BY: DIGITAL WAX MEDIA STAFF

 

Minneapolis power trio Sam Graber Band recently released their debut album, Love and Fury, which offers a tight set of slickly produced power pop built for both the stage and the radio.

 

Made up drummer/vocalist Brian Reidinger, guitarist/vocalist Marc Partridge, and vocalist/bassist Sam Graber, Sam Graber Band aligns the respective strengths of three leading figures in the Minneapolis music scene.

 

Years of collective experience are on display with the band’s debut full-length record, Love and Fury, which offers a sonic experience harkening back to the mainstream alternative rock wave of the 1990s that led to the commercial rise of melodic rock units such as Gin Blossoms, Goo Goo Dolls, and Collective Soul.

 

Also evident upon first listen of the debut LP is a sonic sensibility akin to the pop-rock of the early 2000s, bringing to mind stylistic leanings of The Killers, One Republic, and early Maroon 5. These elements in conjunction with palatable timbre of Graber’s vocals lend a quality to Love and Fury which makes it sound almost like a lost album from mainstream rock heavyweights Matchbox Twenty.

 

A variety of musical dynamics are at play throughout Love and Fury, from the melodic brevity of the instrumental arrangement for the album’s lead single “Higher” and soaring falsetto passages of “Simple,” to big, vibrant rockers like “Delirious” and “Cinnamon Skin,” there’s enough structural movement throughout the album’s ten tracks to maintain engagement the prevailing modern rock audience.

 

The songs themselves are anchored by the hard-earned musicianship of the band’s three members, the informed musical choices of which allow for the effective management of the sonic space of each tune despite the lack of any excessive layering with regard to melodic instrumentation. Reidinger’s agile drumming expertly holds down the bottom-end in conjunction with Graber’s fingerpicked bass, providing a platform for Patridge to add strokes of tonal color through his sparse, yet decisive guitar work.

 

But make no mistake, despite the attention to detail inherent throughout Love and Fury with regard to production value and track construction, the songs inhabiting the album were very much designed to be taken to the stage and presented in the context of a live rock show. As the band themselves tells it, the music is at its best when being shared with a live audience.

 

”We play these songs live and the next time the venue is full, the people are singing with us,” the band said of the infectious nature of the project’s material. “These songs weren’t made to be just listened to at home, but swallowed live in sweat and tears.”

 

Along with lead single “Higher,” Love and Fury would see promotion through a studio performance video of track 2 from the album, “Delirious,” which can be found at the Sam Graber Band YouTube along with a brief promo video featuring clips from the album release show for the project.

 

Sam Graber Band’s Love and Fury is currently available for streaming on all major platforms. Additional information on the group, including details regarding upcoming shows, band history, and the Love and Fury album, can be found at the Sam Graber Band website.