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Rival Waves TRANSDUCER Out Now!
AUSTIN ROCK BAND RIVAL WAVES NAVIGATES THE CHAOS OF THE MODERN WORLD WITH DEBUT EP, TRANSDUCER
Rival Waves released their debut album, TRANSDUCER, August 10, 2018. Rival Waves TRANSDUCER out now on all digital platforms via Lunar Drive Records.
BEHIND THE ALBUM
This collection of songs from the Austin-based five-piece rock band merges the stadium filling anthems of Foo Fighters with the self-awareness and intellectual proclivity of Fugazi.
TRANSDUCER furthers the band’s desire to bridge the connection between art and the audience. It also serves as a vehicle for Rival Waves’ love of musical experimentation. Ultimately, the album seeks to navigate the increasing politicization of our world and our desire to navigate through the maelstrom. The results bleed through on every track on TRANSDUCER.
Rival Waves singer/songwriter Joel De La Garza explains:
“The music is loud and intense but, we’re seeking to resolve issues. Whether they be personal or how we see the world around us. We’re looking to show audiences about this life of constant conflict. That we’re all seeking some kind of order from the chaos.”
BUILDING THE BLUEPRINT
Rival Waves began with an idea, a dream and a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. De La Garza conceived the project while attending Grad School at St. Edward’s University. He explored his desire to use technology and a D.I.Y. model to engage music fans in the ever-changing music industry. He began by crafting demos and playing small acoustic shows under the moniker, the krypteia collective. The positive feedback led him back to his South Austin recording studio. He continued to craft the material that would become the sonic blueprint for Rival Waves.
COLLABORATING WITH LEGENDS
While serving as a marketing consultant, De La Garza got the opportunity to work with a who’s who of world-class session musicians.
“It was a pretty amazing opportunity that put a roster of some of the best musicians on the planet at my fingertips. I felt honored to have this group of musical heroes lend their talents to these songs.”
“It was a pretty amazing opportunity that put a roster of some of the best musicians on the planet at my fingertips. I felt honored to have this group of musical heroes lend their talents to these songs.”
This opportunity provided him the opportunity to work with:
- Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Inductee Jack Irons (Red Hot Chili Peppers, Pearl Jam)
- Satnam Ramgotra (Hans Zimmer Orchestra)
- Martyn Lenoble (Porno for Pyros)
- Scott Koziol (Linkin Park)
- Nick Lashley (Alanis Morissette)
- Teddy Kumpel (Nine Inch Nails)
The sessions also served to bring a clearer focus to the project. He quickly realized it was going to become something bigger than himself.
BRINGING RIVAL WAVES TOGETHER
De La Garza enlisted producer JR Taylor (Styx, Terry Bozzio) to help hone his vision. Together, the duo went through more than 50 songs amassed for the project. By 2016, De La Garza realized his desire to turn this studio project into a full-blown, live rock and roll band. He joined forces with Marc Schulz and Erik Salinas — and Rival Waves was born.
Since its inception, Rival Waves has worked to become one of the most exciting and innovative rock acts in Austin. Their distortion-soaked, hard-driving rhythms fused with personal and political lyrical themes have earned them comparisons to Pearl Jam and U2.
With performances in 2017, Rival Waves kicked off 2018 during Free Week. Packed venues with Austin rock bands OTIS the Destroyer and Megafauna saw the band further their reputation as an incendiary live act. The band checked a few more landmark Austin venues off with performances at The Parish and 3TEN at ACL Live. July 2018 saw the band voted The Deli’s Emerging Artist of the Month. In August 2018, they celebrated the release of TRANSDUCER with a scorching performance at Empire Control Room.
BEHIND THE SONGS
“Amputee”
In late 2016, the band released its debut single, “Amputee.” The song delves into the dissolution of a relationship. As De La Garza explains:
“I wanted to write about relationships from a realistic perspective. How people find themselves much different coming out of one than they were going in. While the subject matter is a bit of a downer, musically it’s an upbeat and driving song. I am always drawn to the juxtaposition of those two factors at work.”
“Transducer”
The personal and the political collide on the album’s title track – the politically-tinged, “Transducer.” Inauguration Day 2017 saw the release of the punky political protest follow-up single.
De La Garza wrote the song after seeing a then-Senator Barack Obama speak at the Texas State Capitol in 2008. As he recalls:
“It was amazing to see the energy and hope in that audience, but there was a level of sober resolve for all in attendance. We knew that we required that resolve for hope to win. It was an inspiring notion that there was plenty of work to do – and I wanted to capture that idea and pass that feeling on.”
As President Barack Obama left the White House in 2017, De La Garza saw the song’s release as an opportunity. One that served to remind people that they have the ability to affect change. “The track is, in essence, a self-validating call to arms that reminds me of who I am. Of what I can be…and it does so every time we play it.”
TRANSDUCER
TRANSDUCER is an album infused with dashes of classic, alternative and punk rock. With a dash of South Texas upbringing and a driving desire to reach audiences, TRANSDUCER is a singular and topical release. It lays bare the best and most profound facets of the human experience. It also shines a light on the current world we all struggle to understand and journey through.
Track List: Amputee • Transducer • Two Horizons • Lost Horizon • Backward Blue Scenes • Hollow • Battleplan