Santa Cruz heavy rockers Doors to No Where release their new single ‘Drift Into Sequence,’ Aug. 25 on Bandcamp and the rest of the stream/DL ecosphere through Desert Records. That’s Friday, if you’re not paying attention. Recorded by Aaron Cooper, who ended up playing guitar and synth in addition to engineering — always a good thing when the producer ends up adding to the track; means they think enough of what’s happening to be inspired to do so; when an engineer doesn’t give a rat’s ass, that doesn’t happen — the song in its accompanying lyric video form runs 6:40 and presents itself with the raw, on-beat melodicism reminiscent of Alice in Chains‘ Facelift, which is suitable to the layered and brooding vocal from founding guitarist Marc Lewis (also Moog, other keys).

As Lewis and bassist Marc Prefontaine — who eases the transition out of the Spanish-guitar midsection back into the verse and is the force of heft overall — welcome new drummer Kyle Moore and collaborate with Cooper as producer/player, the band’s general palette seems to have expanded even since they arrived on Desert Records with 2021’s Darkness Falls (discussed here), which was their fourth album.

What’s the plan for a fifth, I don’t know beyond the all-caps update in the headline below. The crunch in the guitar tone on “Drift Into Sequence” is so resolutely ’90s — I can hear Megadeth in it initially and Clutch in its later roll, both ’90s era, in addition to Alice in Chains, so yes, ’90s — as Lewis cycles through the first chorus of “I’m at odds with your fate/I’m at odds with the pain you’re in,” the undercurrent of metal feels genuine. A subtle twist brings back the verse, hinting toward lysergics as it moves into that acoustic-inclusive break, but interested ultimately in the straight and narrow of structure and returning smoothly to that.

The flamenco-esque guitar returns as the song wraps, doubling-down on the divergence from the norm while reinforcing the norm itself, Moore making his presence felt in the toms behind that finish and in the verse groove prior, putting a sense of movement to the grim, moody atmosphere that surrounds. It’s only one song and supposedly they’re working on more, so fair enough. Figure we’ll probably hear from them either way sometime next year.

Doors to No Where have also collaborated with Slough Brewing Collective to create “Stage Beer,” which one assumes based on the description is a lower-ABV session lager or ale. In any case, if beer’s your thing, you’ll want to take note.

Video follows here, with more from the PR wire below, including the preorder link.

Please enjoy:

Doors to No Where, “Drift Into Sequence” lyric video premiere

Desert Records proudly presents Doors To No Where and their upcoming single “Drift Into Sequence”

THE BAND HAS ALSO HAS BEGAN WORK ON A NEW RECORD

SINGLE PREORDER: https://doorstonowhere.bandcamp.com/track/drift-into-sequence

DRIFT INTO SEQUENCE

Driven by a dissonant guitar riff “Drift Into Sequence” is a complex sonic journey with a touch of heavy psych. Lyrically the song is about a person going through a mental health crisis and battling themselves. The premise is that someone knows they are not well but feels helpless in what the next step is. “Drift Into Sequence” is also the first song to welcome Kyle Moore (Band Of Orcs/Stellar Corpses) into the band. Kyle is familiar with the band as he filled in on a tour in the past.

The cover art was done by Santa Cruz based artist Ugly Eye. The track was mixed and mastered by Aaron Cooper (Pylon Productions) who also contributed synth and guitar.

DOORS TO NO WHERE

Doors To No Where from Santa Cruz California have been going at it since 2010 when the band was formed by front man Marc Lewis. Along with Drummer Alex Ross and Bass player Sean Sanford Doors To No Where put out their debut album “I’m Alive” via ChillTopp Records. In 2012 Doors To No Where released their sophomore album “Lucky You” which was the first to feature Pete Tetorff on drums. Next came the album “The Haunting” which featured the same lineup in 2016.

In 2020 Doors To No Where signed with Desert Records and began work on a new album “Darkness Falls,” which would be the introduction of new bass player Marc Prefontaine. “Darkness Falls” also features some guitar work from Bob Balch of Fu Manchu. Since then the band has released a series of singles, “Gloom” and “Time For A New Dream” and have begun working on a new full length album. “Time For A New Dream” once again featured Bob Balch on guitar. The band also announced that Kyle Moore will now be handling drum duties.

BEER RELEASE

To help celebrate the release of “DRIFT INTO SEQUENCE” Doors To No Where worked with The Slough Brewing Collective in Watsonville California to brew “Stage Beer.” The light and crisp lager will be the perfect hydrating co-pilot to help fuel badass riffs and grooves. Lewis who was hands on from start to finish brewed stage beer with brewer Ben Ward. “Stage Beer” is a golden glass of pure joy and the can will feature art by Slogan design.

