WELCOME TO HOMEGROWN!
A Local Music Segment airing every Monday through Friday at 11pm w/ Mo!
Like one of one the bands we’re featuring this week on ALT AZ 93.3?
Vote to hear their song again for the Friday Replay at the bottom of the page.
Tuesday: The Sink Or Swim
Don’t let the seemingly young age of Phoenix, AZ-based The Sink or Swim fool you. While all age 22 or younger, the band has unleashed their music with an earnestness and fury that is non-negotiable. With each member almost impossibly boasting of nearly a decade of experience, the 4-piece has released two well-received EP’s with a 3rd to follow in the summer of 2017. The boys recorded the new EP at Full Well Recording Studio with Mike Bolenbach. The band’s recordings and live performance alike have taken their home of Phoenix by storm with local institution JAVA Magazine claiming, “The Sink of Swim have established themselves as one of the brightest and most ambitious acts in the local music scene.” The upstarts’ poise and vision is no doubt influenced by not only their love of all things rock n’ roll but also their collective struggles with adversity – with one member claiming to be an Israeli fugitive for failing to enlist in the IDF, and another being estranged from his father at a young age due to a stint in prison. It is all these factors that inject their new album “Oasis Unknown” with an even darker and heavier landscape than their recent albums. “The songs are all relationship driven,” says singer Nate Zeune. “It’s about processing the aftermath, coping.” To a man, each member of the band claims to have one goal in their musical endeavors: to make people feel something. Says Zeune, “we’re so accustomed to instant gratification, to getting a rush all the time that we’re all becoming numb. We want to connect to people with our music….and we want to prove that rock n roll isn’t dead.” After playing the record release show to a packed house at Crescent Ballroom, Oasis Unknown is now available at most online music sites. Check out their song “Reason To Leave” below then feel free to follow them on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. If you like what you hear, vote to hear them again for the Friday Replay at the bottom of the page.
Wednesday: Celebration Guns
Celebration Guns are a combination of nostalgia, energy, complexity, and joy. Their sound borrows from elements of dream pop, indie rock and noise pop resulting in deceptively complex music that is catchy and filled with hooks. Rarely able to sit still, their music stretches genres while retaining an undeniable pop charm. You can catch Celebration Guns on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Preview their song “You Aren’t The Only One” below and if you love it, vote to hear em again for the Friday Replay at the bottom of the page!
Thursday: Sleepwar
Hailing from the desert expanse of Phoenix, Arizona, Sleepwar pushes indie rock to another level by combining new wave and synth-pop influence, with lyrics speaking to addiction, recovery, and the struggles of modern life. Sleepwar is led by Roger Willis (vocals) with Tim Woodbridge(producer, keys), James Allen (bass), Mark Pfister (guitar), and Brendan McGuinness (drums).
Utilizing lush synthesizer soundscapes, Sleepwar produces a sound that is both familiar yet unique. Fans of the five-piece rock outfit have likened their music to that of Tame Impala, the Killers, Imagine Dragons, and Local Natives.
Sleepwar was formed in 2016 when seasoned musician Roger Willis (Something Left To Learn, Goodbye Tomorrow) sought a new project focused on songwriting and collaborated with producer Tim Woodbridge, who had been composing with vocal placement in mind. Willis shared their rudimentary recordings to longtime friend James Allen, who immediately loved the new sound.
Allen joined Sleepwar as bassist and co-lyricist, where his former struggles with addiction became the foundation for early songs like “The Jaywalker.” Though Allen’s words drew from his personal demons, the lyrics would resonate with Willis and Woodbridge who had experienced both personal and familial addiction. While the founding members of Willis, Woodbridge and Allen would remain constant, the band’s evolution from brought to the lineup drummer Brendan McGuinness and guitarist Mark Pfister. Preview their song “Thousand Different Faces” below then feel free to follow them on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or Youtube. If you like what you hear, vote to hear their song again for the Friday Replay on Homegrown, at the bottom of the page.