Scorpion Child

Holy crap, what an awesome night! 70's hard rock commandeered the Viper Room last Friday with awesome performances by Scorpion Child and Gypsyhawk. It was a rock 'n roll double whammy!

Seeing Scorpion Child play was one of those concert moments when you say to yourself "I can't believe I'm really here now and my life is so hellaciously rad!" When they took the stage, I felt like I had been pulled through a time portal to the early 1970's - except that I was loving it instead of hating it!
I like some classic rock but I am definitely 100% hesher and 0% flowerchild. Somehow, Scorpion Child has taken classic 70's rock and completely reinvigorated it without really changing the essence of it. I think it's partly due to the amazing, melodic bass lines that drive most of the songs and the overall incredible, dynamic song composition. Everyone is pulling their own weight in this band. Sure, there is a Led Zeppelin influence but nothing I heard sounded derivative or unoriginal (did you get that joke?). In fact, I'll go so far as to say I like Scorpion Child better than Zeppelin because they don't remind me of dirty free-love hippies, even though they did have a dude doing psychedelic visuals on an overhead projector, but you know what? He was rad, too.

The only band that could follow a set like that is Gypsyhawk, and fortunately, that's who played next. These guys also have a 70's rock feel but their style is a little more metal, with muscular guitar riffs and shredding solos. Their set was totally killer and full of songs off of their new album, Revelry and Resilience, which I highly recommend you buy. These guys balanced out their 70's rock vibe with some 80's cock-rock, synchronized, guitar moves and got the crowd really going! People were dancing, head-banging and rockin' out for the entire set! They finished their set with Commander of the High Forest, an awesome song off of their first album, and then we all migrated over to The Rainbow to keep the party going. What a great night!

Be sure to check out both bands on facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/Gypsyhawkusa

https://www.facebook.com/scorpionchild

The next event on my concert calendar is Dreaming Dead on October 20th at The Stardust Club. - LA Metal Siege

All bong-rattling fuzz box riffs, big Zeppelin beats, and tight-pants wailing, Austin’s Scorpion Child is the latest in a line of MC5/Blue Cheer-worshipping bands to rally indie kids, nu-ravers, and greasy longhairs around bearded, balls-out rock. Their bruised-and-bloody ’70s rock—and especially scene-stealing singer Aryn Schwartz’s powerful Plant-esque yowl—makes all other “revivalists” look like kids playing dress-up. - AV Club

Austin's own Scorpion Child is playing tonight at the Funhouse, any words of warning!? ;)

Their sound is a "classic" one, though I admit I'm really only drawn in by the great local support. AZ transplants Antique Scream, a Sioux CIty Pete solo set and one of my current favorite local rock bands, Red Liquid, to really cherry top it all.

And if that wasn't all enough, the show is at the Funhouse. If you don't know, the Funhouse is one of those timeless venues, dive bar punk rock, smoking and drinking and shooting half-court basketball on the patio, sneaking into the green room bathroom cause the regular one is so packed, and all this is coming to an end as Halloween is their last day in operation. Developers are destroying a cool part of the city again - no doubt the reason they wanted in, in the first place - and there's nothing we can do about it but go out with a bang, no regrets, remember the good times. I have my own last production there this Saturday [with Golgothan Sunrise (members of Lesbian), Satya Sena (members of Secret Chiefs 3/Girth & The Atomic Bomb Audition), Power Skeleton & Bréag Naofa], and plan on going to the last three shows prior to Halloween, so I plan on getting my fill.

