Tampa, Florida trio G2P sound like some of the bands that weaned me into young adulthood and they are burning with a fire that rocks the punk, power-pop, a touch of reggae and a lick of nearly everything else.

Closing my eyes upon first listen I imagine strolling along an alleyway in the deep thick of beachside summer and randomly stumbling across some band rocking the hell out of a garage rehearsal space. I use the image of a garage because even while G2P have their chops finely tuned they still have a rough edge that feels loose and free of restraints that come from genre labelling. That being said their music does have a particular vibe, which is cool and easy but easily takes a turn into jagged and heavy territory. They are laid back but quick to snap, and they are loose while keeping tightly focused.

G2P’s short debut EP opens on a strong note with “Animals”. This funky little rocker gives the first sting of a Red Hot Chili Pepper and then throws you for a loop with some guitar riffage that hearkens back to 40 Ounces of Sublime. “Walk Away” definitely has a snap to its rhythm and tight guitar delivery that reminds me of 311 only this definitely has a much nastier sneer and heavier hand to it, and to be honest it is much preferred this way. Further out “Purge” lets its pants down and speaks of the heavy shuffling off of a finished relationship. A loose and almost off the cuff number, “Purge” gives the vibe of relief, resentment, and maybe a touch of regret but ultimately sees the light and comes out on top. And I’m not sure if it was intentional on this track but the little psychedelic instrumental interlude at the 2:48 mark has a very Jane’s Addiction-like familiarity to it that won major cookie points from this writer.

It is G2P’s ability to refrain from glomming onto any particular genre and offering a host of styles that make them a winner in my books. Nathaniel Shepherds vocals switch from a growl to a clean high-end and then to rap-riffing on a dime and his guitar work is really impressive. The rhythm section of drummer Sterling Siegfried and bassist Matt Mallory keep it low end and funky where it’s needed and heavy when its necessary, and as a whole the band rarely misses a beat. G2P is definitely a band to watch for in 2015.

~ Nathan Pike - All whats Rock

It all started coming together for G2P as 2011 was drawing to a close and now, three short years later, they’ve found their voice and built a strong following in central Florida. A couple of months ago they also dropped their first recording, a self-titled EP. G2P are an alt-rock band but are easily recognizable from the vast ocean of alt acts for their daringly fresh approach to the genre. There’s a garage feel to their music but you can easily decipher the influence of Seattle rockers Foo Fighters. There’s also a pinch of reggae and sometimes the band’s riffs veer into the realms of funk. That’s how willing G2P are to avoid being cocooned into any one stylistic box.

From Tampa with passionG2P CD Cover

G2P is a trio of singer/instrumentalists from Tampa composed of lead vocalist and guitarist Nathaniel Shepherd, bassist Matt Mallory and drummer Sterling Siegfried (who also contribute backing vocals). More than just a rock band playing coz they can, these guys are driven by a passion for real rock & roll. You could call them disciples of music who have studied at the feet of yesterday’s greats and contemporary masters. Their list of influences stretches from The Beatles to Illinois’ Chevelle. But you can hear from the structure of G2P’s songs that they’ve added plenty to what they’ve learned from their musical heroes. You’ll come to the same conclusion when you stream their EP.

Captivating from start to finish

The energy comes pulsing through right from the opening cut ‘Purge’ as expansive riffs come chugging through an aggressive bassline. Nathaniel’s voice waxes mellow from the off but grows into lusty growls when it needs to leading you through his train of thought as he tells the story of lost love. ‘Walk Away’ begins in a confrontational tone and maintains its energy for three minutes, buoyed by Siegfried’s funky drum pattern. Shepherd’s sublime solo on the guitar is one of the song’s many highlights. My personal favorite is ‘Animals’ and I think it’s the way it starts with rolling bass, or the little rap on the second verse, or just the captivating flow of the song from start to finish.

