Stream Here Lies Man – “Animal Noises”
“It’s funky, groovy, heavy, and trippy all at once, and it rules pretty hard.” — Brooklyn Vegan
“Enormously enjoyable. Like Funkadelic at their early 70s heavy zenith or the darker works of post-punk pioneers The Pop Group: dancefloor fillers for the black of heart.” — Metal Hammer
Los Angeles quartet Here Lies Man premiere a special cover version of a Fela Kuti track from their forthcoming Animal Noises EP today via Classic Rock Magazine. The 4-song 12″ will be available November 24th on RidingEasy Records. Hear & share “Sorrow, Tears and Blood” HERE. (Direct YouTube.)
Animal Noises follows on the heels of Here Lies Man‘s widely heralded self-titled debut, released in April this year. See cover art and track listing below.
Here Lies Man founder, vocalist/guitarist Marcos Garcia explains his appreciation for Fela’s music: “‘Sorrow, Tears, and Blood’ was the first Fela track I’d ever heard. I had it on repeat and with every listen it gave me chills. The track made an indelible impression on me and from that point forth all of my musical endeavors were influenced by Fela’s music.”
What if Black Sabbath played Afrobeat? In short, that’s the underlying vibe to the self-titled debut by Here Lies Man. The L.A. based quintet is founded and conceptualized by Marcos Garcia of Antibalas, bringing his erudite experience of World rhythms and music to the more riff-based foundations of heavy rock. The results are an incredibly catchy and refreshing twist on classic forms, without sounding forced and trite like some sort of mash-up attempt. Here Lies Man merges and expands musical traditions organically, utilizing the talents of drummer Geoff Mann (son of jazz musician Herbie Mann and a former Antibalas member) and a host of skilled musicians to make Garcia’s vision a reality.
“These repetitive guitar figures that happen in Afrobeat music are pretty close to heavy rock guitar riffs,” Garcia explains. “It’s based on the clave. It’s the musical algorithm that the rhythms revolve around. That’s what gives it integrity and is part of this musical conversation going on. I knew I wanted it to be psychedelic and heavy, and I wanted to be expanding on a musical tradition than pretending to be creating something new.” The recording and band came together in the somewhat spontaneous fashion for which L.A. is famous. Garcia and Mann laid down the foundations and the band quickly expanded the recording and live shows soon followed.
Animal Noises will be available on 12″ vinyl and download on November 24th, 2017 via RidingEasy Records.
