Living Strange

The band’s roots may lie in hard rock and blues, but Living Strange will never limit what sound or genre they choose to play, the only limitation will be that of their own musical abilities.

Although the group only formed in late 2012, they’re quickly figuring out what it takes, sonically speaking, to get a crowd to move their feet. With songs like “Mean Swing”, an up tempo jazzy swing number with a bluesy hard rock feel, “Love Somebody”, a ten minute opus with percussion-driven verses and a lengthy mid-section that builds in intensity until it explodes full force, and “The Ballad of Bourbon”, the band’s take on the classic genre of reggae with a story that feels more like folk rock, the quartet covers a broad spectrum of musical tastes and textures.

When fellow band members Charlie Bourque(Bass/Vocals) and Evan Brawner(Guitar) decided to move forward together after their former group disbanded, they knew exactly who they would recruit to hold down rhythm duties; enter Zach Ziegen(Drums/Vocals). It made perfect cosmic sense! There was a past shared between Evan and Zach who grew up together. Charlie and Zach had known each other for years from their mutual involvement in the South Florida area music scene. When Zach eagerly excepted their invitation to join, the core of the lineup was complete.

Feeling he couldn’t focus on his instrument playing as much as he intended to, lead vocalist Charlie toyed with the notion of bringing in another singer to take over some of the vocals. Ideas were thrown around, and the trio consciously made a decision to find a female singer who could keep up with the hard rocking tone of the band, but also bring some sensitivity and overall harmony to the sound.

Charlie invited a friend to take a shot at the position and Ms. Pani Meshkati was brought in to audition. Her initial project with the band did not involve any originals, instead a cover of Tom Waits’ “Goin’ Out West”. After their first live performance of the song together it was clear that they had found their new singer. In the summer of 2013, Pani Meshkati(Vocals) officially joined the band and Living Strange was born! Where they will go from here depends on two things: Their drive to achieve… and you!