ASTORIA

http://www.lithiummagazine.com/astoria-amberwood-van-gogh%E2%80%99s-ear-guelph-%E2%80%93-june-9-2014

By Alex Young
Photos by Don Clarke

http://astoriarocknroll.bandcamp.com
http://www.amberwoodmusic.com

Over the past four decades the Canadian rock and roll scene has given birth to some of the biggest underdogs in the industry. And in the last few years we have seen bands breaking the curse of stalling as hometown heroes to embrace the popularity of being nationwide names. Look no further than acts like City and Color, Monster Truck or the Arkells, all of whom have made a name for themselves with an international audience.

Every band has to start somewhere.

With that mind, two Ontario bands that have begun to make their sound heard and could easily and soon make the jump to mainstream Canadian airwaves are the GTA’s Amberwood and London’s Astoria. Both bands refrain from using crazy costumes or tacky gimmicks onstage and simply let their music do all the talking.

Amberwood is currently on the road in Ontario as they support their sophomore EP Now & Then, which follows their debut recording Event Horizon. As a live act the band creates a lot of abstract intros of feedback and loose beats before they burst into their alternative rock anthems that are wound tighter than a tourniquet. Amberwood opened their London set with their latest single “Out of This Place”, with driving bass lines, bombastic drum beats, an array of guitar hooks, and lyrics about escaping the trappings of everyday life. The band brought out extra tom drums during the percussive intro to the title track from “Now & Then” before blasting into the up-tempo jangling chorus.

Directly following was London’s latest alternative group, Astoria. The band has separated themselves from other acts on the rise like The Unreal and Traumahawk by playing rock and roll with no strings or sub-genre titles attached. Their stripped down approach in the studio, and as a live act, is accurately crystallized on their newest single “So Far Gone”. Astoria sounds closer to being cut from the same cloth as the Foo Fighters or Oasis rather than the quirky hooks Queens of the Stone Age or the blues explosion of the Black Keys.

Jay Bartlett’s straight forward drumming is akin to Dave Grohl’s style of rhythmic percussion in the sense that it is simplistic enough to fit the song writing but still technically proficient enough to stand out. Tracks like “Dead and Down” and “Save the Day” won the audience by the opening chorus and had them scratching their heads as to why they’d never heard of Astoria before. Don’t be surprised if word of mouth, online exposure, and college radio rotation has Astoria painted on the tongues of rock fans across Ontario any day now.

- See more at: http://www.lithiummagazine.com/astoria-amberwood-van-gogh%E2%80%99s-ear-guelph-%E2%80%93-june-9-2014#sthash.Rxty6oi7.dpuf - Lithium Magazine

http://www.lithiummagazine.com/astoria-time-now-%E2%80%93-ep-review

By: Alex Young

http://astoriarocknroll.bandcamp.com

On the release of their debut EP, The Time is Now, London, Ontario’s Astoria takes listeners back to the basics with their sound that boils rock down to its fundamental elements. Their EP acts as an impressive sonic statement, bringing their audience to a primordial set of tracks that beckon back to 90’s alternative rock without a tacky image attached to it. Astoria is more akin to a band like the Foo Fighters than whoever currently graces the cover of Rolling Stone.

The Time is Now opens with the rambunctious rock-infused call to arms, “Wake Up Sound”, to capture the listener right from the start. It’s a true siren song to the rudimentary origin of their sound. The lyrics of “Save the Day” talk about the fractured relationships everyone experiences with loneliness and isolation and the music sonically reflects that. Their single “So Far Gone” features an avalanche of lead guitar hooks that slide effortlessly through the song and allows the audience to hear another side of the band.

Their synergistic music creates a dynamic from one track to the next, allowing each to have a distinct atmosphere and standing strongly on their own. Astoria is band that truly resembles a time when rock was more about songs than guitar solos, hooks over haircuts, and songwriting rather than singles. Their lack of focus on their aesthetic and letting the music be the focus speaks volumes to their agenda as a group, in a world where music is treated like fashion by the industry. Anyone waiting for a band that will take you away from what you’re used to hearing on modern radio waves will have a smile on their face after hearing a familiar sound reborn.

- See more at: http://www.lithiummagazine.com/astoria-time-now-%E2%80%93-ep-review#sthash.ogkZziVT.dpuf - Lithium Magazine