BIOGRAPHY IRON HERO

Iron Hero is:

Lawson Grice – guitar, keys
Sam Gunn – vocals, guitar, keys
Nick Hasty – drums, bells
Ben Simpson – bass
Jimmy Taylor – guitar, vocals, keys
Thomas Wilcox – drums


Iron Hero seems brave enough. Seeing as each member of the band was born in the early 1980’s, they have been forced to confront a period of rapid technological development. That the band hails from small to midsize Georgia towns is irrelevant; the boys have seen the size of cell phones shrink alongside the rest of the world, and they were well aware that there is no sense in hiding from the change. Becoming drunk on new and old music as fast as the Internet could transmit bios and sound samples to their homes, they took advantage of easy access to every note within their electronic grasp.  

Iron Hero is informed by disparate sounds and notions: Reggae, Americana, New Wave, Rock classicists, and any sub genre before which one could attach or remove the word “post-“. So where would that leave their music? It’s decidedly not what you have decided to be Southern Rock. No, because their perception of the South isn’t covered in mud and blues scales. Though fiercely cold, Iron Hero’s rock music is draped in severed live wires; it is a pessimist’s convincing prognostication of the continued substitution of efficiency for intimacy. As a result, there will be few readily available references from the Dixon side of the line…

That is unless you consider the way they approach the process of creation. Iron Hero delivers detached beauty with an innate earnestness. They aren’t trying to make this music just in time for anything. Each member seems genuinely in awe of what they conjure collectively. Clearly there is no motive for this band of music aficionados, as they create in spite of their doubts and each other. After all, their first show was scheduled before they had ever rehearsed.

To reign in their schizo influences and maximilist tendencies, they brought in Josh McKay (of Macha) to discipline their widescreen compostions; he made sure the sounds danced together in brilliant disharmony. Andy Baker (of The Glands), who has worked with Elf Power, Maserati, and The Mercury Program, committed it all to tape and hard drive. The sessions were long and brutal, and seemingly trivial background noise was given the same discerning ear as lead guitar lines. The whole mess was mastered by Glenn Schick, who has glossed recordings by, among others, Of Montreal and Now It’s Overhead.

“Safe as Houses” is the result of these intense sessions; it’s a dark, paranoid record that beats with an unknowing, humble heart. For fans of: My Bloody Valentine, Inspiral Carpets, Ride, R.E.M., Echo & The Bunnymen, New Order, Aloha, Radiohead.

-Kent Wolfenbarger

REVIEWS

PASTE MAGAZINE
To compose lyrics, Gunn sings wordless melodies to indicate where certain sounds and syllables should go, ... >>

TINY MIX TAPES
The debut album is always a tricky thing for a young band, especially one with copious talent and expansive ... >>

IGN.COM
From the moment the crystalline guitar licks cascade forth on the opening track, „Wearing A Wire“ until the familiar ... >>

INDIEWORKSHOP.COM
As retro trends accelerate towards the present, the day will surely come when the host of bands currently mimicking stoner rock ... >>

DISCOGRAPHY

Iron Hero "Safe As Houses" CD 2007 STAG003CD

GALLERY