Marc Lewis is a musician from Santa Cruz, California that has been creating music since 1996 when he was the ripe age of 12. Starting off with some good old school punk Lewis created the perfect soundtrack for skateboarding and surfing around SC. In the early days Marc played stages across California along with many skate contests or DIY shows in the punk scene. Lewis started adding the stoner rock influence and heavy sounds to his writing style as he progressed in his playing style. Marc has been in the bands Live Wire, The Fire Sermon, It and Doors To No Where.

He has shared a stage with such bands as: Big Business, Mondo Generator, Adolescents, Fu Manchu, Mos Generator, Sevendust, Fatso Jetson, Blast and The Melvins.

Doors To No Where is:
Marc Lewis – Vocals, Lead Guitar, Moog, Keys
Marc Prefontaine – Bass
Kyle Moore – Drums
Aaron Cooper – Engineer, Synth, Guitar

Doors to No Where, “Drift Into Sequence”

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Founding multi-instrumentalist Marc Lewis of Santa Cruz heavy rockers Doors to No Where is — as per the all-caps statement at the bottom of this post from the PR wire — planning to release a solo record either this or next year. As you take on his new single and not-the-first-time collaboration with guitarist Bob Balch of Fu Manchu, perhaps note that intention in processing some of the differences between Lewis and the band of which he remains an integral part. “Time for a New Dream” was composed and recorded for a self-challenge while the other members were working on various projects, but as Lewis handles vocals, bass, guitar, keys and drums with no complete band lineup behind him, gears would seem to have been switched. And as so often happens, one song leads to another,  and eventually, a full-length.

Doors to No Where signed to Desert Records for last year’s Darkness Falls (discussed here), on which Balch also featured, and it seems the label will pick up Lewis‘ impending solo release as well — don’t quote me, but that’s it looks right now; plans can always change — which is fair enough. The intention behind the song as Lewis puts it is to roll out a riff, vibe open for a while, then pick up with more terrestrial groove at the finish. Balch, also of the exploratory Big Scenic Nowhere, is right at home in the “Time for a New Dream” midsection, his sound nuanced in its approach, his playing technically unquestionable and his addition to the atmosphere of that stretch essential. It is Lewis‘ track, but he shares it well with Balch and also producer Aaron Cooper, who adds synth embellishment and vocals.

I guess the question I’m left with apart from when’s the record out is whether or not indeed it’s time for new dream. There’s an aging generation of heavy rockers and genre heads grey-bearding it up at shows — I’m part of it, as much as I can leave the house these days — and though it was easy enough for rock and roll to be for the young in, say, 1970, when everybody who’d ever made it was still young, applying the ethic becomes more difficult when someone’s life has been in no small part defined by their joining this community of passionate creatives. Does one need to hang up one’s dream, whatever that may be, as a result of time, or is it simply a change of focus being alluded to in the title in the first place and I’m overthinking it?

I don’t know. It seems to me, though, that as my hair falls out, my beard goes greyer, my ass expands like the universe itself, my body keeps finding exciting new ways to hurt and I’m more tired at 8:30PM than I used to be at two in the morning, that part of being a “lifer” at a thing is understanding how to make that thing a part of your life. If you feel differently, I would only say to you give it time.

Enjoy the track:

Marc Lewis, “Time for a New Dream” lyric video

Marc Lewis on “Time For A New Dream”:

This track is the first one I started really working on when I started really putting my attention to putting out a solo project. I really liked the idea of the rolling riff hitting a wall on going on a bit of a psych trip before hitting hard again. Right away I knew I wanted to work with Balch again, the dude is such a pro and amazing talent. His tone and style are truly some of my favorites out there.

Marc Lewis featuring Bob Balch & Aaron Cooper
Time For A New Dream (single)
doorstonowhere.bandcamp.com/track/time-for-a-new-dream-feat-bob-balch

TIME FOR A NEW DREAM

Desert Records is proud to present “Time For A New Dream” by Marc Lewis from Doors To No where and featuring Bob Balch (Fu Manchu, Big Scenic No Where) on Guitar and synth. The track was mixed and mastered by Aaron Cooper (Pylon Productions) who also contributed vocals and synth.

Marc Lewis from Santa Cruz California has been playing gigs and recording since he was 13. Marc got his start by fronting the band Live Wire who put out four albums and toured all over the place. Marc also played with The Fire Sermon, It and Drive contributing to multiple albums and tours. In 2010 Marc started Doors To No Where with drummer Alex Ross. Doors To No Where has put out four studio albums to date.

Bob Balch is a bonafide guitar hero and absolute legend. Balch has not only been playing with Fu Manchu since 1996 but he is also one of the founders of Big Scenic Nowhere and Sun And Sail Club. The contributions Balch has given to stoner rock are undeniable. He also is the mastermind of playthisriff.com and has in own guitar, amp and pedal pro models.

BEER RELEASE

To help celebrate the release of “Time For A New Dream” Marc Lewis worked with The Slough Brewing Collective in Watsonville California to brew “Stage Beer.” The light and crisp lager will be the perfect hydrating co-pilot to help fuel badass riffs and grooves. Lewis who was hands on from start to finish brewed stage beer with brewer Ben Ward. “Stage Beer” is a golden glass of pure joy and the can will feature art by Slogan design.

