The Ground Beneath
Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States
Music
Press
Metal success never tasted so good
By Simon McCormack
The Ground Beneath
In less than a year and a half, The Ground Beneath has earned a full-page spread in the Albuquerque Journal, partied with hardcore metal gurus Sevendust and recorded their first full-length LP with Grammy-nominated producer Tim Stroh at Step Bridge Studios in Santa Fe. I'd be lying if I said these twenty-somethings weren't residents of "Talent City," but, putting that aside, what, pray tell, is their secret to supercharged metal success? "Hard work pays off, I guess," Steve Civerolo, lead singer and guitarist for TGB aw-shucksily explains. "There's always naysayers. When we started, emo and sideways haircuts were big and what we were doing was the opposite of that and it wasn't well-received, but you keep rolling."
Despite a clear lack of sideways haircuts, TGB has managed with the help of Kurt Cobain-esque vocals and mall-metal-done-right hooks. TGB are well on their way to being Albuquerque metal mainstays.
Civerolo understands that a three-piece in a four-or-more dominated genre makes TGB a bit of an oddity, but he makes his band's short list of contributors a point of pride. "For someone who plays, they know it's a little more challenging," he elucidates. "But it's more straightforward. And, because of it, we know (our fans) don't have to hear a bunch of shit."
Since TGB only has one guitar to work with, they make sure it counts. "The Gibson Explorer is probably the loudest guitar you can get," Civerolo says. "I remember seeing James Hetfield on Saturday Night Live playing one in 1998 and that probably made me want to get one even more. It's really solid and makes for a good sound."
Speaking of good sound, TGB's self-titled LP lives up to the hype (partially because the songs the band chose were the songs that crowds seemed to respond to). "It will be really cool for people who have memorized the lyrics for the songs, just by hearing us live, to be able to have a CD that they can listen to in their car," Civerolo says. TGB's release solidly places them in the new-wave-metal genre and, although TGB's website lists dozens of bands from which they draw inspiration, it's fairly safe to say that Alice in Chains, God Smack and Union Underground are where most of the musical similarities lie. Don't let the tremolo intro fool you: The new album is neo-metal cut-and-dry.
You can see what all the fuss is about at TGB's CD release party on Friday at the Launchpad when they celebrate the release of their first album with special guests Anesthesia, Torture Victim, Suspended and Sin Serenade. The show starts at 8 p.m. and under-21ers are (sadly) not invited.
Aside from an urgent need for toilet paper (I didn't inquire further), TGB hasn't put a whole lot of thought into their New Year's resolutions. Civerolo and bassist Mykey Garcia are, however, focused on playing a show at the Launchpad on New Year's Eve. TGB is also playing an all-ages show at "the 'Pad" on Jan. 8 with Tetelestai headlining. - Albuquerque Weekly Alibi
V.15 No.32 | August 10 - 16, 2006
This Week's Music
By Laura Marrich
A Very Metal Homecoming— The Ground Beneath's first trip outside of New Mexico looks like a thrashing success. Since kicking off their “Southern TWOur” in late July, Steve, Mykey and Roman have shredded across Texas and Louisiana, playing venues like Stubbs BBQ in Austin, drinking heavily with KG from Tenacious D and making a pilgrimage to the grave of former Pantera/Damageplan guitarist "Dimebag" Darrell Abbott in Arlington. Welcome the guys from The Ground Beneath back home at a free, all-ages show next Saturday, Aug. 19th, at The Zone (SW corner of San Mateo and Menaul) around 4 p.m. Also, don't miss the hilarious photos from their tour at www.thegroundbeneath.com. - Albuquerque Weekly Alibi
The Ground Beneath
Genre: Metal rock
www.thegroundbeneath.com
It's a tremor. It's an earthquake. No, it's the Ground Beneath! This super trio rumbles the earth with rolling drums and sweeping guitars, emerging from ... uh ... beneath adversaries to devour them whole like those crazy sandworms in that one movie. - Albuquerque Weekly Alibi
Discography
Still working on that hot first release.
Photos
Bio
The Ground Beneath is the premiere touring three-piece southern metal band from Albuquerque, New Mexico. Brutal drumming, soaring melodies and crunchy guitar riffs all come together in a massively catchy power groove. Being the hardest working band in the state is no picnic, however. TGB is constantly on the road out of state and recently opened for Army of Anyone in front of 800 rabid rockers and has done a couple of nights with Hellyeah in front of anywhere from 700 to 1,200 vicious metalheads. OK maybe it is a picnic. The debut album from The Ground Beneath got picked up for distribution and is available on iTunes, Amazon.com, BestBuy.com, Spotify, Pandora, CDBaby.com and more. The Ground Beneath came together in July 2004 and played their first show two days later. Following that was a full color picture with article in the local newspaper along with hundreds of local gigs in just a few short years, and now TGB is one of the most well known local acts in their hometown of Albuquerque, New Mexico, and the entire Southwest region of the USA. "I'd be lying if I didn't tell you these twenty-somethings weren't residents of talent city", proclaimed local columnist, Simon McCormack of The Albuquerque Alibi. After being included on the nationally distributed "Rock Outside the Box Vol. 2" Compilation CD set, The Ground Beneath released their own debut self-titled LP and the CD immediately skyrocketed on the sales charts for Amazon.com. Armed with a lineup, complete with Steve Civerolo on guitar and vocals, Mykey Garcia on bass and vocals and new drummer Brandon Gifford, TGB tore into the national scene. The Ground Beneath has been getting nothing but the highest acclaim for their regional shows and musical talent, and recently they played a sold-out show in their hometown at The Launchpad. Their unforgettable stage presence leaves many an old fan's jaw on the floor and brings them new fans and friends by the hordes. Their debut recording has sold out regularly on CdBaby.com and sells nicely on iTunes. Recently they released a live album that has already received more distribution than the first one. Following that release, Dirtbag Music signed them to a development deal. The Ground Beneath will continue to tour and turn a profit on its own. The high demand of out of state crowds keeps them on the road for most of the year. There is no question who the hardest working and most popular band out of Albuquerque is. Record label interest from Dirtbag Music has reps working with the band towards an album deal that would extend distribution into Europe and beyond. More recently, The Ground Beneath landed opening slots for several metal favorites including Soulfly, Trainwreck, Nick Oliveri, Soilwork, Slough Feg, Darkane, Warbringer, and Swallow the Sun as well as going on the road with Black Stone Cherry, The Damned Things, Drowning Pool and Powerman 5000 and headlining sold-out weekend shows on invitation at the world famous Viper Room in Hollywood. A new album begam production in late 2011. After trying to align schedules with legendary Guns N' Roses/Faith No More producer Mike Clink having offered his services in Hollywood, CA, TGB opted to track the album in Albuquerque and then mix it on the coast in the summer of 2013. TGB is currently tracking at Red Tag Studios in New Mexico and plan to mix the record on the coast with Evan Rodaniche of Powerman 5000/Cage9 fame. Averaging over 80 shows a year, The Ground Beneath has garnered much stage and road experience, effectively conquering 13 states surrounding New Mexico and playing three show cases at Hyperfest two years in a row and playing the SXSW festival unofficially four times.
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