Lullwater

As men pass from adolescence to adulthood, so must musicians mature.

The members of Lullwater know all too well both the trials and growth that accompany transition. After various changes in membership and new stylistic developments, the band has become what it has intended to be for the past four years.

“What caused the transitions was individuality,” said John Strickland, the band’s lead vocalist and guitarist. “Some people just weren’t as serious about it, and we wanted to do this for our career.”

John and Brett Strickland, who aren’t related in the least, met five years ago while attending the University. They both played acoustic shows in bars around Athens.

“I would have a few drinks and listen to Brett, so we started playing together and having more drinks,” John said.


Lullwater has seen its lineup shift with the years, but chemistry among its core members, as well as a diverse taste in music, has helped define it consistently. Courtesy Lullwater

Standing alongside the Stricklands is Roy Beatty, who John calls their “fifth and final bassist.”

“We’re committed to the same goals,” he said. “We click. It feels like a solid lineup.”

Beatty was also a student at the University.

“I met these guys during my freshman year and never went back,” he said.

Maybe he didn’t stick around for too many classes — leaving school and joining the band — but Beatty has passed Lullwater’s “chemistry” test with flying colors.

“Chemistry plays a huge factor,” Brett said. “Now we’re working together as a unit instead of just individuals.”

With multiple changes in makeup, the sound was bound to be affected. John calls their latest, untitled album, recorded with Jonathan Plum of London Bridge Studio, the “collaboration that brought us together.”

“This record really made us who we are,” he said. “It’s the sound we’ve wanted all along.”

The latest Lullwater songs range from loud, heavy rock to slow, “jammy” songs, John said. While the members admit to possessing diverse musical palates, having a taste for everything from folk to hip-hop, they come to a consensus on classic rock.

“’90s rock — that’s something we all agree on,” Beatty said.

When questioned about their themes and muses, a simple answer was given.

“Animosity,” Brett said.

John expounds.

“It’s about exploring new ways of thinking and struggles in life and in music,” he said. “It’s also about spiritual reflection and not necessarily agreeing with what we were brought up to believe.”

Beatty adds that the songs are “uplifting” and convey a message of “perseverance.”

With all this talk of change over time, one might be tempted to ask that cliché question: Where do they see themselves in 10 years?

“Successful,” Brett said.

John expounds.

“We want to be doing what we love to do, paying the bills and hopefully, hopefully, other people will like our music,” he said.

Still, one thing that has not changed about Lullwater is the name, even though John declares it “the worst name ever.” The title was inspired by a local street. On that street is a house, and in that house is a “dark, dingy” basement where the band practiced in its infancy.

Though Athens’ streets may not make the neatest names, another constant has been Lullwater’s love for the city.

“We love the atmosphere and energy,” Beatty said.

Though John, Brett and Beatty agreed that Athens has both delighted and influenced them, they do not all live here. The band so accustomed to alteration has adapted to the changes in location, and much of its work is done over the Internet, Brett said.

“But it’s when we get together and rehearse that the songs come to fruition,” John said. “We can’t connect as a band doing everything online. It’s a more creative process when we start rehearsing. The music comes to life in the practice space.”

While the sands of time have sent Lullwater new changes and challenges, its foundation is firm.

“We love playing music with each other,” John said, “and our priority is making music.”
- Red and Black, University of Georgia

Playing from the heart: Band Lullwater to play at Pitter's
Friday, January 27, 2012

By Scott Kiefer ~ Southeast Missourian



Lullwater band poses for a photo.
(Submitted photo)
Whether it's hard-driving rock 'n' roll with a Southern twang, a souped-up folk number, or the feel of '90s grunge, whatever rockers Lullwater bring to Pitter's on Thursday will be from the heart.
"We will be playing music from 'Silhouette' of course, and we are excited to let the people hear our new music, which is going to be on the [next] album," lead singer John Strickland said in a telephone interview from the band's tour bus as they were leaving a Chicago snowstorm.

Lullwater, originally from Athens, Ga., released its first album, "Silhouette," in 2011 and is working on its second CD.

"We've got a different breath of air in the new music," Strickland said. "Our music before had a bit of a twang to it because of our Southern heritage I guess, but this record is going to have the '90s rock sound that we all grew up on."

