Galvanized Souls

Galvanized Souls
Origin Somis, California
Genres Alternative rock, post-grunge
Years active 2012 (2012)–present
Labels Rockerrazzi Records
Website GalvanizedSouls.com
Members Chris Traylor, Matt DeMartini
Past members Zakk Silveira, Kevin Cogen

Galvanized Souls is an American alternative rock and post-grunge band based in Somis, California. Founded in late 2012 when all the members were teenagers, the lineup includes frontman and lead guitarist, Chris Traylor and Matt DeMartini on bass and synths.[1] Though the band has self-identified their sound as "modern grunge,"[1] according to MyBurbank.com each song on their self-titled debut album "encompasses a different style and almost a different genre. This layered and nuanced touch to their music is what makes them unique."[1] The band members are known for drastically modifying their instruments or building them from scratch.[2]

The band has released several music videos, singles, and one EP on Rockerrazzi Records. Their 2014 music video for "Carry On" addresses themes such as teen bullying, and they have been involved with a number of anti-bullying and anti-self harm groups.[3] Galvanized Souls has toured in the United States and primarily in Southern California, winning Ernie Ball’s Battle of the Bands and performing at the Vans Warped Tour in 2014.[4]

History

2011-12: Founding

The alt rock band[5] Galvanized Souls first formed in Camarillo, California in 2012. Before meeting all four members had been introduced to music at an early age.[1] The members Silveira, Traylor, and DeMartini all attended ACE Charter High School in Camarillo together,[2] which is an architecture school with ACE standing for Architecture, Construction and Engineering.[2] The classmates started jamming together towards the middle of 2011, before becoming more serious and beginning to write original music.[5] Inspired in part by grunge and post-grunge bands of the 1990s, the group began developing an alt rock sound, also incorporating elements of punk rock and pop punk.[5] Much of their early practicing was done at Rock City Studios, where several of the members had taken lessons since childhood.[2] According to Zakk Silveira, "there’s only one venue in Camarillo, it’s called Rock City Studios, which is actually where we formed."[4]

"Whenever we have free time, usually before or after practice, we will do modifications or build effects to help further and enhance our sound. Modifying instruments give us a special connection to them."
— Galvanized Souls[2]

After practicing together for a time, "we wanted to do more than jam in a garage. We wanted to tour and create music to inspire our fans."[3] Galvanized Souls formed as a trio in December 2012,[6] with members including Zakk Silveira on lead vocals and rhythm guitar, Chris Traylor on lead guitar and backing vocals, and Matt DeMartini on bass guitar, synth, and backing vocals. Their drummer Kevin Cogen joined soon after.[5] All members were teenagers at the time, with Silveira 16, Traylor 18, DeMartini 15, and Cogen 19.[5]

In the summer of 2013 they began learning how to make their own guitars from Doug Peyton of Rock City Studios.[2][3] They also began working on instruments in their construction class at school, later moving to a home workshop that they modified to serve as a rehearsal space and early recording studio.[2] The group began working on new original songs and music videos after coming to the attention of Luke Tozour, a producer and engineer associated with Rockerrazzi Films.[6]

Galvanized Souls were featured as Pop Blitz Magazine's Artist of the Week for June 1, 2013.[7] The band also won the 2013 Thousand Oaks Teen Center Battle of the Bands,[1][8] and was chosen as a Featured Artist on Reverbnation.[8] The band won Beat 100’s Ultimate Musician Award in 2013, the organization's highest award possible.[2]

2013: Galvanized Souls EP

The group released their first EP, Galvanized Souls, on September 6, 2013 on Rockerrazzi Records. All five tracks were written by the band, while the album cover was designed by the group using spray paint and stencils, then photographed by Jared Sagal of Rockerrazzi Media.[2] Themes on the album vary.

"The record definitely reflects the band’s grunge and pop-punk influences (the song 'Behind Green Eyes' sounds like Social Distortion, Blink-182 and Foo Fighters had a three-headed child), yet still retains originality, something that’s quite uncommon in the modern rock arena."[9]
— Bennett Cornell of VC Reporter[9]

The EP met with a largely positive reception from critics. Headlines Tonight called it "practically perfect,"[10] while MyBurbank.com stated that each song "encompasses a different style and almost a different genre. This layered and nuanced touch to their music is what makes them unique."[1]

Bennett Cornell of VC Reporter praised the band's consistency and their ability to write catchy vocal melodies, also writing that "The chemistry is so great and tangible, it’s as though they were born to play together."[9] Popdose further complimented the consistency of the songwriting, as well as the tracks' "dynamic riffs."[11] About the EP's themes and lyrics, All Access Music Group wrote, "Galvanized Souls stands firmly on its own and gets kudos for their originality, intensity, and sincerity. This album is powerfully emotional in its content, and compassionate in its presentation."[12]

