Greenleaf, Howling Giant, High Desert Queen

GREENLEAF Greenleaf became a proper band after more than a decade as a loose collective of friends making70s-inspired hard rock and proto-metal. Led by guitarist Tommi Holappa, co-founder of European desertrock originators Dozer, various configurations of Greenleaf with personnel from Lowrider, Truckfighters,Demon Cleaner and Dozer came and went during those early years. But after five records and twice asmany cast members rotating in and out, Tommi began to feel Greenleaf could be something more.Its evolution from side project to focused band began when Tommi reached out to the classically-trainedArvid Hällagård in 2013 to sing on a new track. Arvid’s early stoner rock band Giant Space Cruiser hadplayed with Dozer some years before, and Tommi had kept tabs on the charismatic singer. Along withdrummer Sebastian Olsson, who began as a fill-in but would become the second-longest tenuredGreenleaf member behind Tommi, they worked on one song and then another, Arvid taking things in adifferent direction vocally than any previous version of the project had seen. The sense was immediatethat things had changed, and what they were making was a true album.Playing a few shows, they found an immediate onstage chemistry, and it was undeniable that this was nolonger just a way to fill time between their other bands. This was the foundation for what Greenleafwould be from then on: a locked-in, stage-destroying, anthem-blasting force, led by Tommi’sunparalleled riff sorcery, Arvid’s enrapturing, soul-heavy vocals, Sebastian’s frenetic rhythms and bassistHans Fröhlich’s deep, driving attack.Today Greenleaf are widely recognized as a dominating live act and one of the most prolific andobsessively listenable outfits to emerge from the European heavy underground. With four albums ofdriving, soaring riff-rock power to their credit since transforming into an actual band, they continuepushing the boundaries of desert-influenced rock further with each record and burning downincreasingly massive stages year after year.Now, ten years since the release of the landmark Trails & Passes album, Greenleaf return with The Head& The Habit, a record energized by awareness of their past triumphs and crafted with the maturity of aband who knows how to rock stronger, harder and better than ever before. HOWLING GIANT Despite Nashville’s reputation for assembly-line pop country, the town called Music City is a place of deep history, where brilliant songwriters and virtuoso session players keep dozens of musical legacies burning bright. Nashville’s preeminent fuzz-psych power trio Howling Giant live in the pocket of that lineage, and on their eagerly awaited second full-length, Glass Future, they kick out the righteous jams with furrowed determination and wild abandon. Howling Giant formed in Nashville nearly ten years ago with the union of guitarist/vocalist Tom Polzine, drummer/vocalist Zach Wheeler, and bassist/vocalist Roger Marks. From day one, the trio locked into a musical groove of thunderous metal, proggy acrobatics, psychedelic flourishes and soaring melodic vocals, telling stories of fantasy and adventure with such sheer force of will that they seemed capable of opening a window to other dimensions. Their early years saw a flurry of recorded activity, with an acclaimed self-titled EP in 2015 and an audacious concept piece split across two EPs, 2016’s Black Hole Space Wizard Part 1 and 2017’s Black Hole Space Wizard Part 2. On the strength of those EPs and a growing, fervent fanbase, Howling Giant set out to bring their arena-sized energy to the people with the hunger of true road dogs. Throughout 2017 and 2018, they crisscrossed the United States, pouring out heart and soul (and sweat) while flying the flag of emotive, intricate heavy rock and roll. This tireless energy eventually brought them to such prominent festival stages as Psycho Las Vegas in 2018 and both SXSW and Psycho Smokeout in 2019. Around this time, Marks left the band and Howling Giant achieved its current form with the addition of bassist/vocalist Sebastian Baltes. In early 2019, Howling Giant teamed up with Blues Funeral Recordings to release debut full-length The Space Between Worlds, an album which saw the band channel the bristling electricity of their live sound and push further into both cosmic drift and punishing heaviness. As the COVID-19 pandemic put an embargo on live music, Howling Giant found new ways to connect with their ardent fans. Through a weekly schedule of live-streamed events on Twitch, the band continued to nurture community during an isolating, disorienting time. In addition to Dungeons & Dragons sessions and cooking lessons, Howling Giant opened up their rehearsal process to the fans, streaming writing jams that led to instrumental EP Alteration in 2021 and planted the seeds for their next album. Now in partnership with Magnetic Eye Records, Howling Giant are poised to release their second album Glass Future. From the first notes, it’s clear that the band has tapped into the next level of the cosmic vibrations that power them. Tom Polzine’s guitar licks dance across the frets with airy precision and lunge at the listener with red-lined roars. Sebastian Baltes’s bass stalks and coils like a snake and digs deep into mile-wide grooves. Zach Wheeler’s drums are as frantic as they are restrained, tossing out cross-meter fills and stepping out with stuttering snare runs that dare the others to match their bristling energy. Long-time friend of the band Drew Harakal provides crucial accompaniment on organ, piano, and synths, suffusing these future anthems with vintage tones and contemplative depth. Howling Giant’s not-so-secret weapon is their honey-rich and wisdom-worn vocal attack. With all three members pitching in, Glass Future reaches some of its most glorious highs through soaring, indelible choruses and tight triple harmonies. Lead single “Sunken City” is a roiling, locked-in rocker with a massive chorus hook and searing instrumental break that rides a cresting wave of impossibly triumphant momentum. Whether it’s on the powerful gallop and nasty, swaggering groove of instrumental knockout “First Blood of Melchor” or the loping sprint of the parallel guitar and keyboard leads on the title track, whether the wide-open golden chug of “Siren Song” or the lilting, forlorn psychedelic trip of “Tempest and the Liar’s Gateway,” Howling Giant fires on so many cylinders across these taut 41 minutes that the reeling mind has no choice but to follow their assured stride. Is Howling Giant’s music like a dream tour of Mastodon and Rush supporting the Beach Boys in 1970? Does Glass Future sound like Queens of the Stone Age, Devin Townsend, and Torche holding a songwriting clinic in Pink Floyd’s backyard? Friend, Howling Giant doesn’t owe you those answers, but their whirlwind new album might give you some new questions to ask, new rivers to cross, new frontiers to explore. With Glass Future burning a hole in their pocket, 2023 finds Howling Giant setting out on a far-reaching North American tour with Elder and Ruby the Hatchet and playing the illustrious Desertfest Belgium. On Glass Future, they play with the thoughtful, careworn ease of people who know hardship and pain yet decide to press on because that’s the only thing we can do. As they sing on the album’s elegiac closer, “There’s no company, save for those we create.” With this remarkable album, Howling Giant extends a hand, saying: let’s find the future together. Sebastian Baltes – Bass/vocals Tom Polzine – Guitar/vocals Zach Wheeler – Drums/vocals HIGH DESERT QUEEN Their music is a journey into the open roads from the badlands of Big Bend to Joshua Tree, with no speed limit or second chance. Hailing from Austin, TX, High Desert Queen brings the Texas heat to wherever they play. Known for their super high energy live show and massive “Texas sized” riffs, HDQ has been doing more than turning heads, they have been making them move. After recording their sophomore album “Palm Reader” live in the studio in order to capture their raw sound and groove, these road warriors will be looking to make their presence known at a venue or festival near you. Keep your ear to the road, you will not want to miss your chance to see this band live. TBA