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.
Monday:
Catchy with heart; Devoted with guts; Always ready for a party.
A Step Ahead is, in one word, undeniable.
Call it what you want—pop-punk, easycore, or just straight rock and roll—whatever it is, heads are turned and eyebrows are raised in the most-approving way each and every time the Arizona band takes the stage. A Step Ahead’s immediately-appealing sound and fun-as-hell live performance is already demanding attention from all within earshot, and the best is yet to come.
A.S.A. has endured it all as a band, and it comes out in their music. To date, the band has released five studio EP’s, embarked on numerous DIY tours with shows in over 50 cities across the U.S., met thousands of incredible supporters, found out what it’s like to be broker-than-broke, experienced heartache, and had the best damn time while going through it all. Throughout everything, the band has only become stronger and is as poised as ever to break through to the next level. For every time a fan sings the words to a song at a show, makes a comment on the band’s Facebook page, or tells their friend about “that new A Step Ahead jam,” they are reinvigorated.
A Step Ahead is Colin, Nick, Mike, Brian, and Matt, but more than that, A Step Ahead is about you and for you. Check out A Step Ahead at our Homegrown Local Showcase Thursday, June 8th at Pub Rock Live and on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Preview their song “There’s Something About Mary”, then vote to hear it again on Friday’s Replay edition of Homegrown, at the bottom of the page.
Tuesday:
New Chums: Tuolumne (pronounced to-wall-a-me) is not just the northern California County where front man, Seth Boyack, grew up. As he developed his love for music, learned to play guitar, and sang in the choir, he also began to set his sights on fronting his own band. Now as the singer/guitarist/songwriter for New Chums, it was only fitting to name the band’s debut EP, Tuolumne (released September 2015) for the place where it began.
When New Chums solidified, they began sifting through Seth’s catalog of songs to get a set together, and start playing shows around Phoenix, Tempe, and Mesa. It would be from this selection of songs that New Chums would choose the first five to head into the studio and record the aforementioned EP. With Curtis Grippe (Dead Hot Workshop) producing, the band quickly recorded their indie rock debut in a week’s time during the summer of 2015. While spending the next couple of months mixing and mastering the EP, the band continued to work on solidifying their live show taking any dates they could get.
After only a couple months since the release of Tuolumne on CD, iTunes, Spotify, and Pandora, the New Chums began to gain some traction with online radio play, excellent reviews, and the growth of their fan base. With an eye on larger shows, the band brought in guitarist Chad Bergman, from Minneapolis, to fill out the sound with clever guitar leads, and help the band win some trivia matches.
With comparisons to Interpol, Jimmy Eat World, the Strokes, and others, new fans of the band should keep an eye open for New Chums in Arizona clubs. The band plans to begin touring the east and west coasts, as well as playing festivals. You can catch New Chums at our Homegrown Local Showcase Thursday, June 8th at Pub Rock Live and on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Check out their song “City With No Dreams” and vote below:
Wednesday:
Divided Minds is a four-piece alternative band consisting of Sean Collins (vocals), Ethan Cottor (bass), Deven Palay (drums) and Josh Peters (guitar). They have risen quickly in the music scene to open for such nationals as The Summer Set, Austin Jones, Slaves, Capture the Crown, Ice Nine Kills, and Wage War to name a few. They have performed at many major venues including Camelback Ranch Stadium, Tempe Marketplace, Desert Ridge Entertainment District, and the Nile Theater.
Divided Minds known for their exciting live show released their five-song EP, “Perception” digitally on all platforms on April 29, 2016. They are excited to show the world their songs which were influenced by their teenage life experiences and show their hard hitting pop punk influences. They are setting their tour in motion to promote “Perception” in the fall of 2016. You can find Divided Minds at our Homegrown Local Showcase Thursday, June 8th at Pub Rock Live and on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Youtube. Preview their song “Time Goes On” below, if you love it, vote to hear it again for the Friday replay, below!
Thursday:
Forming in late 2015, The Real Fits have quickly captured audiences’ attention. Their rock focused style was created and crafted in Phoenix, Arizona. The band released their first EP “Drown In Gold” in December 2016 with a follow up single, “Pretty Bastard,” available June 9th. You can catch The Real Fits at The Rebel Lounge, June 23rd and on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Catch the debut of their song “Pretty Bastard” on Thursday at 11pm then vote to hear it again for the Friday Replay, below.