THE COLD STARES – SINGLES REVIEW & INTERVIEW
The Indiana based blues-rock duo, The Cold Stares, have recently revealed a pair of powerful singles. Both “Hard Times” and “In The Night Time” are previews of their new ground breaking material mined from their upcoming Mascot Records release,, Heavy Shoes, to be released on August 13th. The duo is comprised of guitarist Chris Tapp and drummer Brian Mullins. Since 2017, The Cold Stares have issued three full length albums, all with critical acclaim and accolades. The band has also toured with the likes of Rivals Sons, Reignwolf and Thievery Corp. In addition, they graced the stages of many a festival including The Ride and Copperhead Festivals.
The two new singles were recorded in a single day at Sam Phillips fabled recording studio in Memphis. They were mixed by Mark Needham (The Killers) and mastered by Andy Vandette (Beastie Boys/Smashing Pumpkins). According to the band, Heavy Shoes will be their best record yet. “It’s an intense amalgam of Blind Willie Johnson meets Son House; Stevie Ray Vaughn meets Black Sabbath; Soungarden meets Black Crowes: Free meets Led Zeppelin“.
“Hard Times” is a kick ass blues song with heavy rock overtones. The Cold Stares lay down a monstrous beat. Tapp’s guitar hits you like a supersonic jackhammer. His riffs are savagely rich and propulsive. In addition, his vocals are divinely stellar. Coarse and funky, his voice launces the song into the stratosphere. Mullins’ percussions are tenacious and driving. Every note he plays is perfect. The amazing thing is that there is only two of them yet the sound is so full and voracious.
“In The Night Time” is a hypnotic tune that carries a cool laid back psychedelic ambiance. The backbeat is deep and steady. Tapp’s guitar is firmly rooted in a smooth blues cadence with a devilish resonance. His vocals deliver an ominous texture that doesn’t let go. The song is perfect for that last shot of bourbon when the evening just didn’t go your way. and you know you’re screwed when you go home. The Cold Stares have made this dark soundscape diabolically memorable..
“In The Night Time” is the band striving for something more unique and is inspired by the southern gothic city of St. Augustine. Chris Tapp espouses; The whole city is a graveyard. So many Spaniards are buried there. When you are walking the streets, it’s like you’re walking on the graves. I was visualizing walking late at night, with things in the shadows coming alive, and it’s joyous.
Heavy Shoes will be their strongest album to date and AMP is looking forward to hearing the entire offering. In the meantime, The Cold Stares were gracious enough to grant AMP a very interesting interview.
AMP: How did the band start and what keeps it together?
CHRIS: We had played together right out of high school for a moment when I was looking for a drummer. About ten years later we both were helping out a mutual friend with a gig and decided to put something together ourselves. When we first started playing we were adamant about not starting a band, so we never recruited a bass player and I was forced to find a way to produce the bass tones without a bassist. That took off. Crowds loved it and a month later we won the Hard Rock Cafe’s Ambassadors of Rock in Nashville. The rest is history.
AMP: If you weren’t a musician, what else would you be?
CHRIS: I have a degree in history, so probably I would be teaching college history somewhere.
BRIAN: I’ve been fascinated with health and well being in the last year but also love animals, so maybe something in human health or humane society.
AMP: What is the main thing you want your fans to take away from your music?
CHRIS: That it’s real, heartfelt, and we mean it. I believe in the songs, the sentiment behind them, and we are students of rock & roll and blues. We’ve been doing this for almost ten years, through a massive amount of set backs and continue to do it because we love it and it’s who we really are.
AMP: What has been the most asinine question you were asked in an interview?
BRIAN: Is there someone behind the curtain playing bass? Do you play with tracks? There’s only two of you?
AMP: Best gig/Worst gig?
CHRIS: Best gig – Festival in Oland, Sweden. The stage was 20 feet off the water, sunset behind us as we played the set. Like a dream.
Worst gig – We had a crazy booking agent for awhile. He booked a show 5 hours away and we showed up and there was no sound guy, no P.A, no arrangements. We had fans drive to see us that we had to handshake and send home. Horrible!
AMP: How does it feel signing with Mascot Records?
BRIAN: Great! We’ve been following Mascot for about 7-8 years as they have been following us. We love the roster and it’s been home to a lot of artists we’ve looked up to. I think with Mascot’s European foothold and a lot of our fan base being there it made perfect sense.
AMP: What’s next for The Cold Stares?
CHRIS: Heavy Shoes releases August 13th. 4 singles and videos between now and then. European tour June 17th – July 13th. Aftershock Festival in Sacramento, California, Louder Than Life Festival in Louisville, Ky. both supporting Metallica. Tour, hustle and record the next album this fall.
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To learn more about The Cold Stares, check out their Website
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