We Are Lions

WE ARE LIONS.

IT CALLS TO
mind a certain image, doesn’t it? It
oozes masculinity, demands atten-
tion,grabs you by the balls.It’s gutsy,
chock full of testosterone, a manly
man moniker.It’s Brad Pitt in a skirt.
Really.
Atom Whitman, Matt Mata-
waran, Reza Rasoli and Matt
Quarnstrom (alias ‘Q’) formed We
Are Lions sometime around 2001,
but they got their official name upon
watching the 2004 “epic”(to use the
term loosely) film Troy.
Frontman Whitman, digging
into a slice of pizza before their
show at the Key Club, explains the
name’s background: Achilles (Mr.
Pitt, clad in a rather adorable skirt
and sandals) says it in an inspir-
ational speech to his army before
they storm Troy’s beaches. “Brad
Pitt is the only important thing for
us,”he says of the name’s origin,
without a hint of shame. “[We’re]
huge Brad Pitt fans.”
The pop-rock quartet –
rounded out by Matawaran on
guitar and keyboard, Rasoli on
bass and Q on drums – just
released their debut record, Eight
Arms Made This, on the new indie
upstart At One Records. Yet the
band has already performed on a
number of solid bills, including
a headlining show with a quaint
little band by the name of
Audioslave.
“Our embarrassing claim to
fame is that Audioslave opened for
us, their first live show ever at the
Roxy. It was supposed to be our
show ... and like,the day before we
got a call from them,” Whitman
says plainly, not fazed by their
accomplished openers.
Not to be categorized musically
with the alternative cock-rock of
Audioslave, We Are Lions see
themselves as something different.
They cite classic influences such as
U2 and the Smiths, but current
favorites include French Kicks and
Brand New. Their own sound is
such a unique auditory amalgam,
in fact, that it’s actually easier for
them to explain what they aren’t.
“Not quite emo, not quite
post-punk, not synth-pop,”Whit-
man muses, trying to find the
words for their brand of rock,
before he and Rasoli come to an
agreement that they’re a mixture of
“rock, pop and soul.”
Volcanic? Perhaps.But that doesn’t
mean their hot sound is a hit with
everyone.
Ofbeing an up-and-coming band
in the City of Angels, Whitman sighs,
“L.A.’s tough because everybody’s too
cool for school ... If[a band] isn’t like,
from New York,or whatever the hottest
thing is right now, then they just scoff
at it.”
“We’ve found that every time we
leave Los Angeles and go to smaller
areas, the response is so much better
because kids are so much more into
accepting new music.”
Nevertheless, too-cool L.A. has
managed to throw We Are Lions a bone
or two.Local fans recently showed their
appreciation by voting them the
winner of the Ernie Ball Battle of the
Bands, giving them a side-stage slot at
the legendary Warped Tour’s stop in
Pomona.A few fans in particular have
even reached out personally to show
their gratitude.
Whitman recalls, smiling:“I got a
message from a kid, an e-mail, telling
us that he put on one ofour songs on
his first date that he went on and got his
first kiss.... He was like,‘You guys don’t
understand, that song is seriously
something I will remember forever.’”
“The kid was like, so nervous
while he was even typing it!” he
enthuses. “The soundtrack to a first
kiss – that’s kind ofunbelievable.”
And with the way things are
going, We Are Lions are set to be the
soundtrack to a whole lot more.
Eight Arms Made This is
currently available. We Are Lions
are playing Club Moscow at
Boardner’s in Hollywood Sept.
19.
For more information, visit
www.youarealion.com.
BY KATIE McCARTHY
- Campus Circle

"There's a peculiarly British brand of epic rock & roll that was first perfected in the post-punk era before it was brought to the dorms and stadiums of America courtesy of U2, Echo & the Bunnymen, and the Waterboys in the '80s, early Radiohead in the '90s, and Coldplay more recently. We Are Lions are from Hollywood, and they're not trying to sound British on their debut album, but the connection to those bands is impossible to miss" - AllMusic.com - AllMusic.com

We Are Lions won a spot on the 2005 Warped Tour, competing amongst 1000's of bands who entered this Ernie Ball annual contest. - Warped Tour

"I can see these guys being snapped up a a rather large level, I really can." - Punktastic.com

"While the influences from U2 to Radiohead to Brand New are noticeable, We Are Lions maintain a unique sound. They have some serious potential, and that shines through on their debut release EIGHT ARMS MADE THIS... I cannot wait to hear what these guys come out with next." - Punktastic.com