2013-14: "Believe" and touring

Their cover of Cher's 1998 song "Believe" was released as single by Rockerrazzi Records on November 25, 2013. Acorrding to Silveira, they decided to cover the song because "I had just gotten this vocal box that had a bunch of effects and auto tune was one of them. So I did that whole scene from Land of the Lost where they put their hands on the crystal and start singing 'Believe'..."[13] Afterwards, Silveira and Traylor..."joked around and said maybe we should cover it since we were looking for a cover song to ‘Galvanize’."[5] The band stated in an interview with PopDose that they had dedicated the cover to troubled teens, "for the sake of trying to help teens deal/cope with the stresses of their lives and the pointlessness and destruction of suicide."[11] A music video for the cover was released by Rockerrazzi Films in late 2013, with the band stating "We have also seen a lot of people committing self-harm and if we can help just one person with this video, it would be all worth it."[1]

By December 2013 the band had played at venues across Southern California.[1] The band toured throughout early 2014, performing at venues such as the Troubadour, Whisky A Go Go, The House of Blues Anaheim, The Chain Reaction, and the Chop Shop Benefit Concert in Simi Valley, California in February.[14] They also released a remix of their track "Shut You Down."[5]

2014: "Carry On"

The band has stated they were inspired to write their April 2014 song "Carry On" after seeing fans doing self-harm on social media, explaining that "we wanted to help them not inflict any more damage to their bodies. So we thought that writing a song to our fans about carrying on would help them get through their hard times."[3] Silveira further explained the song is for when their fans are "going through tough times or when something is happening at home, or anything, they have a song they can listen to that’ll help them get through it."[4]

External video
"Carry On" Official Music Video - Galvanized Souls (June 17, 2014)
Documentary about the making of "Carry On" (July 16, 2014)

In June 2014 the band released the music video for their original song "Carry On."[15] Produced by Rockerrazzi Films, the video has an anti-bullying message[16] and features Colin Cunningham, a student and internet celebrity for his story of dealing with bullying.[17][18] Cunningham and his family had flown from Richland to California to film the video in May, then returned in June for the video's premiere, walking the red carpet in Los Angeles.[17][18] On June 17, 2014 the band launched the music video for "Carry On" with a performance at Mack Sennet Studios, ending the event with an acoustic performance.[19] The event was also to "bring awareness to help stop bullying in schools," and anti-bullying organizations such as PACER, Not In Our Schools, I am Bully Free, Not the Target, Champions Against Bullying and Beyond Bullies supported the event.[19] Galvanized Souls has also been involved with the Stop Bullying Event.[3]

2014: Recent projects

By summer the band continued to perform in the United States, primarily appearing at venues, fairs, fundraisers, and music festivals in Southern California.[16] Also that summer the band won Ernie Ball’s Battle of the Bands, which led to the band performing at that year's Vans Warped Tour in Ventura.[4] They were featured in Guitar World in June 2014,[20] with drummer Kevin Cogen also appearing in Modern Drummer’s blog.[16] That year they also performed at Michele Clark 's Sunset Sessions conference.

Their single "Behind Green Eyes" was receiving airply on Top 40 and Hot AC FM radio in the United States as of June 2014, while at the same time their music video for "Shut You Down" appeared on television, NME, and various cable channels.[16] In July 2014 the band announced they were working on a new single titled "Make a Sound," with a final version to be recorded around August.[13] They stated to HighWire Daze that the song is "about standing up for yourself, not keeping anything hidden, if you’re getting bullied but to actually speak up."[4] The band also announced they'd be filming a new music video for their single "Fall of Icarus," previously released on their debut EP.[13]

Galvanized Souls won Santa Barbara's Youth Battle of the Bands in May 2014.[21]

Style and equipment

Genre and songwriting process

Though self-identifying their sound as "modern grunge,"[1] the band also incorporates other styles including punk, pop, and post-grunge. According to Traylor, "We love to try out new things…we try to make every song sound different.”[8] MyBurbank.com described the band as having a "heavy guitar sound and clear, harmonized vocals."[1] Galvanized Souls approaches songwriting with "free writes” or “focused free writes," focusing on "general topics, historical events, and problems in everyday lives."[3]

"We’re a modern grunge-rock band that aims to resurrect and expand the definition of grunge music."
— Kevin Cogen, April 2014[22]

As musical influences the band has cited the post-grunge band Foo Fighters, the grunge bands Alice In Chains and Nirvana, and the alt rock groups Failure and Queens of the Stone Age. Also, "Newer artists that inspire us are Imagine Dragons, Thirty Seconds to Mars, Arctic Monkeys and the Black Keys."[3] Cogen has mentioned influencing drummers on his sound as Dave Grohl, John Bonham, Peter Criss, Robert Ortiz, and Jeremy Bryan.[22]

Equipment and live shows

Traylor, Silveira, and DeMartini use a variety of guitars, basses, and effects units, while drummer Cogen uses his "dream drumset" of a "five-piece DW Collector’s series drumset with DW hardware."[22] The band is known for making its own instruments, which each member either modifying hardware or building equipment from scratch.[2][22] According to lead guitarist Chris Traylor, "We like creating things, taking them apart and putting them back together like a Frankenstein type of thing."[8] Coached by Doug Peyton of the California rock band Halifax on instrument repair and manufacture, the members often using programs such as 3D Google SketchUp to design templates. The band has also designed intricate lighting setups for their live shows.[2]