Strickland said the entire band took this new approach seriously. The new material was recorded in Seattle, the scene of a dozen grunge success stories in the 1990s.

"We were serious about getting that particular sound, so we all packed up and went to Seattle to do our recording to get that whole vibe thing going on," Strickland said. "So we wanted to live it at the same time, to be able to emulate it, and not imitate it."

Strickland said he and the other members of the band are big fans of groups like Foo Fighters and especially Pearl Jam.

"They are definitely one of our favorites. I guess it's because of our age, it's what we listened to out in the garage and trying to put our own bands together," Strickland said. "Of course, we also have that southern rock influence of [Lynyrd] Skynyrd."

On some levels, Strickland always dreamed of being a rock and roll star and standing in the glow of the spotlight.

"Well, I suppose that we all had those big dreams as we were jamming out to 'Free Bird' or something like that," Strickland said. "It's fun being a touring musician sure, but it's a lot of work."

Strickland said many people feel the audience believes the band only works for about and hour or two a day, which is certainly not the case.

"I found that out really quick," Strickland said. "For instance I am doing this interview this morning on the bus waiting to head to Iowa from Chicago. It's a six-hour drive. During that time I will be doing other interviews, talking with management, listening to remixes, getting ready for sound check, lots of things. Next thing you know, it's time for dinner and then the show. Rock 'n' roll is a lot harder work than people think it is. But it's still the best job in the world. I wouldn't trade it for anything."

Although the new album isn't yet released, Strickland is hoping for mid-April.

"It's that close, but there are a few things left to do yet," Strickland said. "We want to put out the best music we can for the fans."

Strickland, who also plays guitar, said the band -- lead guitarist and vocalist Brett Strickland (no relation), bassist Roy Beatty and drummer Nick Thomas -- is excited about the return to Pitter's.

"We were there in the fall," Strickland said. "It was like the first day back to classes or something like that, so I don't think the college was at full capacity yet, but we rocked out down there. We're happy to be back and bring the new material we have with us."

© Copyright 2012 Southeast Missourian. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. - Southeast Missourian - Scott Kiefer

Southern rockers Lullwater have re-surfaced with their 2011 release Silhouette from Spectra Records. The rock quartet from Athens, Georgia is a crossbreed of Saving Abel's searing guitar shreds and Zac Brown's husky voicing. Fronted by guitarist John Strickland, Lullwater's music is swaddled in steaming guitar flusters by lead guitarist Brett Strickland with an undertow of rumbling beats orchestrated by drummer Nick Thomas and bass guitarist Roy Beatty.

Though the music is testosterone-fuelled, the lyrics show a consciousness that has a feminine touch like in "Broken Wings" when John reflects, "With bloodshot eyes I begin to see/rise above the fray, rise above the fire". Sometimes the words even have a poetic bent, like in "Low" with perceptive observations that muse, "Quicksand of words swallow me whole". The bowing of the guitar chords in "Whatever Happened" vents the frustration expressed in the lyrics, "Sometimes I think this country is going straight to Hell with a casket made of Botox and prescription pills". Other times the lyrics are more ubiquitous and easy to relate to like in "Amsterdam" as John recites, "Don't know where I'm going but I sure as hell know where I've been."

The seething growls of Brett's guitar burns infuse a compulsive spiking along "Worse By Better" and flare up into chucky shards through "Let Me Out". The intervals along "Low" alternate from balladry simmers to fiery thrusts complimenting the country rock chassis of "Faithful Sinners" which adds an element of balmy Southern comforts. The quartet keeps the tracks mobile and crafts each song individually while maintaining a brute strength in the guitar shreds and the rhythmic thrusts.

Lullwater speak their minds verbally and musically on their album Silhouette. They play their songs the way they like and people can take it or leave it, but no one can deny that there is a genuineness about this band that inspires the same quality in their audience.

-Susan Frances - Hybrid Magazine

Athens-based alternative band Lullwater recently signed with Spectra Records, and the result is a reward to ear buds everywhere.