You won’t need to get to the fast-paced closer ‘Scream’ to decide that you want to listen to the full album when it comes out. Rest assured it will be one of the albums to look out for in 2015! - we do it for the love of music

Since starting out in late 2011, GP2 have made quite a splash. The Capitol Records recruits gained a strong fan base throughout their hometown, Central Florida and is hell bent in turning into a household name further afield.

Widely compared to the liking of Red Hot Chilli Peppers, the trio also dibble in a little psychedelic funk, punk and reggae. When I first clapped eyes on this crazy combination, I wanted to give their latest self-titled EP project a shot.

The six-track project started on a real high with the on-point arrangements of track “Purge”, where the pulse-rising guitars takes centre stage along with such intense and compelling storytelling.

“Me” was also the standout track of the EP, with the psychedelic funk perfectly interweaving through the full-on, Red-Hot-Chilli-Peppers style, heavy rock.

Although the EP possess well-constructed and out-of-this-world arrangements, I was still left a little disappointed. Maybe my expectations were too high, but I was really looking forward to the guys working the reggae into alternative rock. - Vents Magazine

G2p hails from Tampa, despite their love of beat grooves that seems more fitting for a band out of Jacksonville or Fort Lauderdale. To me it's weird considering Tampa's most notable musical export is death metal.It was pretty much created there.These guys are a far cry from death metal and tend to fall on the guilty pleasure side of the dial. They come from a similar place as Incubus and the bands that followed like Hoobastank. The singer even as a twinge of Brandon Boyd to his voice as well as a tendency to reach for the big hooks. What is impressive about these guys is despite having funk and reggae to their sound, they also have the restraint and good taste to not turn this into rap rock.

More fluidly rock than the Peppers are these days, G2P smokes from the same bong as 311 at times . They bring to mind the famous Keith Richards quote "It's better to steal than to barrow, if you barrow you have to give it back." G2P is never caught red handed. They might be at he scene of the crime, but they inject something into the songs that has it's own identity. Think you hear the Chilli Peppers's guitar tone? Listen again and you will hear a slight country twang to it. Through this well produced album , the guitarist flips through some interesting clean tones, his distorted tone, isn't what I think of as metal, but it might work for the weekend suburban head banger. These guys are also in standard tuning which sometimes brings out a more pop punk side.


The singer's brassy tenor, knows it's way around a melody and has personality to keep him from becoming an Adam Levine clone. He even touches on the sort of charisma a pop singer like Bruno Mars capitalizes on. I like the quick bursts of throaty blues accents he throws in.The band closes the ep out with the most adventurous song "Scream". It hits almost Tool inflected prog. The drummer shows his worth on this song. This song is surely the show stopper. Cranked up to ten it must come across heavier live than in the studio. Even the darker palm muted opening riff of "Purge", suggests these guys have a metal side that is battling against the desire to be radio friendly. If this is pop rock then I will take these guys any day over the whole Mumford and Sons folk thing that got popular a few years back. - Hiplanta

Hailing from the sunny state of Florida, G2P's members-Nathaniel Shepherd (guitars, lead vocals), Sterling Siegfried (drums, vocals), and Matt Mallory (bass, vocals)-have put together a self-titled alternative rock EP to which dashes of funk, punk, and reggae have been added.

G2P opens with "Animals". The track starts with heavy but simple electric guitars and slowly builds in intensity, with distorted vocals kicking in halfway through. Listeners feel at first that they are in plain rock territory until the guitars kick into high gear; the distortions especially mark the band's firm foothold into alternative territory. The buildup makes this a good choice for opening track. "Walk Away" starts at the level of intensity "Animals" finished at, bringing in eventually even more guitars and more distortions. A very short instrumental section featuring an electric guitar solo around the two minute mark captures the attention of the listener and stirs hope for more.

The next track features a return to the opener's song construction; while it does start at a higher gear than "Animals", the simple beginning of "Me" provides a foundation on which the band members build more and more layers. The instrumental beginning showcases the guitar skills already noted in "Walk Away". The high energy instrumental section near the end of the track reflects a band having a lot of fun.

