Cortez
Perth, Western Australia, Australia | SELF
Music
Press
“No pop, barely a ballad, mostly intimidating rock without violence but splashes of menace, impending threats and haunting thoughts. But it’s not a dark disc. It’s realism. Listen to ‘All the way’ and you have the flip side to anthems like ‘Friday on my mind’ or ‘I don’t like Mondays’. Cortez sounds cascade like riding the waves after watching the flashing white line as you flow down the highway with the baying of hounds on your trail. The rolling rhythm guitar is infectious, the bass bubbles and pops within the waves of sequential sounds. This bottom end is sliced into with blistering incisions of guitar runs and soaring vocals that imprint indelible choruses that I find recurring throughout my day. These are sustained vocal notes with extraordinary crescendos that define a signature sound that can’t be slotted or equated with others. But I will try. For me it challenges the Velvet Underground and The Edge in rumble, and Bono/Eddie Vedder in vocalisation and lyrics.”
Michael Richards - Oz Rock Anecdotes
- Michael Richards - Oz Rock Anecdotes
“For a band that has barely had the chance to get on their feet and to make a name for themselves thus far, Cortez is already remarkably talented. Though the band is from Australia, there are no clear traces within the vocals of the song to suggest that they may be from there. “King Tide” shows just how surprisingly far along this band is for being in their primitive stages of development. The song has a very smooth, polished sound to it. With the vocal similarities of U2 combined with the rock/pop melodies of Matchbox Twenty. The song’s lyrics go deeper than simply describing the life of a surfer. It tells of the sport and the freedom that can be attained while catching a big wave. It is used as a way to not only forget the past, but as a way to create something noteworthy in the present and in the future as well. Cortez has broken ground with “King Tide,” which suggests a promising outcome to what their debut album will hold. Rating: 4 stars (out of 5)”
Alec Cunningham - Ariel Publicity
- Alec Cunningham - Ariel Publicity
“Cortez took to the outdoor stage at just after six to the biggest crowd so far at ScorcherFest 2012. It seemed many had come to see if the band lived up to the hype. I had not heard their stuff before and must admit alternative rock is not my preferred flavour but these guys really impressed. The frontman delivered vocal attitude and the guitars and drums kept the intensity high throughout the set. It seemed to me Cortez had left no stone unturned prior to their arrival, they were very well rehearsed and the songs were refreshingly original given the 11 or so bands I had just witnessed previously. The singer announced the new CD was not officially out but I did notice a couple of lucky punters with green tree packs after the show. Although the crowd had got their fill of Cortez they were still hungry as shouts of 'one more' rang out across the Rosemount beer garden. Cortez were out of time this time but there is no doubt these guys will be back.”
Nicole Anderson - Green Dwarf
- Nicole Anderson
“ACK!!! LOVE your voice and your songs -- we wish you were here in the United States -- you guys are FANTASTIC!!! I will definitely forward your music to my colleagues whose labels include international tour support! THANK YOU for submitting to us, and we'd work with you in a heartbeat, yet -- I fear you're a touch out of our jurisdiction, clear down under ! The very best of luck to you and we will keep you on file incase our territory opens up. In the meantime, I hope you blow up to be enormous rockstars and take over the world -- you're *great*!!! ”
Danielle Egnew / Roy Pack - Tin Star Records
- Tin star records
“Cortez - nice website and great sound. Nice to hear a decent aussie rock band again. Yvette Founder of Outtloud ”
— Outtloud - Out loud
Discography
Up and comming album titled All the way.
www.reverbnation.com/cortezoz
3 songs are getting air play at Black collar radio
www.blackcollarradio.com
Air play on RTR fm 92.1
Air play on fremantle radio,also cortez featured on a 1 hr interview on radio fremantle.
Photos
Bio
As the name suggests Cortez is a band set to conquer!
Partially true, the name of the band is Cortez…and they are set for something..
Brothers Waz and Shaun (Billy) Bunting have been playing in various bands both in WA and the eastern states for nearly 20 years before forming their own band Cortez in 2010, Perth Western Australia.
Waz studied percussion at the Conservatorium of Music in Victoria and Billy has worked with some great Aussie musos including Travis Dempsey (Living End), Ben Pertzel (Dirty York) and most recently Billy was the frontman for Solid State who played the Big Day Out and recorded 2 quality CDs 'The Point' and 'The Dirty Sessions'.
After watching a friends' CD launch the Bunting brothers met Luke Macrae waiting for a taxi. Macrae a guitarist hailing from Mandurah, WA was invited back to Waz's house (after ditching a bunch of his mates) and settled in to a 2 hour high pressure audition. Macrae sang harmonies easily over Billy's vocals and managed to work nice guitar melodies over the existing rhythms so the decision was made and Macrae officially became the 3rd member of Cortez.
Flavours of sound
The essence of Cortez steams up from a melting pot of bands, ingredients include:
4 tblsp of Radiohead
1 cup of Soundgarden
1 pinch of Springsteen
Some shredded U2
All mixed together with an oz of Dave Matthews Band.
Best served hot and loud with a room full of friends hungry for quality!
After months of crafting the demo tracks a pre production meeting was held with Rob Grant at Poons Head (Tame Impala, Jeff Martin, Lenny Kravitz) in Fremantle and Cortez embarked on the recording of their debut album. They have spent the last 6 weeks in the studio producing 9 tracks with the album tentatively titled 'All the way'.
The official CD launch is set for early 2012.
Many musicians claim their sound has big potential but few are prepared to take the gutsy step of funding & recording a high quality release, fewer still have any songs with both powerful meanings and quality musicianship.
Cortez have...
but you can decide for yourself right here..
www.reverbnation.com/cortezoz
Links