RIP [soon] FUNHOUSE - Fun Fun Fun Fest

Every once in a while you see a band live and know they are destined for greatness. When Scorpion Child took center stage at Austin’s legendary rock club Encore, they were bonafide rock stars. Their sound heralds back to early 70’s psych-rock with a modern twist and list Free, Sir Lord Baltimore, Lucifer’s Friend and BANG as influences. For the large crowd gathered to witness the band’s official SXSW showcase, words like Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple and James Gang were on everyone’s lips. Plucking their name from The Cult’s Electric “Lil’ Devil” lyric, the five piece have spent the last three years perfecting both their songwriting and stage presence. Layering high-energy, twin-guitar riffage over a pounding rhythm section with a singer that’s a cross between Robert Plant and Blind Melon’s Shannon Hoon has built the band a substantial fanbase. This night the throngs were there in full force, some to support and some to watch a phenomenon before their very eyes.

“How ya’ll doing Austin?” shouted lead vocalist Aryn Schwartz dressed in his buckskin fringed jacket and skin-tight jeans before launching into the killer “King of the Night.” Guitarist Asa Savage, in full beard and long flowing hair, tilted his head back, closed his eyes and let wail an old school blues chord with Schwartz caterwauling like a cat in heat. The bong-rattling, fuzz box riffs echo an MC5/Blue Cheer record collection well used and abused. Chris Hodge former guitarist of the Young Heart Attack and clad in vintage bell-bottoms added rhythmic support making the song twice as dense and four times as heavy. The long and lean bassist Shaun Avants hovered above the colliding guitar and dropped his thundering notes into Jeremy Cruz’s rumbling drum fills. The two are in perfect synch as the band etched out what can only be described as perfect sexed-up retro rock.

Scorpion Child are from lots of different places, not only logistically but musically. “We’re from St. Louis, Corpus Christi and Houston with Chris from here in Austin,” says Schwartz when we met later at a local café. “Our influences are diversified as classic 80’s thrash metal to old school southern blues along the lines of Blind Willie Johnson, Lemon Jefferson and Willie McTell.” The five-piece call Austin home since forming in the summer of 2006. “We came to Austin to form a band with a single vision,” continues Schwartz. “None of us knew each other. We’d all played in different bands with a range of styles but after jamming together found our footing in what we do now.”

Last summer, the five-piece took their show on the road to test original material in bigger cities like Manhattan, Washington D.C., Buffalo and even Minneapolis. The buzz generated a booking frenzy which has them playing a gig each day at this years SXSW - both opening and closing the festival. Balancing full-time jobs at hip coffee shops and bars around town has forced the group to be very disciplined. “Austin is a great city to develop and hone your skills musically,” says Schwartz. “We’re friends with a lot of bands here and have developed a camaraderie among them.” Though busy, the group has still managed to write an album’s worth of material with songs like “Million Lines,” “Antioch,” “Kings Highway” and “Heart Attack Thighs” (all can be heard on their myspace page).

“Asa and I started writing songs together almost right away after forming,” says Schwartz “He has songwriting in his bones, doesn’t even try, it just comes out. He has his own style that’s more Allman Brothers or Skynyrd.” The singer defines himself as a collector. “Shaun (bass) and I collect old heavy psyche blues records like Aphrodite’s Child, Night Sun and Edgar Broughton Band and Josefus. Whereas Chris (guitarist) has lived it with his previous band Young Heart Attack. He was on the road all the time. As for Shaun and Jeremy (drums), they’re on different ends of the book, but have similar chapters. Jeremy and I met working in a bar. We kinda came from the same foundation but he was more of a math rock drummer with this jazzy style. Believe it or not Jeremy, Chris and myself used to play in the punk/hardcore scene.”

When asked about the band’s comparison to Led Zeppelin, Schwartz explains, “We do have this whole acoustic side that sounds very Zeppelin II with a lot of gospel. Asa is an amazing acoustic guitar player. You give that guy and 12-string and he really shines. He’s somewhere out there like Jimmy Page, just as innovative, but can still rock out with doom riffs and blinding solos.” Outside of early Rainbow, Schwartz claims he came about his current singing style with a blend of influences. “Growing up in St. Louis I listened to a lot of rap, gospel, blues, R&B, classic rock and heavy metal. In my mid-twenties I discovered country and added that to the mix. I was a screamer in my other bands so this is the first band I’ve really tried singing for singing sake.”

