giving a soundtrack to when control is regained once more.

Woodshed Sonata is another purely instrumental track. It begins with the sound-byte “Grab some wood there bub!” before the listener hears a deeper, heavier sound than the previous tracks: pounding drums and lower notes accompanied by periods of blistering soloing. I feel these instrumental tracks truly let the listener appreciate the finger work put into this kind of track, unhampered by vocals or other distractions.

Check out Xander Demo’s Reverbnation page below!

Xander Demos on ReverbNation

Filed Under: Reviews Tagged With: casey, Darkened Sky, douglas, guitar, knuckle driving, Metal, review, riff, shred, studios, WMD, Xander Demos, XDB

Time for your Jagged Little Thrills

March 31, 2015 by Mehdi 'Eddy' Hassan Leave a Comment

It’s sexy! Not the pretty polished back street boys sexy, but the real deal; if you know what I mean, wink, wink.

If (you think) your musical taste is slightly mature, then, you might play it once and move on to some other links about n-sync reunion hoax. But, Jagged Little Thrills are like the ‘hot mama’ you may not notice at a mere glance. Don’t be afraid! Take another look, play the songs once again, get over the numbness of cheesy songs you have been hearing till now, and you will be bulldozed by the voluptuous raw energy floating to –and through- you.

Well I -might- acknowledge, the vocals may not pass the tuner test (or guitars might go off tune/tempo) here and there. But, when was the last time you heard such raw and energetic voice? I can’t remember anything like this; it’s been a long, long time.

Like every –meaningfully- successful rock act Jagged Little Thrills are a strange mix, the stability of Tom Wright (bass) and ‘Late Night’ Rob Gray (drums) is providing a hot platform for the searing vocals of Thomas Wright (vocals) and, Dave Vegas and Matthew ‘Weg’ Wetherill’s combined beefy guitar chops.

Jagged Little ThrillsReportedly, these five friends got together in the early 2014 to put forward their own blend of Punk/Indie/Rock sound, and it seems that they manage to get it right. It didn’t take them long to establish in the big league, right from the start, when they performed in a little pub in Northampton back in the early 2014. The inspirations are quite wide: from Nirvana to The Clash and from Queens of Stone Age to White Stripes.

It is no wonder that renowned producer Alan Emptage (who has worked with artists such as Adam Ant, Eric Clapton and Skunk Anasie) will be working with them on their first EP (starting early 2015)

I am already addicted to their single ‘Streets of Berlin’, as I look forward to hear a ‘Big’ and thrilling complete album from the Jagged Little Thrills. I just hope it comes out sooner!

Check out Jagged Little Thrills on Facebook – www.facebook.com/Jaggedlittlethrills

Filed Under: Reviews Tagged With: alan emptage, guitar, hassan, Indie, Jagged, Jagged-little-thrills, Little, medhi, Music, nirvana, northampton, Punk, queens of the stone age, recording, review, Rock, rocknroll, studios, Thrills, wmd. wmdstudios

How happy are we? Dead Happy

February 24, 2015 by Mehdi 'Eddy' Hassan 1 Comment

It is always debatable, as it is purely ironic: Industrial Music’s purpose was to set a new trend; a narrative clarifying the themes in modern society, by especially avoiding the stale rules or standards put in place by the forbearers. As its earlier forms (Punk etc.) blatantly failed to disassociate with the slave’s blues (and hence the progressive purity of Rock) Industrial seems to have fed on its own tail, as it had been declared ‘Anti-music’.

Truth is: whenever a person picks a guitar (whether plugged or unplugged) and pluck more than one –simultaneous- notes on it, it is bound to produce Rock ‘n’ Roll…

Well… sorry for the boring history (genre) lesson. But it had to be imparted; in an effort to comment or depict Dead Happy.

They are being called ‘Freaky Disco Metal’, the name might sound funny, but it does make sense! AND it would clearly help them to get out of the ‘Industrial’ tag or label. Their influences do seem to come from the music of Nine Inch Nails and Mindless Self Indulgence, but they run ahead and differentiate; maybe by a hair’s breadth.

Dead Happy came into being around 2012, based in West Midlands, the dynamic duo Jason Oakley and Jamie Hough have been producing a unique blend of electronica and metallic mayhem.

Where Jason handles: vocals, keyboards and programming of music, while Jamie takes care of guitars and bass (also providing a hand on keyboards when needed)

Along with freaky music, Dead Happy has the capacity of entertaining their audiences with complementing live shows (which defines their sound following)

They were signed by Coffee Jingle Records Label in the late 2014, and their debut EP ‘Banana God’ has been released on 31 January 2015, there are at least 3 different mixes of the song available right now, and it is a must listen for Rock, Metal, Party, Soundtracks’ lovers alike.

So do check it out!