‘Silhouette’ by Lullwater
“Silhouette” was produced by David Barbe, who has also produced Georgian big hitters R.E.M. and Drive-By Truckers.
While the album might give the listener the feeling they are in 1991 instead of 2011, Lullwater’s nostalgic approach is not a bad thing.
Fortunately, the familiarity does not take away from Lullwater’s creativity as the band adds its own style into the mix — something that typically will make or break a band.
“Whatever Happened” borders on folk, as the song is centered on clean, acoustic strums and storytelling. With “Alive,” the band takes a hard-rock approach with constant tempo changes and rather dark lyrics.
Perhaps the only negative is the fact the album has an obvious mainstream sound at times.
“A Forgotten Name” is a prime example where the reminiscent sounds of Stone Temple Pilots are shown in full effect, or take “One More Time,” which rolls the listener toward the “Boy Named Goo” days of the Goo Goo Dolls.
Still, given all the things great about the album, the mainstream aspect of the album is a minor negative at worst.
— Wil Petty - The Red and Black

Back in late January/ early February, local band Lullwater released their third album Silhouette and rocked the Caledonia stage in honor of their latest tunes. Enthused by their new songs, the band's eager fans danced the night away. Lullwater's radio-ready mix of folky pop and hard rock made for quite a live show! But how do their recorded tunes on Silhouette stack up?

The album begins with Worse by Better, a song rather reminiscent of Lynyrd Skynyrd's Sweet Home Alabama. While not exactly unique in its execution, the tune provides a strong start to the album with its southern-style, hard rock sound. Then Amsterdam breezes in with a softer pop rock feel, the perfect soundtrack for a long, coming of age road trip. Similarly, the later tune Whatever Happened could easily be the melody of a soundtrack that plays as one reminisces about his childhood and past.

Power drives the next tune, A Forgotten Name, as it makes its debut. I've gotta admit, I like this track. Its sound, enhanced with an edge of darkness, had me intrigued from the very beginning. Then Alive comes, bringing with it a firm, nineties grunge feel. Now I wanted to love this song so much, but for some reason that I can't quite put my finger on, I just wasn't feeling it. Soon after, though, the rhythm of Let Me Out had me groovin' as I listened. While this, like several of the songs on the album, seems almost too familiar, I definitely enjoyed rocking out to it.

Broken Wings enters next with a depth of sound that really needs to be experienced live to be fully appreciated. Then Low brings in a pensive, background harmony, rather refreshing despite the fact that this and the tune that follows it, One More Time, seem once again quite familiar.

Faithful Sinners hearkens back to the band's beginnings, finishing out the record with a folk-infused melody of soft strumming and heavy drums that also fits neatly into the pop genre. Such a calm, peaceful ending!

One thing that can be said for Lullwater is that they definitely know how to give a song an undoubtably awesome intro. Nearly every tune grabbed me from the start. All in all, though, while I enjoyed the album, I think that they're just one of those bands that must be seen and heard live in its purest form for the full and true experience.
- Echoreyn of Athens

Picture if you will four rollicking young men huddled together in a dark basement on a street somewhere in their hometown of Athens, Ga that they would ultimately use for their bandname. Left to their devices, these men have been toiling away in that basement and on stage for the past five years crafting and tweaking their style into something that sounds vaguely familiar. It’s almost as if we should know these guys: that they’ve been with us in our cars and on our stereos for years and that we’ve been singing along with these songs on the radio. We haven’t been though, it’s just a figment of our imaginations as in the grand scheme of things they’re still fairly new the game. But what they’ve created is a new variation on a sound that we’ve been growing accustomed to for years.

When you break down Lullwater ‘s second LP Silhouette, you realize that these guys could just about make it on a lot of modern rock radio stations. They bring to the table with them a lot of rock: big plentiful slabs of it. Imagine if you will a mythical conglomeration of Screaming Trees style grunge, 3 Doors Down style of pop-leaning radio rock, and Drive-By Truckers style southern-esque rock. Not too surprising really considering the album was produced by David Barbe, who’s credits include Drive-By Truckers, R.E.M, and 7 Mary Three amongst others. It’s not a combination that everyone will be immediately thrilled with, and I will grant that I had to suspend some stereotypes while listening to these ten songs.

While there is certainly a portion of this record that falls under the cliche and derivative category, such as the Queens of the Stone Age style guitar riffs of “Alive” and the menacing, country-blues feel of “Broken Wings,” there are also enough flashes to provide the casual music fan justification for giving this a try. “One More Time” channels some of Patterson Hood’s poppier Trucker moments while on “Whatever Happened” the band effectively rolls back the volume and swings it with some acoustic guitar and an uptempo country feel, even if it feels a little out of place. No one can deny that singer John Strickland has a powerful voice that is a good fit for what the band is accomplishing on Silhouette, but part of me wishes that they would get more ambitious with their use of vocal harmonies and that he didn’t sound so much as if he was trying to channel Scott Weiland from time to time.

