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Local Rock That's Worth the Wait
The Long Ride (Indie)
Local Villains
Many things factor into creating and sustaining a successful local group. Each year, across the city, bands form and split. Some groups spend much of their time exchanging members, while others fail to get out of the garage or basement in which they formed. It's all about finding a dedicated and cohesive group of artists with similar goals.
Louisville rock band Local Villains seem to have been able to mix and match those elements and the proof is in their debut album, The Long Ride. Aptly titled, the record took three years to make. While tracking and mixing the album at The Church recording studio in Plymouth, Mich., the band worked with a minimal budget while continuing to make a name for itself playing shows throughout east Louisville.
The Long Ride opens with "Pass the Bottle," a boozy anthem rooted in an old western, cowboy-esque guitar riff. Lead singer Chad Guelda stretches his raspy but stomach-flexing vocals in and out of beautiful falsettos, while lead guitarist Mike Orangias pecks at the fret board with a rattlesnake style and switchblade confidence.
Throughout The Long Ride, the Local Villains are able to continuously and effectively scoot through different styles and techniques of pop rock while maintaining a unique sound that is Local Villains. Bassist Jeremy Grawemeyer pumps out a Chili Peppers-worthy bass line on "Devil in Disguise," which helps to create a busy, but relaxingly euphoric sound that's grooved by drummer Christo Foros' shoveling drums. There are three- and four-part harmonies scattered across the album to help ease the transitions of Guelda's gritty lead vocals and Orangias's mind tangling guitar parts.
While The Long Ride has taken a long, long time to make, it's the dedication and careful crafting of bands like Local Villains that keep Louisville's local scene competitive, interesting and diversified. One feels comfortable when thinking that in three years there might still be bands like The Local Villains filling the city with beautiful noise.
Get the skinny at localvillains.com.