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Getaway Van Premiere Title-Track of Unchained EP

Posted in audiObelisk on May 1st, 2020 by JJ Koczan

If you’ve ever taken part in any kind of group endeavor — and, since you’re alive and reading this, yes, you have — you already know that there are times when it works and times when it doesn’t. With their new EP, Unchained, Vancouver-based heavy rockers Getaway Van are representing a time when it does. Particularly for bands, there is a mythical moment of “locking in” that’s often spoken of with reverence, when all the pieces of which the group is assembled — whether it’s guitar, bass, drums, vocals or some other configuration — come together in the creative process and, wham, the song seems to write itself. I’ve heard it said on more than one occasion that these are the moments a band lives for, and of course they don’t happen every day, every record, or in every career.

Getaway Van, then can hardly be blamed for wanting to bottle that lightning, as it were.

The situation was that guitarist/vocalist Derek Lionas and drummer Devon Sutherland had newly come together with guitarist Tanner Reid and bassist Fernando Cilento after parting ways with the former half of their band, it, apparently, it worked. getaway van unchainedThey locked in while sharing vocal duties between Lionas, Reid and Cilento and decided to get the tracks on tape while they were feeling the right kind of energy.

That’s precisely the vibe — “right kind of energy” — that comes through on “Unchained,” the title-track of the resultant three-song EP due out May 28. The song careens with post-Kyuss riffing and certainly its gruff vocals are up front in a manner that’s striking at first, but soon it all seems to smooth out and by the end of the sub-four-minute track, it’s the hook itself that’s making the most vital impression. In following up their 2019 self-titled debut (review here), Getaway Van harness that electricity of being a new band — so new they don’t even have a promo pic yet, though social-distancing guidelines might’ve put the brakes to that as well — and make the most of their still forming dynamic.

As to where they’ll go next, that’s up to them. The point is they’re going.

You can hear “Unchained” on the player below and Lionas tells the tale from his perspective thereafter.

Please enjoy:

Derek Lionas on Unchained EP:

The band underwent a change in members due to life in late 2019. We found Tanner Reid (lead guitar) and Fernando Cilento (bass, vocals) and the band had this wickid new energy. We figured we should pump out a new EP to capture it. We went into the studio with three songs written and sung by three different strings players. We’ve always attempted to be a collective, because I’m a big believer in “if you got something to say, I wanna hear it.” So we went in and recorded three songs. Tanner wrote “Unchained,” and we recorded it. After hearing it back, we decided to rewrite the lyrics and have me sing it. It really brought out the sound, and were all super happy with it. Mike Slater (who recorded our self-titled album) had us back again, and for this one we absolutely cranked a Traynor Iron Horse thru a Marshall 1960b cab. Then Tanner’s main gain stage is a little Big Muff, plus a couple cool modulation and delays to support (keeping secrets on those). I ran my telecaster through a green Russian Big Muff clone that I hand-soldered myself, I think the tone sounds siiick on that thing. Fernando has this cool 1960s Epiphone reissue guitar he recorded with. We’re stoked on how this song came out — we envisioned driving super fast down a winding road, foot to the floor! — and can’t wait to share the other two off the EP. Keep safe, keep riffin’.

Getaway Van is:
Devon Sutherland – Drums
Fernando Cilento – Bass/vocals
Derek Lionas – Guitar/vocals
Tanner Reid – Lead Guitar/vocals

Getaway Van on Thee Facebooks

Getaway Van on Instagram

Getaway Van on Bandcamp

Getaway Van website

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Getaway Van Premiere “Lord I’ve Been Running” Video

Posted in Bootleg Theater on April 22nd, 2019 by JJ Koczan

getaway van

When you’ve got a hook, use it. That lesson would not seem to be lost on Vancouver four-piece Getaway Van, whose recently-issued self-titled debut has a bunch to go around, from the bloodshot repetitions of “Branches” down through the catchy mid-paced sway of “So Long” at the record’s pre-outro conclusion. “Lord I’ve Been Running” might be the most infectious of them, however — though I wouldn’t take away from “Ugh” or the prior “Follow Me,” either — though it’s certainly in resonant company, and though it’s the means by which Getaway Van are making their debut, having formed in 2017, the interplay of vocal arrangements between guitarists Derek Lionas and Charlie Cole and bassist Zach Fox show a care in composition that speaks directly to intentional songcraft. That is, it’s not just verses and choruses piled on top of each other. There’s thought behind what they’re doing, and in listening to the album, it sounds like the work of multiple songwriters, or at least multiple contributors around a central idea for each track. Drummer Devon Sutherland, accordingly, provides the restlessness at the foundation to keep everything moving while still tying the songs together.

Somehow, because it’s in Canada and not Portland, Oregon, or Seattle, Washington, Vancouver seems to be often-unconsidered when it comes to the thriving Pacific Northwest heavy underground. That’s a mistake, obviously. On a song like “Blacktop Mistress,” Getaway Van tap into Red Fang-style forward momentum while the earlier “Comin’ Back” demonstrates more melodic complexity in straightforward, Ripple-style heavy rock, but what makes it all work together is the focus on songwriting at root in what they do. While “Lord I’ve Been Running” takes its central theme from the blues, it makes its impression with its sharply-executed bounce of rhythm and, indeed, its hook.

They are not shy with it, and neither should they be. The video (with videography by Matej Ceska) finds them arriving, loading in and playing a gig at The Bourbon in Gastown, Vancouver, as well as in the rehearsal space where Fox professes, “Somebody’s been practicing,” when complimented on his play. That’s a fun moment in a fun song with a kind of dark theme presented in a manner that borders on maddeningly catchy and appears on an album that functions much the same. “Lord I’ve Been Running” inherently can’t convey the entire scope of Getaway Van‘s songcraft — you know, being one song and all — but in the vocal swaps and its pristine construction, it represents the self-titled well. Probably why they chose it as a single, and further proof these cats know what they’re up to.

Some quick comment from the band follows. Dig in and have fun:

Getaway Van, “Lord I’ve Been Running” official video premiere

Getaway Van on “Lord I’ve Been Running”:

“‘Lord I’ve Been Running’ is the second single from our debut full-length album. Written by bassist Zack Fox, this is a song about the tribulations of life, and the toll it can take on a person. We’ve all always loved this song due to the high energy and its almost desperate nature. The powerful vocals and incessantly running guitars really seem to get people moving, and help make it a memorable track. It’s certainly a song that everyone can find a connection to on a personal level, and as such, it was the natural choice for our first music video to come from this album.”

Getaway Van is:
Devon Sutherland – Drums
Zach Fox – Bass/vocals
Derek Lionas – Guitar/vocals
Charlie Cole – Guitar/vocals

Getaway Van on Thee Facebooks

Getaway Van on Instagram

Getaway Van on Bandcamp

Getaway Van website

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