The nuances each individual brings to the band seem to work e - CuttingEdgeRocks.com

Austin quintet Scorpion Child have been paying dues and making news since early 2007. Whether this band is raging out of control amongst fireworks under the night sky at Fire Fest or playing to the sweatiest crowd I've ever seen at Lovejoy's on it's last night of business, when Scorpion Child take the stage they bring the noise.

After surviving as a band for more than six years, Scorpion Child are set to release their debut full-length album in the Spring of 2013. Scorpion Child's debut LP was produced and engineered by Chris "Frenchie" Smith at The Bubble Recording Studio in Austin. Smith's most recently released project is a new album by The Toadies, titled "Feeler" which charted no. 8 on iTunes last week.


Video: SCORPION CHILD - She Sings I Kill
I tracked down Smith and he gave me the inside scoop on working with Scorpion Child:

These guys hail from the past and have been put in our time to save ROCK! They are true and honest to the ROLL, creating insane inventions of modern music with all the right materials. Big drums, thunder heavy riffs, licks, dangerous soul ridden bass lines, and powerful rock vocals! The extreme energy at their live shows are transferred flawlessly to their recordings, conveying the sexiness that they move and shake to on stage. The bands tunes may influence bad bad things, make you feel alive again, livin’ on the edge and kickin’ ass. Take what you want, do what you want, go where you want! The Child was born to lead a revolution, and remind us that we are Kings and Queens of this land, that we are epic, and our imagination is freedom. - Chris "Frenchie" Smith of Frenchie Smith Records

This Fall, Scorpion Child hit the road to promote the upcoming release of their debut full-length on the lengthiest tour routing I have yet to see out of an independent Austin band. The tour totals 58 dates spanning east and west coasts over the course of some two and a half months. On tour, Scorpion Child will be playing notorious rock venues like The Viper Room in Los Angeles on October 5th with Metalblade Records' Gypsyhawk.

Scorpion Child undoubtedly have a fair chance at being one of Austin's next big bands, I haven't seen anything like this come out of the live music capital in some time. Scorpion Child are a bunch of hard-nosed cowboys, and that is exactly what rock 'n' roll thrives on.

Visit www.scorpionchildmusic.com for a complete list of tour dates and other exciting news! - Examiner

Today is a good day to rock, friends. Actually, any day is a good day to rock, but we couldn’t have timed this any better. We bring the rock to you on this week’s edition of The Good Music Club, a live monthly music event and online video series highlighting local music artists making their mark on the Austin scene. The GMC’s ultimate goal is to share these performances with new fans and resources outside of the Austin area, across the country and worldwide.

This edition features loud and proud quintet Scorpion Child, whipping up a massive maelstrom of classic rock, prog, psych and metal as frontman Aryn Black unleashes wicked screaming vocals amidst searing guitars. It’s hardcore classic rock turned up way past eleven.

And GMC fans, get ready: The next taping is scheduled for September 29th at The ND, located at E. 5th St. and Brushy, near Progress Coffee. The list of bands performing will be confirmed soon! Our last taping was a packed house, so make sure you don’t miss out! - KUT.org

These guys hail from the past and have been put in our time to save ROCK! They are true and honest creating insane inventions of modern music with all the right materials. Big drums, thunder heavy riffs, licks, dangerous soul ridden bass lines, and powerful rock vocals! The extreme energy at their
live shows are transferred flawlessly to their recordings, conveying the sexiness that they move and shake to on stage. The bands tunes may influence bad bad things, make you feel alive again, livin’ on the edge and kickin’ ass.Take what you want, do what you want, go where you want! The Child was born to lead a revolution, and remind us that we are Kings and Queens of this land, that we are epic,and our imagination is freedom.
-Frenchie Smith Records

