Aqueous New Album & Interview
Aqueous
Aqueous Set To Drop new CD ‘Giant Something’ 4.16.11 @ Nietzsche’s, Buffalo, NY
BUFFALO, NY – Aqueous is a five man band formed in 2006 at the University of Buffalo. Consisting of Mike Gantzer on guitar and vocals, Dave Loss on guitar, vocals and synthesizer, Evan McPhaden on bass, and Brad Darrall drums. Nick Sonricker has been their percussionist and helping out on vocals since 2008. They’ve playing together since high school.
We recently had a chance to speak with the band about their sound, influences, and their upcoming album release.
Aqueous is self described as “blues meets progressive.” Their sound is “inspired by our mutual love and appreciation for listening to and creating music, and have always thrived off of playing live as often as possible.”
Their name is not a salute to Incubus song “Aqueous Transmission,” (thank God!) but a chemistry term referring to aqueous solutions. And chemistry is something the band has in spades, with each member adding to the sound without standing out like a sore thumb. The name definitely captures the sound of the band: smooth and flowing.
Neither Dave nor Mike claim to be the lead guitarist. Each plays off the other and what shines through are some great jams that are balanced by the bass, drums, synth and percussions of the collective sound the band creates. As Mike Gantzer put it, “Dave and I are also very into creating soundscapes and colorful guitar tones, and we both utilize multiple effects pedals to achieve that. Dave recently began incorporating a synth into our sound which has opened up many possibilities for us as far as jamming goes. We’ve always put our efforts into sounding as good as possible live.”
Much like an aqueous solution, the sound created melts into a great jam, by calling upon funk, rock, blues and psychedelic sounds that flows amazingly.
Aqueous was formed in 2006 & they won the High School Rock Band Showcase in 2007 at Niagara University. Their first album was entitled “Live Nugs: Vol. 1” and they also have a studio sampler. They’ve played over 100 shows in the past 3 yrs. The highlights of which include opening for the likes of GPGDS at Club Infinity and Tea Leaf Green @ The Tralf. They’ve also played the Java Barn at SLU, Artpark in Lewiston, NY and always get a warm welcome at The Crooked i in Erie, PA.
When asked about their influences they cited Phish, moe. (another UB formed band,) Umphrey’s McGee, and Pink Floyd. AQ “draw from many different places in terms of influence, but we’re really inspired by … 70’s progressive rock, funk, rap, so many things. I think generally speaking, if it grooves, we dig it. We’ve always focused on finding a balance between song form and improvisation/jamming.”
Some of their songs include: “Dave’s Song,” “Falling” and a great cover of Davie Bowie’s “Fame.” The hook on “Falling” is great and is accompanied by some great guitar riffs. “Dave’s Song” is a very Phish/GD kinda groove with just a hint of reggae. I seriously cannot say enough about this tune. Definitely, one of my favorites (although, “Mind Games” is quickly becoming a regular on my commute playlist.)
Their first full length album “Giant Something” will be heavily featured on 4.16.11 at Nietzsche’s where they plan to have their CD release party for the album. They will be sharing the stage w/ Funky Beets. The show is slated to feature 2 sets from each starting at 10pm.
For such a young band, Aqueous plays real tight both on record and live. If you can’t catch their release party at Nietzsche’s don’t worry. They’ve got a lot of other dates coming up in the near future. But I do recommend catching as many shows a possible, since their set list is rarely the same and incredibly dynamic. You will not be disappointed.
http://www.aqueousband.com/ :: Tour Dates :: Aqueous on Live Music Archive