By DONNA BALANCIA
It’s becoming more and more rare to get excited about the volumes of new bands out in the marketplace today. But San Francisco-based band The Green Door is a breath of fresh air and gives us hope that talent will win out over nepotism in the end.
We’re tired of wealthy parents buying music careers for their kids and using their financial experiments against the public as a tax write-off. Not everyone can be Taylor Swift, but a lot of the other wealthy parents are trying real hard and the public suffers the fallout. Or they get hypnotized by the hype.
The Green Door Cuts Through Clatter
Great bands like The Green Door prove that while yes, today you probably have to have a day job to compete in the world of Rock and Roll, there is an opportunity to cut through the clatter. They’ve done it. Their sophomore effort, Wolf In The Fold is simply excellent.
Blending punk psychedelia with familiar surf-band sounds, The Green Door adapts a tried-and-true, retro style to modern times. It’s like Cage The Elephant meets the legendary King of the Surf Guitar, Dick Dale and the 2018 Rock Hall nominees The Zombies.
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The Green Door is comprised of Mike Carnahan on lead vocals and guitar, Reese Abell on bass, Evan Wardell on guitar, Vanessa Wolter on drums, and Devin Triplett on keys.
Green Door: Simple and Fuzzy
On the title track the guitar is simple, but that’s the beauty of this organic and fuzzy song that leads off the new album. The song represents the rest of what we’re going to hear. What’s not to like about this fun track? The second track, “Tall Grass is Tangled” knows what it is as a modern adaptation of a grovvy surf sound. With the singular voice and the Middle-East drum beat and tambourine that Dick Dale and all the traditional surf bands adopted, the song is a modern classic.
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“Back To Houston,” is in keeping with the band’s trademark sound, but adds elements of the Spaghetti Western as an authentic, fun adventure. “You Won’t Hear That Anymore,” “Borderland” and “Rivers” add some interesting, less fast-paced tunes to round out this 6-song EP. Heck, we might even break down and buy a copy.
‘Wolf’ Record Release Party Dec. 15
It would be great to see this band play Los Angeles. The Green Door has expanded its presence within San Francisco’s garage and psychedelic rock scene. The gang has played some impressive fests like The Gathering of The Tribes in 2015 and 2017. In 2011, they were named as Rasputin’s San Francisco Band of the Week. The band has also toured through California, Oregon, Washington, and Nevada.
The Green Door’s hot new album, Wolf In The Fold, will be released mid-December and they’re having a release party on Dec. 15 at Bottom of the Hill in San Francisco.
Our only suggestion: The band should rename itself “The Green Room” as that’s the best place a surfer can achieve to be, and that’s where The Green Door puts its listeners. More music please.
