Tara Sharpe
Audio By Carbonatix
There may not be a better name for the first track on a first record than “Once in a Row.” The song is a driving blast of stoner riffage from the Valley’s Dead Canyon, and their work on their “debut” record, “Wasting Arizona,” covers all the bases. It’s solid, stellar and if you like to smoke the devil’s lettuce, you’ll want to fire up your bong before you drop the needle on this bad boy.
Dead Canyon has been playing shows around the Phoenix area for about a decade, so calling “Wasting Arizona” a debut seems like a bit of a stretch, but it really is their first full-length record.
“The time has slipped by me, I guess,”drummer Josh Bodnar says. “We’ve been around quite a while now. I just realized that we’re finally releasing our first full-length album.”
Bodnar, guitarist/vocalist Frank Davenport and bassist Roger Williams have been contributing members of the local and national metal scene spanning multiple sub-genres since the turn of the century. Davenport and Bodnar were both part of local favorites Carol Ann and Black Hell prior to forming Dead Canyon as a two-piece in 2013. (Bodnar is also a member of current face-melters Sorrower.)
Williams, who has played in bands like Sorxe and Graves At Sea, is one of the most affable dudes in the local scene. Bodnar remembers meeting him when Carol Ann shared a bill with Graves at Sea and then he started showing up at Dead Canyon events.
“We played our first show as Dead Canyon at my friend’s house party. Roger [Williams] was like, ‘Hey, you guys sound awesome. Are you looking for a bass player?’ We were enjoying being a two-piece, you know? It’s just easy. Then he was at the next show and the one after that and eventually, he just wore us down,” says Bodnar.
The band has released a couple of EPs over the years, but the timing was right now for a full record. “Wasting Arizona” is worth more than just a listen, and the band will have vinyl copies available on Bandcamp and at their slate of upcoming shows, including the release party this weekend at Tempe’s Yucca Tap Room.
In addition to the stellar opening track, a reworked “80 Miles to Mexico” (which was on their 2013 demo, ‘The Lonesome Company Demo’) creates a great one-two punch. The second track is a perfect example of how the band has grown and matured since their inception. Davenport’s vocals have gotten more self-assured and the knob-twisting of engineer Larry Elyea (the band recorded at Mind’s Eye) has really brought the song to life.
The title track, “Wasting Arizona.” is another headbanger with some angsty guitar work that brings the band to attention throughout the song. Just when you think the song is going head into more familiar stoner rock territory, the chorus kicks into high gear and Bodnar’s drums steer the ship most righteously. The breakdown at the end is a fitting end to an excellent ride.
“I think ‘Dweller on the Threshold’ is my favorite song to play,” Bodnar says. It’s easy to see why.
The hypnotic cleanup hitter (that’s the fourth track for the non-baseball fans out there) is an excellent change of pace as the record mellows a tad in the middle. “Dweller On The Threshold” is a great ending to side A and the band did a great job of pairing it with the catchy “Mission Control” to start side B. Both songs show off the nimble musicianship of the talented trio. Fans of Williams’ excellent bass work will dig both of these songs quite a bit.
“(Mission Control) is a little different. It’s one of the later songs we wrote and (the recording) surprised me a lot. It’s not what we normally do. I didn’t know how it was going to turn out but the recording turned out really good,” Bodnar says.
It’s been quite a process of hurry up and wait for the veteran band. After finishing the recording process in early 2022, it took almost 11 months for the vinyl to arrive from the pressing plant. Fortunately for both new and old fans alike, “Wasting Arizona” is well worth the wait.
According to Bodnar, Dead Canyon has a number of shows coming up and they don’t anticipate waiting another 10 years to make the follow-up record. The band would like to do a little touring, but doesn’t have any solid plans just yet.
“We are so happy to have our friends on the bill with us. Hopefully people will come out and enjoy it. They can buy the record, too!”
Dead Canyon record release party: With U.S. Grave, Dueno and Surf Through Death. 7 p.m., Saturday, July 15. Yucca Tap Room, 29 W. Southern Ave., Tempe. Admission is free, but the donations are encouraged for the 21+ show.