No matter where they play, when The Child take the stage they bring the noise... For those who have witnessed the band’s live set words like Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple and James Gang with a modern twist of metal and doom spring from their lips. Layering high-energy, heavy twin-guitar riffage ?over a pounding rhythm section with a singer that’s a cross between Robert Plant, Ronnie Dio and Blind Melon’s Shannon Hoon has built the group a passionate, dedicated and rapidly growing fanbase. ??Scorpion Child are from lots of different places, not only logistically but musically. “We’re from St. Louis, Austin, Wichita, and Houston,” says lead singer Aryn Jonathan Black describing the band’s roots. “Our influences are diversified as Big Band, Latin, Classic Rock and 80’s Thrash Metal to old school Southern Delta blues along the lines of Blind Willie Johnson, Lemon Jefferson and Willie McTell.” The five-piece call Austin, Texas home since forming in the summer of 2006.

The music world may be crowded, but there’s always going to be room for The Child’s frenzied freakouts and dark melodies,that flashback to the boneyard of classic rock.” - South by Southwest

Earlier this month, I was picked up from Penn Station in Baltimore from an extended weekend trip to New York City. I traveled back to Baltimore looking like a teenage punk rock stoner degenerate as I had just come from Jasno Swarez’s (The Vandelles) studio in Williamsburg, and was dressed in a Vandelles tee, Doc Martin-like boots and a 60’s inspired fur-lined suede coat.

I was driven home to my five-bedroom band house in Baltimore, and when we drove up, I immediately realized that my door was open, but none of the boys’ (my roommates) cars were in front of the house. I walked into my house to find several (other) longhaired and more than reasonably handsome young men scattered around my living room and dining room. As any rock and roll girl would do, I found some whiskey and got to chatting.

Scorpion Child is a heavy psych-prog rock band from Austin, TX. They are on tour and played a show at the Side Bar in Baltimore the night before, and had less warning of my presence at my house than I had of theirs.

Nonetheless, I was endeared by their late night acoustic rock and roll set, as I sat and listened to all of these incredibly instrumentally proficient musicians rehearse and serenade our cat, Nico. Anyway, I can personally vouch for Scorpion Child’s impressive musical talent, vigor, and pure hard-rock edge. The Process Records will be releasing new tracks from SC’s self-titled album coming out in February. We’re sharing their talent and music because they are an brilliant and heavy psych prog band… and of course, any band who breaks bread with me is a friend of ours.

Check out their tour dates at http://www.scorpionchildmusic.com/tour/ and catch their show as they’re on tour for a few more weeks in the US. -j.e.

Hailing from Austin, Texas– the “Live Music Capital of the World”– Scorpion Child channels the dark, metal edge of psychedelia with classic influences developed through many hours of spinning the likes of Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, Deep Purple, Sir Lord Baltimore, and Rainbow. The quintet’s sound is both rooted in this vintage aesthetic, while managing to create their own distinct formula of brain-melting heavy psyche. Up-to-date, their discography includes a self-titled LP, currently exclusively available if you catch them on tour, and a 7? single, recently pressed to a limited edition run of pink vinyl. But, a curious ear will enjoy a few teases of their releases scattered throughout the internet, providing just enough to sample the frenzied, acid-laced sound that is Scorpion Child.

Earlier this year, Scorpion Child released a music video for “Polygon of Eyes,” both seeming to take on themes of a dark, post-apocalypse. The hightail drive of this track propels the listener into mach 5 with its wailing guitars and machine gun drums, accurately captured in the video by eery chase scenes. “Polygon of Eyes” kicks off with a momentum that never lets up, and a sound that is larger-than-life, fattened out with two guitars and the ’60s/’70s-style groovy bass. The epic, doom-themed lyrics come through in the soulful vocals, which seem to carry the band, constantly pushing and reaching for the peak at the next level of consciousness. The music video compliments “Polygon of Eyes” expertly, wrapping up the video with a redemption sequence that has pure good conquering an occult evil, lending Scorpion Child an even further depth to their soulful, psychedelic sound. - TPR-mag.com