Creature and The Woods
Formed in 2014 by singer-songwriter and guitarist Roger Molina (Noise Ratchet), Creature and the Woods quickly become more of a harmonic brotherhood than a band. Joined by Dan Cervantes (Howlin’ Rain, Mrs. Henry), Justin Rodriguez (Counterfeit), Jody Bagley (Mrs. Henry) and Chad Lee (Silent Comedy), the current lineup was carved into dry desert stone by the end of 2015. Quickly earning critical praise and regional attention with the purity of their heart-pounding live performances and upfront 4-part vocal harmonies. Balancing punk ethos with the melodic sensibility of a folk singing group, the quintet pulses with an often tribal, and always immediate heartbeat of Americana.
With the release of Rise in 2017, Creature and the Woods earned a spot for themselves in the vast Americana landscape with their “howling groove of indie-folk and rock and roll.” The eight-song album moves through hard times ballads and rock & roll throw downs with all the reverie of a hallucinatory choir. Expanding on their own melodic lore, their follow-up release, J Tree, found the boys immersed in the light of the super moon over a handful of days in Joshua Tree National Park.
“It was the first full moon weekend, when we were recording,” Cervantes relays. “On that first night, our tape machine broke and we thought we were going to have to scrap the session. Luckily, our buddy was nearby and lent us his tape machine. The rest is what you hear on the record.” Molina considers the weekend as an almost ghostly experience. “Before we ever started recording we just jammed in a drum circle. I started singing some old song that sounded tribal and we jammed up and down for like, 30 minutes. When we were done my heart was racing so fast I had to lie on my back to regain my energy. We all knew right then that something crazy was about to happen.”
J Tree reaches into the unknown spaces of the band’s body and mind. Layered in the collective wail of guitars, drums, keys and 4-part harmony is the unmistakable experience of collective consciousness in overwhelming places.
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