Regina’s Grovner have synthesized modern alt-rock into their own distinct sound.
LISTEN:
With A Place in Your Home, the latest release from prairie heavy-music powerhouse Grind Central Records, we are treated to the continued evolution of the self described alternative-rock band Grovner. Formerly known as Seed, Grovner’s previous releases share a modern rock sound that mixes together the melodic and brash influence of post-hardcore and emo. Their latest EP amplifies all of the melody and moodiness while also turning the tempos down towards a slow and steady head-banging groove. Funnily enough though, when I listen to Grovner’s polished and modern sounding rock EP, I mostly hear echoes of the mid 2000s hardcore scene.
It can be hard to measure the effects of specific scenes, experiences, and people, but I think it is unquestionable that seemingly small things can have very big impacts. For me and many people in the Regina area at the start of the new millennium, the independent hardcore/punk scene was the thing that shaped our future music experiences; just ask Polaris nominated songwriter Andy Shauf about his time in pop-punk Captain (but don’t actually, because it will be incredibly awkward) or folk-punk mainstay Northcote about the hours he spent in the van as a member of the melodic hardcore Means. These are just two examples of artists who were formed by the sweaty nights at the Buffalo Lounge in Regina, and those experiences have made an indelible impression on the local artists who have come since.
When I listen to Grovner’s polished and modern sounding rock EP, I hear the lineage of local musicians who played their music loudly and aggressively, while sharing their stories, feelings and problems with an audience they would see every day. Voices alternating between tender and rough, mood shifting from reserved to outspoken, speedy hands giving way to back pocket grooves – the Grovner boys have synthesized so much of modern alt-rock into their own distinct sound that I suspect will be influencing others in the very near future.
