100 Bands in 100 Days Presented by Verity Credit Union — Day 20: Herb & Jellyfish

Please check out Verity Credit Union, our great partner in the 100 Bands in 100 Days local music showcase.

Artwork by Seattle-area painter E.R. Saba

Music fans of the Pacific Northwest, get ready for our fifth annual year-end daily local music showcase, 100 Bands in 100 Days, where every day until December 31st, we’re showcasing a new band or artist you have to know about, once again presented by Verity Credit Union.

Make sure you are checking the #100Bands100Days hashtag on Twitter on a daily basis to stay on top of all the bands featured and be sure to follow Verity and NW_Music_Scene there. Some days the featured act could be an established and locally-adored northwest-based musician and other times they could be a band with a small following that just hasn’t had their deserved time in the spotlight yet. Either way, we’re fairly confident you can come away from this daily segment with plenty of new favorites. Today’s featured artist is Herb & Jellyfish.


About the band: 

Herb & Jellyfish is a melancholic alternative rock Seattle band formed in 2017. The group consists of singer/songwriter/sax-player Bradford King, lead guitarist Andreas Laursen, rhythm guitarist Robert Woods, bassist Jason Andrews, and drummer Jake Brooks. Heavy guitar hooks are bolstered by complex rhythmic elements that allow melodic interplay between Laursen’s lead guitar and King’s sax and vocal lines. The band is influenced by the work of Muse, Morphine, Coheed & Cambria, and Rage Against the Machine. Their next 10 song album, Hustle, is scheduled for release on March 2019.

After officially changing the name of the group Urban Jellyfish to Herb & Jellyfish in 2016, the new lineup released their first EP Hispocracy (with Dan Montgomery of Fast Nasties on drums and Jacob Doss of Letters From Traffic on bass) on May 1st, 2017. The group’s second EP Hustle, was released on May 4th of 2018 with a new lineup featuring Montgomery on bass and Brooks on drums and showed a return to heavier rock roots. In June Dan Montgomery left the group and Jason Andrews filled the bassist role for the completion of the Hustle album due in 2019. Tracking, mixing, and mastering by Jason Lackie of Fastback Studios and Ed Brooks of Resonant Mastering has been instrumental (pun intended) to the groups sound development.

We reviewed Hispocracy back in 2017 and here’s some of what we had to say:

When one thinks of a rock band, it’s common to picture wailing guitars, fast and powerful drum beats, and clever, thumping bass lines. Hispocracy encaptures all of these basic elements and more throughout their EP, with the unexpected addition of a prominent saxophone part to spice things up. The riffs and solos, which are all played by King, add to Herb & Jellyfish’s unique sound.

What else does Hispocracy have to offer besides the occasional saxophone melody? For one thing, it’s important to note that Herb & Jellyfish is far from your average rock band. The emotion expressed in each of the six songs on the EP assures that all of the smart, descriptive lyrics are personal, and are delivered with an interesting mix of rasp and vibrato.

Along with their profound lyrics, the musical merit that these five possess is off the charts. Each instrumental track behind King’s vocals is different and memorable in its own way. From the airy, dreamy guitar riff on the first track, “Courting Rachel,” to the haunting piano chords played at the beginning and end of “Animal,” their diversity as musicians is shown off all throughout Hispocracy.

Today’s featured band has a unique sound that is all over the genre map, and the new release further demonstrates the grooves they are capable of laying down, helping them to continue to carve out their own spot in the northwest music scene. Purchase Hustle HERE.



 

Purchase their music:

You can support the band by purchasing their music and/or merch HERE.


Listen:


Find the band at:

Bandcamp

Facebook

Twitter

Instagram


Submissions for 100 Bands in 100 Days are still open to any Pacific Northwest band interested in submitting. If you would like to submit for a chance to be featured in this segment, consult this link for more information on how you can do so.


A huge shoutout to Verity Credit Union for doing so much for the music community and for being such a great partner. 

Do NOT follow this link or you will be banned from the site!