All said, Lullwater has put together a record that is not bad by any means, but at the same time it’s not going to appeal to everyone. However, the modern radio rock crowd will certainly find a lot of material on Silhouette worth embracing. The problem is that once you get an in with that crowd, it’s very easy for a band to find themselves pigeonholed into trying to reproduce the sound that got them in over and over again. So part of me is actually more interested in where the band goes from this point on. But the band just released this record, so let’s not rush things too much now.
- Striker Bill

Alternative and modern rock group Lullwater have released their latest, Silhouette. Named after the street where they originated in southern Georgia, these heavy hitters have created 10 tracks that demand attention. This album covers multiple grounds as each song includes traces from 1970s classic rock to mid-’90s rock.

Guitarist Brett Strickland instantly sets the tone of the album with the first song, “Worse By Better,” as his guitar solos travel swiftly. His style is greatly influenced by southern rock acts while adding his own taste. Lead singer John Strickland’s screams dominate with his strong vocals yet reveal his versatility by singing in tracks like “Whatever Happened” and “Faithful Sinners.” The album carries strong percussion, which blends flawlessly with thick bass layers.

Silhouette includes intense energy and compelling hooks that create a wonderful listening experience. Each song provides a time capsule for numerous musical generations yet creates its own in today’s scene.

Grade: B



Silhouette is currently available.

Article posted on 2/14/2011
- Campus Circle

Like Philpot, Lullwater riffs on classic rock, a muscly guitar/garage rock, even while hinting at the harder-edged side of R.E.M.
Silhouette starts off in 12 Stones-like hard rock on “Worse by Better.” Things pull back for the R.E.M. hints on the country-tinged “Amsterdam,” which also carries a Goo Goo Dolls feel.
There’s a marching quality to the drums on the shout of “A Forgotten Name.” “Alive” and “Let Me Out” rage and rock like songs destined to be used in hockey arenas to stir up the crowd. "Let Me Out" especially has that arena feel with its pogoing chorus.
“Whatever Happened” kicks up a bit of dust from the Gin Blossoms brand of countrified rock. "Low" picks a fine guitar line to softly lead into the crash of a chorus.
More acoustic twang rock closes out the album with “Faithful Sinners,” a song ripe for spiritual exploration and discussion with its chorus, "I've got my sins, I've got my demons, I've got my angels, I've got my faith ... we will meet our fate."
For the most part though, Silhouette is music made for the festival season, set to power up outdoor stages as the sun goes down.


Read more: http://blogcritics.org/music/article/music-review-lullwater-silhouette/#ixzz1NE75lXrw - BC Blog critics

http://www.muzikreviews.com/reviews.php?ID=197

Lullwater
Faithful Sinners


Lullwater is made up of John Strickland (lead vocals, guitars, bass) and Brett Strickland (vocals, lead guitar), who is no relation to John, with Nick Thomas (drums, percussion), Phil Brush (bass) and Will Manelos (guitar and no longer with the band) filling the other positions in the band with great success. Their name was derived from the street address of the basement where it all began.
Lullwater sites Drive By Truckers, Pearl Jam, Foo Fighters, Classic Rock, 90's alternative, Widespread Panic, Bob Marley, and Stone Temple Pilots as influences. I did in fact here all of those influences at one time or another in their music. It came as no surprise that I liked them the very first time I heard one of their songs as the only band’s music I am not familiar with at all is Drive By Truckers and I do like all of the other artists. Therefore, we got off to a good start once I gave this CD a spin.
John Strickland, who writes nine of the ten tracks (and co-wrote the tenth with Bret) in a heartfelt prolific way, has a rootsy and rough vocal style with a southern rock flavor to it. Being that they are from Georgia it does make sense why they sound like they do and one of their main influences is Wide Spread Panic (Athens, GA), one of my all- time favorite jam bands. It seems as though this band cannot lose for this listener.
Faithful Sinners is a solid debut and interesting enough the title track closes out the recording rather than opening it up which in this case does not matter because there is a lot of consistency throughout this CD and starts right at the beginning with “Worse By Better” which is a lament to a love that was never true. If you listen closely to the story of the title track, it is actually the perfect curtain closer. The storyline is about a grandmother crying to sleep at night because her husband is gone and she longs for the day to meet him again. Going further into the meat of the words the singer speaks of the evils and demons within and all the while counting the days that fate meets you at heaven or hell’s doors and your penance is then paid. Heady stuff indeed and the music always seemed to fit the story line as take your journey with this band.
When you take the time to hear the words you find that there are some heavy feelings going on about relationships. We all can relate to these topics but can never convey those emotions so powerfully as a group of musicians that are entirely in harmony with each other. This is how I view Lullwater…they are a band that follows their leader John Strickland, feels what he feels, and then translates all of that through the music. When all of this clicks for a band, it can be a beautiful thing. This is a debut album and this group of musicians should be very encouraged with the product they are delivering to the indie community.