Members

Members as of 2015[3]

Awards and nominations

Year Award Nominated work Category Result
2013 Beat 100 Galvanized Souls[2] Ultimate Musician Award Won
Thousand Oaks Teen Center Battle of the Bands Galvanized Souls Best Band 1st Place
2014 Ernie Ball’s Battle of the Bands Galvanized Souls[4] Best Band Won
Santa Barbara's Youth Battle of the Bands Galvanized Souls[21] Best Band Won
Los Angeles Music Awards Galvanized Souls Best Rock Album of the Year Nominated
Galvanized Souls Social Media Artist of the Year Nominated

Discography

EPs

EPs by Galvanized Souls
Year Album title Release details
2013 Galvanized Souls

Singles

Songs by Galvanized Souls
Year Title Album Release details Certifications
2013 "Shut You Down" Galvanized
Souls 		Rockerrazzi; Sep 6, 2013 Music video (Rockerazzi Films)
"Behind Green Eyes" Music video (Rockerazzi Films)
"Normalicy" Rockerrazzi; Jan 2014 Music video (Rockerazzi Films)
"Believe" (Cher cover) Single
only 		Rockerrazzi; Nov 25, 2013 Music video (Rockerazzi Films)
2014 "Shut You Down (Remix)" Rockerrazzi; Feb 28, 2014 Music video (Rockerazzi Films)
"Carry On" Rockerazzi; May 7, 2014 Music video (Rockerazzi Films)
"Make a Sound" Rockerazzi; tbd

Further reading

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Jones, Madison (December 27, 2013). "Southern California Band Galvanized Souls Brings New Meaning to Music". MyBurbank.com. Retrieved 2014-08-15.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 "Galvanized Souls Self-Titled Debut EP: Interview". RUST Magazine. 2014. Retrieved 2014-08-15.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Adams, Leah (June 16, 2014). "An Interview With Southern Californian Rock Band, Galvanized Souls!". All Access Music. Retrieved 2014-08-15.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Galvanized Souls at Vans Warped Tour in Ventura". HighWire Daze. July 26, 2014. Retrieved 2014-08-15. |first1= missing |last1= in Authors list (help)
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Stannard, Michelle (May 16, 2014). "Galvanized Souls – the teen alt rock band you’ll want to hear!". Alt Entertainer. Retrieved 2014-08-15.
  6. 1 2 "Galvanized Souls Biography". CDBaby. 2013. Retrieved 2014-08-15.
  7. ↑ "Artist of the Week". Pop Blitz Magazine. Retrieved 2014-08-15.
  8. 1 2 3 4 Baur, Bernard (May 28, 2013). "DIY Spotlight: Galvanized Souls". Music Connection. Retrieved 2014-08-15.
  9. 1 2 3 Cornell, Bennett (October 10, 2013). "On and Off the Record: Galvanized Souls". VC Reporter. Retrieved 2014-08-15.
  10. ↑ Jay, Ruben (January 2014). "Galvanized Souls EP Review". Headlines Tonight. Retrieved 2014-08-15.
  11. 1 2 Ross, Rob (March 24, 2014). "MINI-ALBUM REVIEW: Galvanized Souls, s/t". Popdose. Retrieved 2014-08-15.
  12. ↑ "CD Reviews for May 2014: Galvanized Souls by Galvanized Souls (Rockerrazzi Records)". The Dedicated Rocker Society Music Magazine. May 2, 2014. Retrieved 2014-08-15. |first1= missing |last1= in Authors list (help)
  13. 1 2 3 Vela, Maria (July 28, 2014). "Interview: Galvanized Souls". Infectious Magazine. Retrieved 2014-08-15.
  14. ↑ Watson, Steven (February 23, 2014). "TI Exclusive: Galvanized Souls "Chops" It Up With Us". TeenInfoNet.com. Retrieved 2014-08-15.
  15. ↑ Hale, Katie (June 18, 2014). "Galvanized Souls Fight Bullying With New Release Video Carry On". Our Family World. Retrieved 2014-08-15.
  16. 1 2 3 4 "About". GalvanizedSouls.com. Retrieved 2014-08-15.
  17. 1 2 Shamus, Kristen (June 17, 2014). "Colin gets his close-up: Bullied boy of Facebook fame to star in new video". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved 2014-08-15.
  18. 1 2 Shamus, Kristen (June 17, 2014). "Bullied boy with Facebook fans stars in music video". USA Today (Detroit Free Press). Retrieved 2014-08-15.
  19. 1 2 Adams, Leah (June 23, 2014). "Teen Rock Band, Galvanized Souls Host an Anti-Bullying Event!". All Access Music. Retrieved 2014-08-15.
  20. ↑ "Galvanized Souls Have Axes to Grind". Guitar World. June 2014. Retrieved 2014-08-15.
  21. 1 2 Comingore, Aly (August 1, 2014). "¡Viva la Música!". Santa Barbara Independent. Retrieved 2014-08-15.
  22. 1 2 3 4 "Kevin Shane Cogen of Galvanized Souls". Modern Drummer. April 23, 2014. Retrieved 2014-08-15.

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