LA’s The Eagle Rock Gospel Singers have been making waves with energetic live performances and two albums that fit right in today’s modern indie rock world as much as they fit under Christian music. What was once a lineup that featured 15 members, the band has paired down to their core group of 5. With guests helping along the way, the focus has allowed the group to become the band that would release their sophomore LP No Glory on July 14th. Today we are happy to share the premiere of the video for the album’s latest single “Haunted”.
The Eagle Rock Gospel Singers are steeped in old time music. You’d probably assume that the LA-based group were all from the deep south. They are collective of friends and family that are singing loud of faith, offering foot-stomping music that’s built deep on blues and Americana. That old school Americana feel utilizes acoustic guitars, pedal steel, harmonica, organs and more – giving strong shades of the gospel music of eras gone by, yet the band is able to modernize the music just the right amount that keeps it fresh and relevant today. With influences ranging from Aretha Franklin, The Staples SIngers, Jimi Hendrix, CSNY, and Bob Dylan, The Eagle Rock Gospel Singers bring a new soulful take on classic Americana and gospel music. There’s a rock ‘n’ roll element to their music that gives the band a bluesy garage rock twist. Whether you are a person of faith, or just someone in need of feeling the spirit, whatever your spirit may be, this is the band to get you there.
Never is that more evident than on “Haunted”, the latest single off of No Glory. The song starts with a strong, steady bass line, before the organ makes it’s way in with the gospel choir harmonizing together. The song lives up to it’s name, a haunting affair flanked by subtle psych rock with a force behind it. Drummer Will Wadsworth, who wrote “Haunted”, told us: “The inspiration for this song was a break-up. I was engaged to be married and that ended about 7 months before the wedding. I was navigating the emotions of the aftermath and felt supported by the notion that I was “haunted.” I felt haunted by something that was convicting me, but actually advocating for me simultaneously. The song is about being grateful for that.”
Said Wadsworth, “The original idea for the recording was that it would be done acoustically with foot stomping and claps as the only percussion. Then I had an idea for a snare roll/snare march sort of thing in the chorus, and the song took more shape around that. Also, we hired a vocal arranger for the harmonies for this song (along with many other songs on the album) and the harmonies on this one felt especially good to us.”
The video for “Haunted” finds the band right at home – taking on the feel of 70’s era videos, focusing in on the band playing live, while overlaying the images of the singers harmonizing with each other. Said Wadsworth, “This video was fun to shoot. It was shot with the intention of showing us being ourselves as we are on stage during a performance. This video was filmed in the same studio that the majority of our songs have been recorded (including this song). Our producer, Matt Wignall, shot this video in his studio, Tackyland, where we recorded the songs. We love this space as it’s a weird little room that sounds great to us.”
The Eagle Rock Gospel Singers are a band on the rise and despite wherever your own faith may lie, it’s hard not to have conviction in this soulful band. Check out the video premiere of “Haunted”:
