Can't Miss Artist of the Week - Week Three

fire Zuave
MySpace, Own Page on Reverb Nation

Sound Breakdown and Analysis

How to identify the sound that is fire Zuave . . .

One might hear tinges of acoustic classic rock, another may say that was a twang of Nashville I just heard. How does indie alternative country sound? Well if it represents a slice of Americana and it goes down smooth with guitars a-blazin', you may just have what fire Zuave offers. This collection of musicians from Cleveland, West Palm Beach, and Detroit got together to independently release Sand Fastened, a 9 song LP, in May of this year.

Marya Summers of the New York Times described their sound as "a mashup of their own 'if the Beatles were born in Nashville'". Songs like "Starving Like A Pack of Wolves" definitely back up this claim. Once you get your twang on, you move on to the more indie rock sounding "Different Day" complete with electric guitar riffs, melodic pacing, and of course meaningful grit-filled lyrics sung by lead vocalist/guitarist Chuck Andrews. "Emily", on the other hand, starts out with Chris Cartrett's bass leading into a rousing love lost song gone rustic. The ear-pleasing incessant drumming of Jason Hermes on the track sounds more like the groundwork for a battle cry to get the girl's attention before she's gone forever.

Why You Should Be Listening

fire Zuave is just different enough to garner worthwhile attention from admirers of the band of Montreal and those who enjoy early Rilo Kiley. As it works out, Andrews' cousin, Kevin Barnes, is a member of the band of Montreal and has helped fire Zuave sculpt its performance and has offered recording session advice as well. This merry mesh of musicians molds the sound of their instruments into an ear-to-the-ground grassroots rockin' good time. Even if your not originally a fan of the style of music these guys perform, you should invest in listening to Sand Fastened to make sure you're not missing something.

Release Date: May 2008

Overall Artist Rating: 7 out of 10 for their first outing means they can only improve!
*Special thanks to Chris for hooking me up with all the band info!*