Dabbling in the essence of Alternative Rock, Lockjaw Smile reigns raucous energy from Haverhill, MA. The band consists of members Tony Thanos perfecting the lead guitar and vocals, Bill Douty giving life to the bass and vocals, as well as Ioanis Pintzopoulos executing colossal drum hits.
Together each member brings their various influences to designing sound fusing aspects of bands amongst the likes of Foo Fighters, Stone Temple Pilots, Jimi Hendrix Rancid, Jimmy Eats World, SRV, and Weezer. Blending the sounds of rock, Lockjaw Smile is swinging towards the melodic, crisp tones with sing-along choruses.
Shadowy tones drag you into the underworld of Lockjaw Smile in their most recent single, “Black Sky.” Carrying inspiration through the eras, this trio exudes a larger than life sound that embodies an edgy, rambunctiousness that surges through your speakers. As you try and wrap your head around the ominous hues cast out into the instrumentation, the prominent groove of the bassline has you bobbing and weaving around the chugging of the guitar riffs performed.
Touching on the prominent landscape in which the drums peak from, “Black Sky,” is a strikingly balanced tune that rings bells in the realm of Rock n Roll. You have moments of sublime expansiveness that intrigue the epic panache that is captured melodically. There is something so unique about the styles voiced, that have the swift lyrics melt into the production as the vocal performance ties this number together in a unified manner.
With the comforting virtuosity that soaks into each moment developing through the arrangement, Lockjaw Smile utilizes a vast array of contrast in order to capture their audience with authentic expression. “Black Sky,” has us soaring in and out of a universe that is custom to Lockjaw Smile, and we must admit; we’re thrilled about it.
Could you please share a glimpse of what the creative process looked like when bringing this song to life?
Thanks for showcasing our music! I started the song with the main riff in drop D on an acoustic guitar. A lot of our tunes start that way with an acoustic guitar and melody ready for the band. Bill our bassist comes up with some of the best riffs in our songs to add which are the fun, and crazy ones you usually hear in our music. Then I worked on some lyrics that were a little dark and melodies with the band and our producer, Doug. In the studio is where the tunes really come alive we record all of the music with Doug at The Den Studios of North Reading Ma. - Tony
Taking it back to the roots, how was the concept of Lockjaw Smile born?
Lockjaw Smile had been a group for a long time, there have been many changes in lineups formats and styles along the way. When we decided to be a trio back in 2017 that’s when we thought our signature sound was born! This will be the 3rd release since we became a trio 1 EP “Three-Headed Monster” then a full-length Self Tilted LP, and now we have released our first Single for our next EP coming this year!
In “Black Sky,” what is the meaning behind the lyrics crafted?
The lyrics started the first couple of lines of the song. I just kept plugging away and then there seemed to be a theme. I have always been a fan of letting listeners interpret the music and have them have their own meaning to the song.
In terms of themes and messaging, what do you hope your listeners take away from the music that you create?
Being in a band and working together on music melodies and ideas there can be some great inspiration. Sometimes writing a song could have a theme totally made up, or telling the story from another person's perspective can also become a little ambiguous when it comes to lyrics but that is a great thing. we hope our music can move people and they enjoy what the songs bring to them.
What can we expect to see next from you?
We have more songs ready to release from the same session as Black Sky. We are working on a music video from one of those singable for our next single. We are already working on new music to have ready before we go back to the studio. We have a new member Ioanis on the drums. He has been pivotal to both me and Bill in crafting our music with a musically fresh set of eyes. Stay tuned for more music in 2021
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