Marc Lewis is a musician from Santa Cruz, California that has been creating music since 1996 when he was the ripe age of 12. Starting off with some good old school punk Lewis created the perfect soundtrack for skateboarding and surfing around SC. In the early days Marc played stages across California along with many skate contests or DIY shows in the punk scene. Lewis started adding the stoner rock influence and heavy sounds to his writing style as he progressed in his playing style. Marc has been in the bands Live Wire, The Fire Sermon, It and Doors To No Where.

Time For A New Dream features:
Marc Lewis – Vocals, Guitar, Moog, Keys, Bass, Drums
Bob Balch – Guitar, synth
Aaron Cooper – Engineer, Producer, Synth, Vocals

MARC LEWIS PLANS ON RELEASING A SOLO RECORD LATE 2022 OR EARLY NEXT YEAR.

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Desert Records store

Santa Cruz, California’s Doors to No Where have signed to Desert Records and will release their new album, Darkness Falls, on May 21. From masterblaster-punk opener “Lie, Lie, Lie” through the early-Alice in Chains-style grunge chug of “Fade” and the classic metal epic tension in near-eight-minute finale “Darkness Falls,” the record runs a gamut of styles in a mere 31 minutes, finding a post-hardcore kind of heavy rock melody in “Worship the Machine” before the two-minute “Got Mine” shoves and sprints in post-Songs for the Deaf careening fashion. The trio don’t stay in any one place much longer than to leave a boot print as they’re off to the next thing, but there’s a consistency between “Fade” and “New Monster,” as vocals, tonal thickness and production/songwriting draw the release together as a whole. The succession of jabs, between the Goatsnake-ing groove of “Policy” and the finishing surge in “Who Died” and the rest of what surrounds becomes something of a consistency in itself, and the album is stronger for that.

One can tell from the track titles that Darkness Falls is something of a COVID-era production, and indeed, Doors to No Where recorded it last year. There are already and there are going to continue to be a glut of albums on the theme since, on the most basic level, art as an expression of processing common trauma is a human impulse. If the momentum of their tempos is anything to just by, Doors to No Where don’t seem to have been dragged down too far, or maybe that just means they had farther to go. I won’t speculate.

Fu Manchu and Big Scenic Nowhere‘s own Bob Balch sits in on the concluding title-track, which you can hear premiering at the bottom of this post. Album info and the signing announcement follow, courtesy of Desert Records and the PR wire:

DESERT RECORDS PRESENTS “DARKNESS FALLS” DOORS TO NO WHERE

“Darkness Falls” is the fourth studio album from Doors To No Where, a trio from Santa Cruz, California. The album was recorded in 2020 smack-dab in the middle of COVID lockdowns. The band once again worked with producer Aaron Cooper (Pylon Productions).

“Darkness Falls” consists of eight blistering tracks that touch on Doors To No Where’s stoner rock roots and punk influence. The band brings big riffs and touches on elements of psych, doom and a hint of the heavier side of grunge. Plenty of groove to feel on this record.

The title track “Darkness Falls” features a guest performance from Bob Balch (Fu Manchu, Big Scenic Nowhere) on guitar. “Darkness Falls” also features percussion by Aaron Cooper. Darkness Falls was the last song written for the record and truly reflects the crazy time that 2020 was. Balch brings his huge tone to add to the song’s vibe.

“Darkness Falls” was recorded, mixed and mastered by Aaron Cooper at “pylon Studios” in Santa Cruz, California (USA). Doors To No Where has three albums under their belt, “Lucky You”, “I’m Alive” and “The Haunting.” The band will release their fourth record “Darkness” via Desert Records May 21st 2021. Joining Marc Lewis (guitar/vocals) is longtime drummer Pete Testorff and Marc Prefontaine (bass). “Darkness Falls will be Prefontaine’s first album with the band.

Marc Lewis on Working with Bob Balch:
Working with Bob was an honor and his contributions to the track are huge. He is a true pro and his tone is so recognizable and heavy. I had an idea of the whole song in my head before I even picked up a guitar and I knew I wanted Bob to contribute to it. I wanted that classic fuzz and grit and to give him room to shred some. When we played with Fu Manchu I picked his brain a lot about tone and threw out the idea of working together someday. I reached out to him with a very rough version of the song and he was into it. The dude just lives for guitar and working with him was so easy. He really nailed the vibe I had in my head. The dude is a special talent on guitar for sure.”

1. Lie, Lie, Lie
2. Fade
3. Worship the Machine
4. Got Mine
5. Policy
6. Who Died
7. New Monster
8. Darkness Falls (Feat. Bob Balch)

Doors to No Where are:
Marc Lewis (guitar/vocals)
Pete Testorff (drums)
Marc Prefontaine (bass)

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