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The Luna Riot has high expectations, and why not? The band has epitomized the “do-it-yourself” work ethic by building their own recording studio and producing their own album. The members of The Luna Riot have finely crafted their own musical sub-genre (which they affectionately call “Fuzzgaze”) by fusing thunderous tribal rhythms with thick, fuzzy bass and “machine-gun” lead guitar work and then colouring outside the lines with sitar, Tablas, tambourine, keyboards, shakers and whatever else could be found in the studio.
The Luna Riot was conceptualized by Travis Smyth in Victoria, BC following the demise of his successful previous band, Grace Nocturnal (which shared stages with Soundtrack of Our Lives, Sam Roberts, Metric, and Tegan & Sara to name a few). The trio spent the bulk of 2008 touring the Wild West and writing dozens of songs before recording their debut album, "Night Steals The Light", at their own recording studio in North Vancouver, BC. Steven Drake (notable for co-fronting Vancouver’s Odds in the 90s and mixing The Tragically Hip’s Juno award winning album, “Trouble At The Henhouse”) mixed the songs at Profile Studios in Vancouver, BC.
The Luna Riot has released their first full lengh LP "Night Steals The Light" which is now available on iTunes.
PRESS QUOTES:
Step aside, Green Hour Band, you're not alone any more. Last year, GHB released one of the best B.C.-produced albums of the year. The accent was on psychedelic hard rock that was singularly good. At this early date in 2009, local trio The Luna Riot has made one of the best records of the year and it, too, is psychedelic. The songs of Travis Smyth swirl like good psychedelia is supposed to, but have a garage-rock aggression that keeps them from turning fey and affected. It's kind of like The Coral (a modern English group) merging with Shadows of Knight (a Chicago '60s group). Grade: B+
>Tom Harrison - The Province
This Vancouver trio calls their sound “fuzzgaze”, and that’s a pretty apt
label: the hypnotic dreaminess of shoegaze with the snarl and immediacy
of garage rock. There’s a very British vibe overall to the CD, with
psychedelic spaciness (echoey, backward guitars, droning Hammond organs,
and on one track, even sitars) meeting the hooky, sing-along stomp of glam
rock on songs that range from poppy to menacing and back again. Reminds
me a lot of Love and Rockets’ - especially in the songwriting and
predominantly double tracked vocals - but with the heaviness and drone
factor of Black Rebel Motorcycle Club. Or imagine the Stone Roses lost
inside The Stooges “Funhouse” on a heavy dose of mind-altering substances
(which is not to imply that The Luna Riot partake in or endorse such
pursuits but that this is a very trippy record indeed, along the same vein
as Primal Scream’s “Screamadelica” or Spiritualized’s “Phase Shifter”). I
highly recommend this album: the production is first rate there’s a
thickness and power that most indie records can’t even approach and the
performances are tight and confident but still loose enough to rock with a
certain “don’t give a shit” swagger.
> Kevin Kane - B.C. Musician
These guys absolutely rock the fucking marvelous old-school sound. Dirty, sexy, thick grrrrrrr guitars. How else can I explain that? It sounds like danger. Like danger! Good, enticing, orgasmic danger. Travis Smyth works the guitar in this measured cool kind of way. Up, down, up, down, guitar up, head down, head left, guitar down, head way down, up, over. Like Britain just walked into the room. Yeah, this is a great band. You know what makes them extra-great? They all snootily kind of trashed the stage after the set. But it was this great chaotic event, with lots of noise and a random deconstruction of limited parts of the stage. Just careful enough to know that they can't really afford to go buy new instruments after every show, but bonkers enough to . just to be cool.
> Andy Scheffler - Cordmag
Rock n' roll is alive and well. The Luna Riot is the name they go by. Their dark psychedelic sound is like a lush wave of ambient chaos, with vocals breaking through like sun beams out of a black sky. Travis Smyth, of former rock n' rollers Grace Nocturnal, is playing a white Strat, every note is unleashed with intense emotion
and swirling movement. His soaring leads reminiscent of the blues greats, with his own electric gypsy sound. Their black leather jacket, scarf wearing, stripes and boots, messy hair, kind of rock and roll is no fashion scheme or poor attempt at being hip. This is the real thing, from the beginning of the show to very end. The Luna Riot delivered what seems to be lacking in so many live concerts these days; a true musical experience
filled with burning energy being shared between people who love what they do.
> Vince Vaccaro - Metropolitan Magazine
