Houston, Texas-based quartet LEAF makes music that is like audio theater. Their name, an acronym for Listen, Escape And Fantasize, sums up what their music allows listeners to do: escape from everyday realities and immerse themselves in music’s redemptive power.
“Everyone uses music as therapy,” says guitarist Mike Sutphen. “You put on a good song and you feel better. Music has that magical touch and that is what LEAF is incorporating. When you create, you listen and escape your ‘now’ and exchange your reality, where you fantasize and feel better.” Vocalist/keyboardist Jason Thumann adds to that sentiment, saying, “Music should not be selfish. It should expand minds. It’s a gift and you have to go with it. Don’t let it go to waste.”
LEAF is certainly following those credos. The band, which has been a unit for a decade, has functioned 100% independently within that time frame, but with their new album, First Kill, they are ready to make the leap forward and to turn heads beyond their native Texas, where they’ve already laid a solid foundation. They’ve followed the mantra that if you aim at nothing, you’ll hit it every time, so they are marching forward with a clear vision and goal, which is to get their band and their brand of aggressive yet atmospheric, hard hitting yet hooky rock noticed.
Drummer and percussionist Coffee offers a simple reason about why the band has kept on going for the past ten years, saying, “A natural progression of music keeps us interested. We’ve been writing grooves that have made us feel confident to keep on doing what we do. Together as a core of four people who have developed quite nicely, we’re ready to move forward."
On First Kill, the band traffics in a mix of punk rock, sludge, industrial and melodic rock. “We hit on all levels,” Coffee says about their style of melting pot rock which forces all who listen to bob their head to the infectious grooves. While the band uses synthesizers, Thumann insists that the music has an organic feel. "It's not processed and it's down to earth," the vocalist says. He's correct. The chunky, driving riffs and impassioned vocals allow the music a genuine, pulsing heart.
For First Kill, LEAF recruited Alan Yoshida (Maroon 5, Aerosmith, Paul McCartney) for mastering, along with producer Mike Major, who has worked with everyone from At The Drive-In, Sparta and Coheed and Cambria to man the boards. It was their first time using outside help to make a record and it was a thrilling, if complicated, process. The foursome drove an astonishing 80 hours roundtrip from Houston to Seattle, where Major was residing when they commenced recording. Bassist Chris Kubecka recalls, “He said, ‘I like your stuff but you guys gotta come here for me to produce it,’ so we loaded up the van and went out there!” This is the type of dedication and ambition that causes a band to graduate from your average, local rock band to stars in the making. LEAF spent some time in the Pacific Northwest working on the instrumentation for the album when Major’s wife got a job offer she couldn’t refuse in Florida, which caused her husband’s musical project to move to Florida with her in order to see itself through to fruition! The band headed to the complete opposite end of the country to finish the album’s vocal tracks. Thumann says, “It was physically taxing to have the recording broken up into increments, but we had the will power and we cut everything out to make it happen, financially.” Ultimately, it was a true exercise in the DIY ethic that so many bands pay lip service to, but that LEAF actually practices! Because of this, the band didn’t owe anyone but themselves.
The band’s hard work and sacrifices will serve them well later. First Kill, with its thick grooves and intense vibe, is an impressive introduction of LEAF to the world outside of Texas. “Bear Tracks,” the album opener, is hard hitting and has unique timing thanks to its non-traditional, jammy structure and the way it forces you to tap your toes or bob your head with its catchiness, while songs like "1138" and "Who Is It" move with ominous, crunchy guitars.
Overall, the album is driven by emotion and an overall positive vibe, which permeates a world full of negativity. Thumanns reiterates, “It’s edgy and hard hitting, and more melodic and lyrically to the point. We may talk about serious subjects, but we retain a positive outlook. People can latch onto that.” Sutphen follows by saying “Music can be mind expanding and hypnotic. I use music to let my mind wander where it may. I’ve always been astonished by music that puts you in some sort of trance to inspire thought and creativity.”
Mission accomplished with First Kill.
For more information, contact:
kelleemack pr
Kelly MacGaunn
p. 818.506.7105
e. kelly@kelleemackpr.com
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