Latest band on the roster
I got an email from Rochelle of Moon Curse a few weeks ago. She wrote me about Electric Citizen from Cincinnati. I listened to the demo on the bandcamp page and immediately bought the 7” that came out on the label The Crossing . I then told Rochelle that they rule and would love to hear the finished record (turns out they sent me a link 2 weeks prior but I missed it in my inbox). One listen in and I was sold. There were no questions in my mind about this band. They are the full package of riffs, hooks, excellent production, and good people! This band reminds me of a combination of things I hear influences of lots of bands, but not one in particular. If you like Uncle Acid, Kadavar, Witchcraft, Blood Ceremony, heavy 70’s rock then YOU will LOVE Electric Citizen.
There are going to be all kinds of cool vinyl and merch pieces for the upcoming full length “Sateen” so stay tuned!
OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE –
“Taking cultish cues from European acts like The Devil’s Blood and Mansion, but stripping away the religious iconography to leave behind an earthy psychedelic swirl. The retro-style production, especially one so ably done, is a rarity among American acts, who usually bring such influences to bear with a modern feel, but Electric Citizen sound like old pros on their first outing.”
The Obelisk
EasyRider Records, the LA based label responsible for releases by the likes of Monolord, Sons of Huns and Salem’s Pot today announced the signing of the heavy psychedelic outfit Electric Citizen.
Following on from limited edition vinyl/cassette-only releases on The Crossing and Breathe Plastic Records, the winners of this year’s Best Rock Band honor at the 2014 Cincinnati Entertainment Awards will release their debut album, entitled Sateen on 1 July.
Taking their name from a song by the legendary Notting Hill Gate set the Edgar Broughton Band, Electric Citizen is the brainchild of guitarist Ross Dolan and the enigmatic vocalist Laura Dolan, Nick Vogelpohl (bass), and Nate Wagner (drums).
Despite only forming last March the band has had a busy year turning heads and ears onto their dark and esoteric brand of haunting ’60s West Coast folk and quintessentially British sounding rock. Recorded and produced by fellow Ohioan and local legend Brian Olive (Greenhornes, Soledad Brothers) at The Diamonds, Electric Citizen follow in the footsteps of other, similarly 1970s obsessed anti-modernists Blood Ceremony, Wolf People,
Graveyard and Uncle Acid and the Deadbeats. Drawing on influences and eras synonymous with the heaviest of heavy psychedelic rock and archaic ill vibes, and music by bands such as Shocking Blue, Black Sabbath, Pentagram, Black Widow and Amon Düül II.
The band takes to the road over the next few months ahead of Sateen’s official release on 1 July 2014 via EasyRider Records (www.easyriderrecords.com).
Tour Dates:
Wednesday, March 19 – Double Door (Chicago) w. Mad Alchemy Thursday, March 20 – Pyramid Scheme (Grand Rapids) w. Mad Alchemy Friday, March 21 – Corktown Tavern (Detroit)
Saturday, March 22 – Happy Dog (Cleveland)
Friday, April 4 – Northside Tavern (Cincinnati) w. Valley Of The Sun Wednesday, April 9 – w. Spirit Caravan (Columbus)
Saturday, April 26 – Milwaukee Psych Fest
Wednesday, May 7 – MOTR (Cincinnati) w. Aqua Nebula Oscillator
Website – www.electriccitizenband.com
Bandcamp – www.electriccitizenband.bandcamp.com Facebook – www.facebook.com/ElectricCitizen Twitter – @electriccitizN
Instagram – @electriccitizenband
For pictures, promo, interview requests and guest list please contact Richard S Jones at [email protected] / 07854610592.
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More praise for Electric Citizen:
“They come from Cincinnati but are lovers of the legendary British psychedelic groups of the golden years; the space rock of Hawkwind and the electric, grotesque blues of the Edgar Broughton Band from whom they take their name.”
Rumore Magazine
“Electric Citizen plays a contemporary edge with a vitality that elevates its sound beyond slavish retro worship as the musicians translate their influences into a celebration of the past and a reimagining of the future.”
City Beat Magazine
“Soon, it was time to put in the earplugs and warm up our head banging muscles for Electric Citizen. The Cincinnati quartet delivered the promised ‘witchy ’70s metal’ with just the right kind of polish. The tones and rhythms might have been copped from Master of Reality, but there was more fury and fuzz-covered joy in this riffage than the last half-dozen Sabbath reunions put together. Singer Laura Dolan’s words were lost in the wash of guitar, bass and drums but her commanding presence and delivery compensated easily. Awash in Dig Deep’s liquid glow, guitar man Ross Dolan kept the reins on his impressive chops, always finding the right lick; he never stepped so far out in front as to diminish the group’s full-bodied impact. Hair flipped, invisible oranges were hoisted, and we were highly impressed as we retreated for a breath of fresh air.”
Nashville Scene
“Special bands exist within their own timeframe: Allergic to trends and suspicious of new technologies, it’s the loners and freethinkers that, ironically, appeal to the masses. Electric Citizen is yet to play their debut show, but they’re already creating quite a stir. A hauntingly beautiful combination of West Coast psych and dark, medieval folk that the summer of ’68 longed for.”
Chybucca Sounds
“If I sound overly sentimental, it is because the sound of Electric Citizen is so deeply reminiscent of the power-rock bands of the early 1970s. It is the sound of an era that purists might consider when ‘real’ heavy metal was forged – when the music was made as a darker reaction against the ‘smile on your brother, come on love one another’ feel-good decade that was the
1960s. Recorded and Produced here in town by Brian Olive [Greenhornes, Soledad Brothers] at The Diamonds and Mastered by Brad Boatright at Audiosiege in Portland, OR, Electric Citizen’s music harkens back to a time when the seminal work of bands like Back Sabbath, Judas Priest or Iron Maiden danced that gossamer line between deviant behavior and black magic.”
WVXU Cincinnati
“An epic piece of psychedelia with hazy organs, jangly eastern-tinged guitars and Dolan’s piercing banshee wail creating an intense atmosphere of dread that reaches proportions unparalleled since Jim told us about his unfortunate parental issues in ‘The End’. A perfect primer for an act that are gonna be huge.”
The Active Listener
“Trust me when I say you’re in for one hell of a retro treat with these Ohio psych rockers. Straight from the outset you’re instantly cast back to a time where flared jeans reigned supreme, Ozzy still had the capability to string a sentence together and acid taken by those at Woodstock was still yet to wear off.”
Ride With The Devil
“The music of Electric Citizen is influenced by heavy psych rock of the decade of the 70s and manages to create beautiful music that accompanies us on a journey full of psychedelic images painted by the wonderful vocals of Laura Dolan.”
Welcome To The Void