Skip to main content

Haiwatha

     Local band Hiawatha plays a mix of dark gothic rock and post-punk akin to their influence, Crow People. Despite similarities, they have a distinct sound of their own. Employing swirls of flange and chorus laden guitars, heavy tribal drumming and raw, powerful vocals, the music easily transports you back to late 70’s era England, where the goth movement was birthed thanks to vampy post-punk icons Bauhaus, Siouxsie and the Banshees, and Joy Division.

     The band, comprised of vocalist/lyricist Joe Salinas, guitarist Jacob Gonzales, bassist Sherwood Mcglown, and drummer Levon Pruitt, came together in January of 2017 through mutual friends. Together, they released a self-recorded demo tape months after their formation. While they don’t have a regimented formula for songwriting, they usually come together, work on a jam, and those sessions eventually turn into songs. The same can be said for show preparation. They rehearse and “do what comes natural”. The band likes to keep a diverse crowd and plays varied bills. They can mostly be heard and seen at The Amp Room which, through the help of local figures Ely Bat and Sean Detra, is their most played venue. Additionally, they hope to tour the country soon, a feat they feel is accomplishable by hard work and strong determination. With a steady work ethic and a growing fanbase, Hiawatha will undoubtedly continue to make the rounds in the San Antonio music scene. Keep an eye out for them. You’ll not want to bat an eye on them.

hiawathatx.bandcamp.com

Instagram @ Hiawathasatx

                                          Photo: Johnny Camacho

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

The Grim Folk: As Grim as It Gets

     San Antonio dark country/psychobilly band The Grim Folks have been taking the San Antonio music scene by storm, albeit in their own way. Not one to mix in with the rest, The Grim Folks deliver a fresh and exciting sound in a city obsessed with metal and Mexican regional music. It’s not to say they don’t fit the bill; simply, they aren’t the typical band you would expect to come across. That, however, is a damn good thing. At home with the punk and goth crowds, The Grim Folks play macabre songs inspired from “roots” Americana full of dark humor and superstitious folklore with an undisguised energy. They aren’t exclusive to particular crowds; they have a loose and inviting vibe anyone can enjoy.      “When it comes to writing lyrics, my influence is inspired by horror movies I watched as a kid or stories of the supernatural, “said Nathan Quintanilla, the band’s vocalist and rhythm guitarist. “That enticing feeling I get when seeing or hearin...

Chelsea Wolfe Births Violence

     If the American Gothic movement had a sound, Chelsea Wolfe perfectly captures it.            Wolfe’s latest album (and sixth overall), Birth of Violence , brings her back to her gloomy folk roots. It’s a goth-tinged acoustic album, a departure from her harder, heavier and sludgy doom-metal heard in her previous releases, Abyss and Hiss Spun , two albums that followed the more accessible Pain is Beauty , whose title sounds like an art school kid’s expressionist project.      Acoustic offerings are nothing new for Wolfe. Her catalogue features a few here and there, and Unknown Rooms: A Collection of Acoustic Songs is as stated: a collection of acoustic songs from her earlier days.      Acoustic music has a tendency to be skipped over, but Wolfe’s should not. No matter how they’re performed, they are desolate, raw and impassioned. If her studio recordings can move you to the d...

Them Are Us Too Make Amends

      The Bay Area’s euphoric dream pop duo Them Are Us Too began in 2012 with schoolmates Kennedy Ashlyn and Cash Askew playing well balanced eighties inspired synth-pop shoegaze. In 2015, they released their debut album, Remain , a gloomy tour de force to incredible acclaim. They built up a dedicated cult following, and that success hyped the anticipation for the follow-up to their big debut. Tragically in 2016, a warehouse fire claimed Askew’s life at 22 years old, putting the band’s career in uncertainty. However, through the ashes of tragedy arose a new album, Amends , the band’s second and final as TAUT (as fans call them) and it is a beautifully haunting piece of work filled with ethereal elegance and atmospherics.      Amends , as Ashlyn describes, is “a collection of songs that would have been the second Them Are Us Too record, an amendment to our catalog cut short, a final gift to family, friends, and fans.” Amends is a celeb...