"Motel Beds are a midwestern indie rock powerhouse that harkens to the big slacker bands of the 90s, and then roars past them on wings of champion musical badassery. Each of the band’s members, who cut their teeth in a wide variety of the Gem City’s strongest groups, make athletic guitar runs, deliver serpentine rhythms, and drop clever, existential lyricism in a way that sounds completely effortless..."
Music has the power to get people dancing and Bop Skizzum likes to take full advantage of that. Gathering inspiration from every corner of the record store, the band meshes their alternative pop rock vibe with groovy funk, rock, ska, and dance music, creating an invigorating blend of unique instrumentation and infectious vocals.
NYU trained soul singer Erin Jo Harris fronts Bop Skizzum as the lead vocalist. Guitar & Back-up Vocals are handled by band co-founder Andy “Rok” Guerrero, formerly of the socio-political hip-hop rock band The Flobots. Fellow co-founder and the band’s Music Director Serafin Sanchez (a CU Boulder graduate with a Master’s Degree in Jazz Music) provides one of the ‘3rd voices’ (in the form of brass) in Bop Skizzum with the Saxophone. This inspiring song writing trio is grounded by the incredible rhythm section of groove master Chris Harris on Bass and multiple award winning beat savant Tohbias Juniel on Drums. Rounding out the brass section are the two-man Trumpet power-punch of Joe Ferrone and John Lake.
The band has been compared to No Doubt, The Heavy, Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings and N.E.R.D.
From four different countries spanning three continents, Saints of Valory come with quite the international flair. Frontman Gavin Jasper is from Rio de Janeiro Brazil, guitarist Godfrey Thomson from southern California, on drums Gerard Bouvier is from France, & on keyboards Stephen Buckle hails from Canada. After forming in Atlanta in 2009, the band relocated to Austin in the spring of 2010 & already have a rapidly growing fan base due in part to their live show which is best described as "electric".Recently, Saints of Valory released their new Neon Eyes EP. Here are two live acoustic performances from the EP, which you can purchase here.
The band members have played in various rock acts over the years, but this band appears to possess the Midas touch. In the practice room, there are 2 simple rules; less is more, every note must mean something. So far, the results have been exceptional. "The illegitimate love child of Coldplay, Kings of Leon & The Killers", is a common comparison describing the bands fresh sound.
Saints of Valory spent September 2010 with acclaimed producer Dwight A. Baker in Austin recording their debut record "The Bright Lights". The much anticipated record was released on November 29th 2010 & is available for purchase on iTunes & Amazon. Radio demand is taking off, with hit songs "Providence" and "Dear Ivy" getting added to rotation in stations across the country.
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