weird beard - EP

Weird Beard

EP
self-released; 2013

3.5 out of 5

By Ted Rogen

Weird Beard is a band from Chicago, IL that makes very accessible pop music. It’s on the softer side of hard rock and they recently showcased their talents with a short three-song EP entitled uh EP. The band consists of Mark Stevens and Matt Settle on guitar and vocals, Mark's cousin Kevin Stevens on bass and vocals, and Ryan Berger on drums.

Everything came together rather quickly for the band. They were roommates drinking beers and rocking out and decided to take it to the next level by going into a professional studio and laying down these tracks. In about three months they produced a solid EP that shows that Weird Beard has potential to make it out of their basement. The songs are recognizable but hard to pinpoint to a specific genre. You could use a general term like alternative as a reference since they seem to have a lot of influence from bands from the 90’s

The album opens with “All To See Her Smile”which is a solid song but also feels a bit too cliché at times.  Everything is in the right place and despite the song’s recognizable quality they all are accomplished musicians. I did thoroughly enjoy the end of the song where the band was singing “doot- doo” with vocal harmonies. Things take a positive turn on “Say What You Say.” The band rocks out a bit harder and the vocal melody is more original. On top of this the vocalist has one of his most dynamic performances as it sounds like he is increasing the octave range throughout the song. Closing with another solid song is “Turkish Bath” which is the highlight of the album. It starts off with some excellent tom work, an attractive guitar melody and the best vocal performance on the album. The song is a visceral experience bringing into it emotions like nostalgia and melancholy.

This is a young band that still has some work to do before they can compete with the big boys but they are off to a good start and they have a lot of time to make it happen.    

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