Freezerburn

Supporting local artists is one of the easiest ways that music lovers can get involved in the music scene where they’re from. I say it time and time again but all great artists start out small, and it takes a loyal local fanbase to help a band make it big across state lines. I had the chance to talk with Cassidy Wall and Ian Mauldin of Atlanta indie rock band Freezerburn, as well as William Glosup of Austin, TX indie pop band Shivery Shakes about some of their musical influences and experiences. Read the interview below and give everyone a listen!

TSGA: First of all, where do your band names come from?

Cassidy Wall (Freezerburn): The name came to me by looking at a hot pocket and seeing that in fact had freezerburn on it. I was drunk if that makes the story any more interesting. [laughs]

William Glosup (Shivery Shakes): Before I started Shivery Shakes I had a recording project/band called The Bubbles. “Shivery Shakes” was actually one of the last songs I recorded under that moniker a year or two back. When we were deciding on a band name, I had given Robert (bassist of SS) a CD of some old demos, and he suggested that we use that song name as our band name. At first I was against it but after struggling to find anything different, we just went with it.

That’s awesome; sometimes the simple things are the best inspiration, I guess. This one’s for Shivery Shakes: What inspired you and your bandmates to start writing music together?

William: Well Chris Balcom (guitar) and I we’re doing The Bubbles, and Robert Baldwin and Marcus Haddon were both in International Waters. We were looking for a name change and a member switch, and their band kind of slowed down so we just all decided to start something new together. Marcus was actually a recent addition, but that was just fate I think.

Alright, this one’s for Freezerburn: What would you say was your worst gig/audience experience?

Ian Mauldin (Freezerburn): We were on the road and we showed up to the venue in Murfreesboro, TN that we were supposed to play, but the band who had booked us the gig wasn’t there. The venue had no idea who we were. So here we were expecting a place to play, some free food, and maybe even some gas money for the road. Luckily the owner of the place took pity on us, bought us some food and let us play a short set before the scheduled show for the night, but we were still pretty bummed because it was the last night of the tour. You always hate it when something so great can’t go out with a bang.

Oh man, that’s terrible. Sounds like that man gave you some props for showing up at least! Back to Shivery Shakes: Who are some of your biggest musical influences at the moment?

William: Roy Orbison, Nilsson, The Velvet Underground, Paul Simon, Pavement, Lots of 60's garage and surf, all that Sun Records stuff is pretty choice too. We really dig on that old gold sound.

Yes, we love it too. This one’s for everybody! If you could curate your dream music festival, which artists would play?

Cassidy: I need some time on that, it’s such a tough thing to think about.

William: The Tupac hologram would have to headline, The Strokes, Deerhunter, Wild Nothing, Real Estate, Jaill, Ariel Pink, and then a bunch of friends’ bands. That’d be pretty legit I think.

Ian: We all have very different music taste so taking everyone into consideration I’d say The Grateful Dead, Dead Milkmen, Bright Eyes, King Crimson. Add Psy and Hyuna to that as well. [laughs]

Of course, great choices everyone. Here at TSGA, we love a little K-pop. Maybe that’s just me. Thanks again for taking a brief moment to chat with us!

Check out Freezerburn (my personal favorite is “Stay With Me”):
- ThisSoundGoesAround.com

Freezerburn is the name of an Atlanta group whose first CD, Show Your Teeth, is out now. Music runs the gamut from straight-ahead rock to pop-punk to an emo-acoustic breather (just the title track a second time, actually) to an especially awkward bonus track deliberately cluttered with sound effects, clashing instruments, taped dialog and other juvenile distractions. If they ever figure out what they want to do, it might be worth listening to. - Stomp and Stammer

Freezerburn are a young collective of up-and-comers from the Atlanta region, and Show Your Teeth is their debut EP, released independently. The sound is a rather standard mixture of classic rock influences, modern indie/pop rock songwriting stylings and an overall sense of youthful exuberance. The EP contains 3 original tracks, and an acoustic remix of the intro title track.
"Show Your Teeth" is a fairly catchy affair, and shows immediately that the biggest draw this band has is it's solid guitar work. With tasty distorted leads, hooks and riffs, the guitars drive these songs forward and are, at times, left stranded on an island of a sort. The rest of the band performs admirably enough to make the title track and "Cold Cold Rain" stick out terrificly so, the latter with more of a sing-along, party atmosphere about it. "Stay With Me" shows the band branching out into a more of a pop-punk venture, and while it feels a little flat in the verses, there are some nicely done instrumental passages and a big, powerful chorus to make up for the bland. Surprisingly enough, what might have just been an afterthought ends up making the biggest impact as the acoustic version of "Show Your Teeth" shines behind dual acoustic wizardry and a more soulful, pensive vocal performance. Small bits of promise across 3 tracks are all swept aside by the bright, energenic strumming and upbeat atmosphere this track emits.
Ultimately, Show Your Teeth is nothing more than above average, never really clicking in any fantastic manner with the listener. However, the promise of obviously talented musicians (in particular the guitarists) and songwriters can never be diminished. It would be easy to chalk up this EP as a learning experience, but there is just enough to enjoy here to give it a shot. If anything, the acoustic "Show Your Teeth" is worth any given price you decide to pay for the EP at the band's bandcamp page. Everything else simply alludes to the future Freezerburn might have for themselves in due time. - Music Emissions