Wallburds

As much as possible, I try to avoid writing about friends’ bands/musical projects. It’s awkward and I’m always afraid that my bias will color my writing. Occasionally though, one of their band’s will release something stunning and I HAVE to get the word out. ‘Mirror Days’ by The Wallburds is one of those stunning records.
Comprised of members Cesar Saez de Nanclares – guitar/vocals, Trevor Wells – bass/vocals, Ed Lopez – drums, and Shea Branham – guitar, influences include artists such as Mando Diao, Miles Kane, The Strokes, The Kinks, Al Green, Oasis, and BRMC. It seems most acts these days are either heavily computer/electronic driven or chasing after the very popular “neo psychedelic” sound. It’s rare to hear rock n’ soul done and done this well. ‘Mirror Days’ is a great distillation of the aforementioned influences.
Horns and backing vocals bring the soul influence to the forefront on “Trouble”. However, the guitars keep the song firmly in rock n’ roll territory. “Land Of Forever” is another stand out track due to a melodicism and strong arrangement that’s often missing from a lot of rock music. The album closes with “Without You”. An elegant and heartfelt ballad, to me it’s the highlight on a record full of them. - Punk Aristocrats

My introduction to Wallburds came when I saw the band open for Little Barrie at The Slidebar. As an aside, a great way to find new bands is to go out for an entire evening of music and not just the band that your friend plays in. Trust me, southern California music fans. I've found lots of cool bands by being there to see the band opening for my main attraction.

Mirror Days is available now
Wallburds
Here's the thing about Wallburds. You could easily slap the "alternative rock" label on this band, and you wouldn't be wrong, but that's such a generic label that does nothing to explain what the band sounds like.

Wallburds effortlessly blends groovy rhythms (you should see the drummer live) with distorted guitars that border on psychedelic. In addition, the band adds a sort of brooding mood to the melodies without making the songs seem sad. "Letting Go" is a great way to get your introduction to this band. The drummer drives the rhythm by pounding his kit, and the bassist adds a nice groove. Meanwhile, the guitars have a dark, fuzzed-out sound and the backing vocals consist mainly of "Whoa-ooo-ooo-ooo!" It's easy to imagine the audience in an arena or amphitheater singing along to this song.

The band isn't afraid to mix up the sound either. "Trouble" features horns and "Into the Night" features some great slide guitar. "Alright" also features horns in an intro that sounds like a soul song. In fact, the overall feel of this song is like what would happen if you blended Motown and modern psychedelic rock and roll. It's also a great example of why the label alternative is completely insufficient for this band.

Mirror Days is only 29 minutes long, but in that short duration, the band shows a lot of range and a lot of ability. The band carries the same energy in the studio as it does on stage, and that's always a welcome trait in bands. If you're looking for a rock band that isn't afraid to branch out, check out Wallburds. - Schwindy's Indie Music Spotlight

We’re nearly halfway done with October already, isn’t that insane? Unfortunately that means that we’re nearly halfway done with Wallburds’ Tuesday night residency at the Silverlake Lounge. That’s right – if you didn’t know already – Los Angeles natives Wallburds are tearing it up every Tuesday night this month at the Silverlake Lounge. And you need to be sure to catch at least ONE of these shows – why not make it this one? You could say that the music of Wallburds is something that has been pedaling around in the mind of band lead Cesar Saez’s mind for quite awhile now. However, the band officially got up in running and came together about two years ago. 2014 saw the release of the band’s debut LP Mirror Days, which is an album that’s a little classic-rock n’ roll and a little bit grunge and a little bit psychedelic. Nowadays the band is experimenting with a little bit of a different sound – leaning more towards synth driven rock n’ roll. So, you may see a little of this and a little of that at this show. Recommended if you like Rooney, OK Go, The Allah-Lahs, and Joel Jerome. - Tourworthy