MEET THE BAND: Pat Butler (vocals, guitar), Steve Callahan (guitar), Ross Cintula (drums), Joe Morana (bass)
AHEAD OF THEIR TIME: The band started in the early '90s when band members were still in high school. "We played a lot through 1997 and 1998," says Butler. "We didn't go to school together but we were all in high school at the same time." Butler, Callahan and Cintula have always played in the band, but the band has had a number of different bassists. The style of heavy, stoner rock music the band played became more popular shortly after the group split up. "I think when all the stoner rock bands started to take off was when our band was breaking up," Butler says. "Our music had more of a metal feel to it and wasn't as groovy and stoner-ish. That resurgence would have really helped us."
THE WAIT IS OVER: The band reunited a few years ago after a hiatus and has regularly gigged around town. Due to popular demand, it finally recorded some new music at the end of last year. "We kept saying we were going to make a new record and didn't have the time," says Butler. "At the end of the last year, we got the time to do it. I write the lyrics, and we jam once a week and the music comes out that way."
WHY YOU SHOULD HEAR THEM: "Right Through Me," the opening track on the new record, A Series of Disappointments, features dueling guitars and parched vocals. It effectively evokes Sabbath's sludgerock without sounding derivative. "The recording process was great," says Butler. "It was very straightforward. The mixing and mastering took forever. Everyone had a different idea about how it should sound. One person thought the drums were too loud and another person thought they weren't loud enough." The band still has some material that Butler refers to as "in-between material" that predates the songs on the album. He says they might "relearn" them for an EP. "We're always working on stuff and have hours and hours of recordings from practice that need to be reworked."
WHERE YOU CAN HEAR THEM: signal30band.bandcamp.com
WHERE YOU CAN SEE THEM: Signal 30 performs with Earth Chief and Blackwater at 9 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 30, at the Maple Grove Tavern.
