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Photos by Hunter Dawson

 

 

Red Mesa has one of the most authentic blends of desert, stoner, and hard rock, with flowering moments of psychedelia. Their powerful anthemic compositions are full of warm fuzzy tones and fueled by low-driving, blues-doom-inspired vocals. There are moments when the band move to a much heavier, slower sound, adding a wider spectrum of emotion and showing that they don’t limit themselves in terms of who their main audience SHOULD be. You could seamlessly throw them in between Kyuss and Saint Vitus on a playlist and undoubtedly spur the interest of the listener. Wait! Who was that?

 

The band began in 2013 and released their first and self-titled full-length a year later. Notably, they recorded it within three days in a box car-turned-storage unit in their resident city of Albuquerque, capturing the true essence of desert rock. They have since released a concept album “The Devil and the Desert” and their latest album, “The Path to Deathlessness”, featuring several guests, including Dave Sherman of Earthride and stoner/doom icon, Scott ‘Wino’ Weinrich. This was released on guitarist/vocalist Brad Frye’s own Desert Records and he considers it their best album yet.

 

When asked about their future outlook, bassist/vocalist Alex Cantwell explains, “There is a noticeable heavier and riff-centric approach happening as of now, but when we can actually be all in the same room together to flesh everything out, and see how it feels as an actual band, instead of just sending ideas back and forth with our phones, then we can make sure that the Red Mesa sound is being respected and is intact. We are trying to write SONGS - something we feel we achieved with The Path to the Deathless album, and not just string riff after riff together and call it good, nor take the lazy uninspired approach and let one riff carry a whole song. We are inspired to make something great that is worth hearing”. He continues, “We are currently writing new songs! We have about 7 new ones in the works right now.  We are exploring new territory lyrically, vocally, and musically.”

 

Pour some sipping whiskey and explore the annals of Red Mesa. You’ll want to follow along for what comes next!

 

Red Mesa Bandcamp

Red Mesa Facebook
IG: redmesaband