HIGH LEAF Announce New Lineup; Band to Appear at Maryland Doom Fest 2023
Among the crucial bits of information here as regards nascent Philadelphia heavy rockers HIGH LEAF is that they prefer their moniker written in all-caps. Also that they have a new rhythm section, having brought in Brian Schmidt and Dean Welsh on bass and drums, respectively, at some recent temporal juncture. You might recall in Sept. 2022 they entered Retro City Studios in to record their debut offering with producer Joe Boldizar — whose Philly cred wants for nothing with the likes of The Age of Truth, Ruby the Hatchet and Ecstatic Vision on the CV, among others — and given the hint below toward an actual release for said full-length, I’m assuming it’s done. Introducing the lineup, I guess they kind of had to say something about it, if only to avoid the first and most obvious question they’d otherwise be asked. By me if no one else.
After reading the initial announcement guitarist Patrick Fiore sent over, I was curious to see if Schmidt and Welsh actually feature on the recording, or what the timing was on their arrival in the group, which wasn’t originally mentioned. I hit up Fiore and asked about putting the band together again. Turns out it’s the older lineup on the record, as the change didn’t happen until December. Fair enough. Seems like it was pretty smooth, as far as reformations go.
I didn’t ask, but I wonder too if there’s a label behind it as yet, or if one will be. HIGH LEAF have put a lot into a professional presentation for a band just getting started — even the shirts they sell on Bandcamp are full-color screens — and the feeling I get is they’re looking to catch as many ears and eyes as they can, make an impact. I’ve got my hopes up at this point that the music stands up to that when it arrives.
They’ll be at Maryland Doom Fest in June, which frankly would be enough for me to want to write about them even without any of the other stuff they have going on. JB doesn’t book BS.
Here’s their update:
Philadelphia Stoner Rock Band HIGH LEAF announce 2023 Lineup
After a short winter hibernation, Philadelphia Stoner Rock quartet HIGH LEAF (All Caps) has shaken off the frost to announce their NEW 2023 lineup and first shows of the year. You can also be on the lookout for information regarding the band’s debut album and single coming in the next few weeks!
Patrick Fiore on reforming the band/new members: “Losing half the band in December was kinda a shock to us. We weren’t really anticipating having to replace half of a band. We had just finished recording our debut album, and were in the process of shopping the record and getting positive responses back. Unfortunately, their departure kinda slowed everything down due to the uncertainty around the band. We were lucky that our long time friend Brian Schdmit’s (who we have known for about 10 years) band was breaking up so we asked him to join on bass. Brian then suggested his friend Dean Welsh to try out on drums for us, and Dean was an amazing fit. It really didn’t take long for us to gel. We even played a show with only four weeks of practice! We are really excited to have these guys on board and look forward to the music we will create together.”
As for the debut Album: ” Last September we recorded our debut album at Retro City Studios (Ruby the Hatchet, Age of Truth, Ecstatic Vision) with Joe Boldizar in Philadelphia, PA. We are really proud of the way the album came out, and look forward to sharing it with the world. We are planning a late spring/early summer release for the album, with a detailed announcement coming within the next two weeks.”
You can catch the band live at:
4/30/2023 @ The Union Firehouse- Mt. Holly, NJ with Sleep Signals, Silvertung, Sick Century
06/22/2023 @ The Maryland Doom Fest- Fredrick, Maryland
HIGH LEAF is
Patrick Fiore- Lead Guitar
Corey Presner- Vocals/Guitar
Brian Schmidt- Bass
Dean Welsh- Drums
https://www.facebook.com/HIGHLEAFBAND/
https://www.instagram.com/highleafband/
https://highleaf.bandcamp.com/
http://www.highleafband.com/
