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MORE AM THAN FM

ABOUT aM>FM

Since 2012 More AM Than FM has brought fury and friendship, a lot of Rock & Roll swagger, and a little bit of Southern Maryland stomp to basements, DIY spaces, stages such as The Black Cat, Comet Ping Pong, and The 9:30 Club, and festivals like WFSU and The Smithsonian’s Hirshhorn Fall Fest.

The tightknit trio of Selena Benally, Mel Mast, and Anjalee Sharma revels in a locked in loyalty, chemistry, and a melding of minds. The bass and drums drive hard leaving the songs teetering on the edge of annihilation. Powerful hooks give way to complex and clever arrangements tinged with something a little darker and well worn, something that nods to the early days of American punk rock, worships at the altar of the crossroads, and nurtures a love of classic guitar rock.

More AM Than FM’s catchy riffs are bubbling with pain and ferocity just below the surface. Benally weaves dexterous guitar patterns through fiery rhythms. And her forceful, acrobatic, sometimes vulnerable vocals are reminiscent of a husky and urgent Chrissie Hynde for the new millennium.

The personal is political and punk is poetry. “I’m all set to take the dive, my number’s finally up and I admit I ain’t done much. Just a couple chords and a battle cry,” Benally wails, introspective in the eye of the musical storm raging around her.

The band released its debut EP, Off the Ground in 2015 followed by 2017’s Oh, The Places I Have Been…, which Glory In Sound called, “My favorite thing I have listened to in years.”

Attending a More AM Than FM live show is akin to awaking having accidentally hitched a ride on the back of one of the Valkyrie’s steeds just as they’re riding into battle. Just hang on and enjoy.

Charging forth on a wave of chaos, distortion, and throaty belted vocals, More AM Than FM picks up where prior decades of raw unfiltered rock have left off. But unlike hoards of previous punk and hard rock bands, these songs aren’t dead set on destruction and obliteration. This music leans toward something even more revolutionary - a hopeful horizon, the promise of new perspectives, life after destruction.

“When I’m not hell bent on destroying myself I’m trying to find another way out of this cage called my head where my thoughts of discontent are steadily burying me”

PHOTOS

Photos by: Andrew McClelland, Roxplosion, Luther Lux Photography, Good Foot Media

GLORY IN SOUND

Oh The Places I Have Been…is my favorite thing I have listened to in years. Anjalee is one of the best drummers I have ever seen live, and she absolutely annihilates every song on this EP. Mel and Selena have the kind of chemistry that comes with years of playing together and forming a mutual understanding.

DC ROCK LIVE

The throaty guitar licks on top of a strong rhythm section lays the table with classic punk rock meets blues rock sounds. The guitarist's voice can stay with it all with a ferocious edge that keeps everyone on their toes. The tunecraft is decent and again, it is the confidence to push the music to the edge that has these ladies at the top of their game. What is not to like about a band like this?

Writing For Pearls

This superb trio of punks restored my faith in life, if you will. Their music reminded me that if I kept on keepin’ on, I would continue to have experiences with music where I would get to hear my feelings unequivocally put to music. And that experience is priceless!

VIDEO

Video by Ivystone Records

LINKS

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