Band Links:
Website = www.deadhappyband.com
Facebook Page = www.facebook.com/DeadhappyBand
Soundcloud Page = soundcloud.com/deadhappy

Filed Under: Reviews Tagged With: Banana God, Coffee Jingle Records, Dead Happy, Disco Metal, guitar, Industrial Music, Metal, Mindless Self Indulgence, Nine Inch Nails, Rock

Jamin’ with Steve

January 23, 2015 by Dominic Vermeulen-Smith

A great time was had with Jamin’ with Steve at WMD less than 2 months after the duo formed.

Jamin’, a solo singer songwriter act and Steve having previously left another duo met after they both performed at the same open mic night.

It didn’t take long after getting together for them to decide they needed to keep it going as a duo when the compliments and good feedback started pouring in.So far the pair have been touring the local open mic seen as well as hitting the streets of Hampshire where their new co-written songs are going down a treat.

They’re also planning the recording of their upcoming EP so that gives us all something to look forward to this year!

You can check out one of the songs from Jamin’ with Steve’s podcast session at WMD right here as well as an interview with the guys on the day. You’ll also be able to catch the rest of their set soon so make sure you  so you don’t miss it!

Enjoy!

Filed Under: Video Podcasts Tagged With: alternative rock, bass, duo, gig, guitar, review, reviews, rhythmic, riffs, soulful, vocal

Have you seen the silver comet?

January 6, 2015 by Mehdi 'Eddy' Hassan

Crunchy and crisp guitar tones with matching vocal depth, which is carefully infused with rhythmic riffs and soulful lyrics…

The Silver CometThe Silver Comet has been visible in the music galaxy for quite a while now, although not as commonly spotted by music lovers. The only reason I could think of (for the lapse in our observation) is their experimentation with the genre; they seem to be gradually shifting from hard Alternative Rock sound to subdued Soft/Classic Rock (Covers of Beatles to Radiohead and then back again to Harder Sounds)

The interesting fact is that they do manage to shine brightly with the shifting style and experimentation.

The Silver Comet is the creative duo: Parry Kitt the main vocalist, and Dustin Williams who is providing the backbone in sound, through Bass, Guitar, and additional vocals. For the live gigs they include an additional set up; with Kris Rahming on drums, Enrico Catalino on guitars, Chani Maisonet and Julianna Smaltz on backing vocals and Kyle Kirkland on keyboards.

The band is based in Atlanta (Georgia) but they have been touring quite frequently (the latest gig in UK was only couple of months ago)

Out of all the songs I have heard so far, I can easily pick two favorites: first is the Beatles’ cover ‘Come Together’ (picked from their Manchester live session, September 2014) they nailed the Beatles song with impeccable accuracy!

Coming from a live musical background, I can assure you that it is never easy to deliver with just one acoustic guitar backing a vocalist, but Parry and Dustin have done it well. The ability to perform with a limited setup also defines their musical maturity and discipline.

My second favorite song by The Silver Comet is their original studio recording ‘Losing Your Mind’; it clearly defines their musical identity and intentions (influences and creative flow) which seems to hover between Soul and Alternative Rock.

Both music styles can be combined into a deadly combination; the emotional and high spirited calling of Soul and high driven energy of Rock ‘n’ Roll, and there is enough presence of both in songs like ‘Dead Sea’ and ‘Losing Your Mind’, a quality that can transform The Silver Comet into a Supernova.

I would love to hear more of it, and I am eagerly anticipating!

(Note: all of the above mentioned songs are available on the Soundcloud, Bandcamp and The Silver Comet’s official website)

Filed Under: Reviews Tagged With: alternative rock, Atlanta, bass, Beatles, Come Together, crisp guitar tones, crunchy, duo, Dustin Williams, experimentation, Georgia, gig, guitar, Harder Sounds, keyboards, Losing Your Mind, Parry Kitt, Radiohead, review, reviews, rhythmic, riffs, soulful, The Silver Comet, vocal

Got 2 Funk live at WMD, it’s time to get FUNKY!

August 4, 2014 by Dominic Vermeulen-Smith

Mothers lock up your daughters, husbands lock up your wives, because Got 2 Funk is in the building and you guessed it, it’s time to get funky.

What makes a good cover band is not simply being able to recreate the patterns of different inspirations; it is the ability to capture the energy and true feel of a song. Here at WMD we have had the pleasure of working with a cover band that perfectly balances the energy of the songs they cover with their own personal flair, resulting in sweet music that will have your hips moving before you know it.

Got 2 Funk joined us for a day of live recording where they covered a variety of funk/soul hits, during which they blew us all away with their performance; no man, woman or child can sit still once Got 2 Funk start to get their funk on.

With inspirations such as McFadden & Whitehead, The Commodores and James Brown, Got 2 Funk are one of the true gems of South Coast cover bands and here at WMD we strongly recommend you pay this truly great band a visit when they play a show near you.



Filed Under: Video Podcasts Tagged With: bass, drums, funk, guitar, Music, new music, Podcast, reviews, Studio, Video

Copyright © 2025 WMD Studios LTD. Registered in England and Wales 08422332
Privacy Policy