© MuzikReviews.com
Keith “MuzikMan” Hannaleck-June 13, 2008
- www.muzikreviews.com

http://www.pongid.net/featured_artists.htm - Pongid Radio

Lullwater
Saturday, November 7 @ Tasty World Uptown

Lullwater
Local band Lullwater refuses to be loyal to any one genre, and frontman John Strickland admits that diversity can be as much of a hinderance as an advantage. While the bandmembers are given free rein to draw on their disparate influences—from '90s alternative to jam rock to reggae, depending who you ask—sometimes the schizophrenic song styles throw off fans and make it hard for the band to find its groove in the local scene.

"If people came to the show expecting folk rock and hear 'Alive' they might hate us. And if they came expecting heavier, more intense rock, they wouldn't like 'Whatever Happened,'" says Strickland, naming tracks off the brand-new EP Forest for the Trees. Yet, despite the challenge of being endlessly eclectic, fans—in towns like Charleston, where Lullwater opened for Seven Mary Three, and a dedicated base in Milledgeville—have grown increasingly devoted to Lullwater's passionate live performance. "We've gotten to the point where people are singing our music back to us," says Strickland.

Saturday is the official CD release party for Forest for the Trees. Tracks like "A Forgotten Name" and the emotionally charged "Alive" feature alt-rock guitar riffs and husky vocals that call to mind bands like 3 Doors Down. It does feel a bit like listening to radio station 99X about 10 or 15 years ago, especially when "Low" creeps in quietly, with a vocal melody that is strikingly similar to Bush's '94 hit "Glycerine." But, as promised, you also get the sunny Americana of "Whatever Happened" and pop sweetness of "One More Time." If that range of flavors covers your taste, guitarist Brett Strickland (no relation to John) guarantees you'll love the show. "Literally, if you come, you will not leave unhappy," says Brett. "We have a lot of energy… we get into it. It's a fun time, and alcohol goes well with our shows."

Michelle Gilzenrat - Flagpole Magazine

Lullwater — “Forest For The Trees” (Lullwater Music): From the hotbed of college rock, Athens, Ga., that spawned R.E.M., the B-52’s, the entire Elephant 6 Collective and The Drive-By Truckers comes Lullwater, a spunky quartet that very much combines classic singer/songwriter folk with the poppy post-

grunge sound of bands like Toad The Wet Sprocket.

This is intelligent pop rock with an edge. Singer/songwriter John Strickland has penned a five-song EP that could be confused with the music other recent pretty-boy folksters like John Mayer or Jason Mraz. But don’t fall into that trap. Oh sure, there’s a lot in common here and people who can’t stand predictable movements and strands of modern rock should avoid “Forest For The Trees.” But there’s a lot more cool lead guitar on this than those guys include. And, really, Lullwater just has more testosterone than Mayer or Mraz, and just upping that level provides a much more enjoyable listen, even if you will think of pretty-boy folk and modern rock.