The contrast of the heavy ending of "Me" and the stripped beginning of "Purge" are a little disconcerting and bring the listener to attention in time for the band to kick it again into high gear. The instrumental sections in his track feel more like they are picking up the song from the vocals rather than providing an interlude. One would expect that the track "Scream" would be by far the loudest and craziest of the EP-and the band delivers exactly that. However, it is the one track in which the vocals couldn't keep up with the melody.


G2P has put together a solid EP featuring catchy and sticky songs. This is a band worth following. I have yet to see them play live, but if they can carry their songs well on stage, theirs would be a concert to attend. The EP can be streamed on SoundCloud. More information about the band is available on their website. - Seattle PI

“Alternative rock” is a term in music which is not used as much as it used to be, with “indie” being the preferred label for artists whose sound is a bit left of center. However, the band G2P prefers to call themselves alternative as they attempt to showcase their love for classic 90’s alternative bands like The Red Hot Chili Peppers, Candlebox and Green Day. G2P’s love for these 90’s legends is evident in their guitar style and music composition, but they attempt to put a modern twist on alternative rock, blending subgenres with mixed results. Their self-titled EP was released on Capitol Records in September and has gained them a following, both in their native Central Florida and throughout the country.

The most recognizable 90’s influence in G2P’s music is in its guitars, which are played and arranged by Nathaniel Shepherd. The rhythm guitar riffs show a heavy influence from both funk and 90’s hard rock. The funk component will remind some listeners of The Red Hot Chili Peppers, and there are elements of The Peppers’ singer, Anthony Kiedis, in the lead vocals, which are also performed by Shepherd.

The third song on the album, Me, is probably the most funk-heavy on the album. Also in the backing guitars are lashings of punk reminiscent of Green Day and arrangements which might remind listeners of Candlebox or even Linkin Park. The opening track, Animals, displays this mix. The track weaves back and forth between Chili Peppers-like funk complete with slap bass work by bassist Matt Mallory and more grunge-styled guitars in the chorus.



Shepherd brings a unique twist to this diverse guitar mix with his lead guitar, which hearkens back to the days of 80’s and 90’s hard rock. The guitar interludes and solos show off his skills, are polished and fit seamlessly into the backing tracks. He uses the string pull-off technique with feedback to gain that “tune up” effect on his guitar, which really gives tracks like Animals and Purge a classic hard-rock feel. As the album rolls on, the music appears to lean towards hard rock and even metal, though it closes with the funky and punchy Rain, which has a heavy dose of Descendents-era punk.

The one failing with G2P, unfortunately, is Shepherd’s vocals. In some tracks like Rain, and its precursor Scream, his voice seems relatively relaxed and fits into the music, however, in much of the rest of the album it seems he is over-singing. While mixing of genres is something the band does very well musically, it seems that Shepherd cannot decide on a vocal style. He goes from sounding like Anthony Kiedis to Kevin Martin from Candlebox – often in the same phrase, and he does not seem to be able to vary his volume, though this could have been a problem with production levels. The lyrics, while heartfelt, seem a little contrite and sometimes do not fit in with the well-crafted music. It seems that Shepherd is still trying to find his style with his vocals and lyrics. As this is G2P’s debut album and they have such a solid musical base, however, there is little doubt they will find a representative vocal sound as they develop their style.

G2P’s self-titled album is definitely worth a listen and is available to stream on their Soundcloud page or to purchase on their Bandcamp page. The band has been touring in the five months since they released the EP and they will be playing shows in the Tampa area over the next few months. Interested fans can find the show dates on the band’s website, which also gives exclusive access to a special version of a secret song. Links for Soundcloud, Bandcamp and the band’s website are listed below in “sources.”


Read more at http://guardianlv.com/2015/01/g2p-tries-to-rock-tampa-and-beyond-with-new-ep-review/#sYTyeABU4565436m.99 - guardian