Fri 9/16 @ 8PM
Blaka Watra is one of those terrific little local bands that’s been around for years making appealing and interesting music while flying under more people’s radar.
Featuring drummer John Panza and vocalists Jessica Julian and Lauren Voss, who trade off on guitars and synths, they’ve been around for about eight years. They released their first album back in 2010 and evolved from an acoustic-based project to one with a sound that’s both moody and aggressive with graceful, distinctive melodies bubbling out from a cloudy bath of droning sound that often recalls certain moody post-punk British bands of the ’80s. They released the EP Quarternity in 2011 and Church of Insomnia in 2013 documenting that evolution.
That was the year Panza was undergoing cancer treatment, Lauren Voss was diagnosed with a thyroid condition, and Julian faced the unexpected death of her fiancé Ted Flynn at the age of 46 after an asthma attack.
The band’s forged ahead and they’re now about to release their latest LP, City of Refuge, a new EP called Olde Songs. The releases are available digitally online now, and you can snag hard copies when they celebrate the release and Panza’s 43rd birthday with a show at the Happy Dog. Forager and Soft Copy open. Admission is $5.
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