Patrick Ferrucci can be reached at pferrucci@nhregister.com or (203) 789-5678. - New Haven Register

Local bands: Haiti, be my Valentine?
February 11, 2010 by JOE WILLIAMS
Filed under Music, Variety

Lullwater’s Saturday performance to benefit Haiti will also showcase songs from their newest album, ‘Forest for the Trees.’
Most Americans will prepare for Valentine’s Day in the same fashion they always have — last-second jewelry purchases in pre-wrapped pink and purple gift boxes, assorted chocolates that contain one enjoyable flavor and two-toned teddy bears that weigh as much as their hefty, laminated price tag.
These unnecessary luxuries are wonderful, but they cannot quench the thirst of a child who has not had fresh water in two weeks. They cannot put a roof over the heads of the estimated one million left homeless after the devastating earthquake in Haiti.
While many students feel the most they can do is donate a dollar here and there, a few local bands are hoping they can do more by opening others’ ears.
Tasty World, in partnership with the University’s student chapter of Conscious Alliance, will host a benefit concert to help bring aid to those affected by the Jan. 12 earthquake in Haiti.
Heading the show are local bands Lullwater, Mama’s Love and Sumilan, who each hope to do their part in this time of need.
“Everyone is trying to help out, I know a lot of grocery stores are rounding up to the next dollar and stuff. I think everyone has been wanting to do some kind of relief,” Lullwater lead singer John Strickland said. “We think it’s the perfect way for us to help out — to play music and have a good time, and to use that to help the victims.”
The benefit show, cleverly labeled “A Valentine for Haiti,” was created by Conscious Alliance, a non-profit organization “dedicated to raising awareness about hunger by reaching out to the art and music communities.”
“We are going through our non-profit — American Rainbow response — and 100 percent of the proceeds from the concert go to to Rainbow response, and 90 percent of [those] proceeds they get will go to Haiti,” said Allison Fite, a third year music business student and executive board member of Conscious Alliance.
This will not be the first time Mama’s Love has teamed up with Conscious Alliance.
“We’ve done a benefit with Conscious Alliance once before,” Mama’s Love lead singer Thomas Galloway said. “I feel like putting on a benefit show, although it’s not the best thing that can be done, it’s the best that we can do.”
Lullwater has been on tour since October promoting their newest album.
“One thing good about a Lullwater show is that you’re going to get waves of music,” he said. “You’ll get the high energy rock and then you’re going to have poppier folk songs.”
Mama’s Love, who recently went into the same studio that earned gold records for Rage Against the Machine, Bruce Springsteen and the Stone Temple Pilots, feature a jam band-esque sound, with influences varying from the Grateful Dead to the Doobie Brothers. Their newest EP will be available at the show.
A donation of five dollars is requested at the door, and the show is open to all who wish to attend.
Instead of spending Valentine’s Day in an overpriced restaurant and receiving a sub-par steak, guests can expect genuine performances that are sure to leave them begging for more.
“The biggest thing for me is to keep people connected to the music in a show,” Strickland said. “If I can connect with just a handful of people and really make them feel what I felt when I wrote the song and how I play the music, then to me I feel like it’s a success.” - The Red and Black

"A solid start for these Athens younsters with a fresh take on old school, Athens-styled classic rock"

Some band simply set out to give fans a good time for a night. While there's certainly no shame in that, the members of Athens-based classic rockers Lullwater believe that's stopping short of what music can do for the people.

"We do want people to have fun. we do want people to be enetertained, but in the same sense, we want fans to connect to the music, and have it mean something to them," said frontman John Strickland.

Strickland, a senior housing and consumer economics major from Waycross, said the band tries to create music people can relate to on a fundamental level from their own personal situations and past experiences.

"I want fans to feel the music as much as we do, and to understand the music," he said.

Strickland said the band's lyrics deal with everyday life, from broken relationships to religion.

"I'm not pushing any kind of religion or anything like that, but there are definitely some spiritual overtones to the songs," he said.

Even though he was born in Southern Georgia and raised as a Baptist, the spiritual lyrics Strickland attempts to write are lyrics that don't apply to any specific sect and, and, in many cases, transcend various religions as a way to speak to fans as a whole.

"It's about redemption, it's about death and dying," Strickland said of Lullwater's song "Faithful Sinners." "Everybody dies," he said.

Guitarist Brettt Strickland, of no relation to the band's lead singer, a housing and consumer economics major from Savannah, said that tries to create something deeper for the fans as well from a musical stand-point.

"I've always been more interested in the music aspect of it, like guitar solos, drum fills- thats what I get of it," he said.

"Faithful Sinners," the album's title track, also features a surprise guest appearance.

"We got John Neff of the Drive-by Truckers to play on a song," said Drummer Nick Thomas, a seniorpsychology major from Sandy Springs.

Strickland said that originally the song was not even going to on the CD.

"It was kind of a last minute thing," he said. "We just decided to record it."

"Faithful Sinners" was released in February, just a few months after the band finalized its lineup with bass player Phil Brush, a sophmore history major from Houston, Texas.
The album features distinctly Southern rock vocals. The band cited big name Athens bands Widespread Panic and Drive-By Truckers as some of its heaviest influences, and this is evident throughout the album. However, it would be unfair to confine the album as simply Southern rock.

The band also cites reggae, specifically Bob Marley, as being influential to its sound. Although it would be too much of a stretch to describe the band as reggae, it's clear the band has taken this influence and used it to recreate Southern rock in a new light.

The album itself covers a range of styles, from straight-up rock songs like "Blind," to simple melodic acoustic songs such as "Amsterdam," to the sparse but catchy guitar riffs in the modern rock feel of "Searching," without ever straying too far from its Southern roots, coming full circle to finish off with its title track. With the new record in hand, Lullwater isn't forgetting about the live show, as seven shows are planned in Athens for the next calendar month.




- The Red and Black- Out and About

Lullwater "Forest for the Trees" (Independent, 2009)


Evenflow

Starting with a shot across the bows of Corporate Radio USA, "A forgotten name" feeds of repeating riff and impassioned vocals spawned by the destitute love child of Eddie Vedar. It's obvious these guys have seen Singles repeatedly and that's no bad thing. "Whatever happened" is a blast of Pastoral mom and dad apple pie and where did we all go wrong. It's likeable but draws so heavily
upon the lyrical and thematic thesaurus of cliche I almost felt the urge to apply for my green card and live the dream. "Low" returns to the very well crafted and delivered power pop/rock that they obviously excel in. "One more time" treads carefully on Bon Jovi's well travelled tracks which is
not ideal but hints at the demons they are fighting. Last up "Alive" fuses "Message in a bottle" bass and riff with Children era Mission. It's better than I describe it.

These songs are unpolished rough diamonds - There's an obvious lack of finesse here it's endearing. I still feel the urge to believe because there is something about a band where the Singer's voice displays emotion while simultaneously sandblasting walls with his larynx and where the use of a song to make you feel something, anything is an art form and not a corporate exercise. There's a definite resemblance to 10 era Pearl Jam but in the energy I feel a Husker Du and Buffalo Tom echo. They may well be onto something here - don't be surprised if 2010 is the year where America throws the baby out with the Lullwater.

Date review added: Sunday, December 20, 2009
Reviewer: Andrew Williams
Reviewers Rating:
Related web link: Lullwater's Myspace - Americana UK

Lullwater
Forest For The Trees
Spectra Records
www.lullwatermusic.com

Lullwater make it impossible to pin them down to one music category, traversing smoothly from the thundering guitar rock fumes of "A Forgotten Name" to the rambling country rock chugging of "Whatever Happened" and then sliding into the roving melodic swells of "Low," all from the band's latest release Forest For The Trees. They wield aspects of Breaking Benjamin, Lucero and The Goo Goo Dolls all wrapped up into one. Produced by Asa Leffer of Downtown Athens Recording Company, the 5-track EP shows a hardcore liking for brazen rock, and a melodic timing with mass appeal.

The racing guitar shreds sowed by John and Brett Strickland on "One More Time" are scorching as John's flesh-toned vocals howl and slice through the verses accelerating the momentum of bassist Carter Jones and drummer Nick Thomas along the chorus. It has the electric smolder associated with the tenderizing crunches of metal rockers like Tantric and Days Of The New garnished in Lullwater's own flameworthy snarls, jabs and power chord riffage. They put muscle into rock music's conflagrations like in the defining spiral sequences that ream along "Alive" reinforced by the fierce gusto of Jones' and Thomas' rhythmic beating.

Lullwater's music speaks for itself. They know their way around belting out a genuine country flange just as assuredly as they can axle blazing guitar shreds on memorable licks like in "Low." Their songs focus on the here and now, and cut through any pretenses and facades that camouflage honest, raw emotions. They are a dream team for modern rock fans.

-Susan Frances



- Hybrid Magazine