Au Natural

No need for Auto-Tune, Lionize shies away from the processed and compressed to keep it real

Nate Bergman is the guitarist and vocalist for Lionize, a Maryland-reared band that plays music that’s hard to define but easy to enjoy. The group’s songs feature elements of stoner rock and hard metal, guided by a reggae/funk spirit that leads the listener into groovy realms previous groups have never tried to go to, challenging the listener’s preconceived notions.

This original sound is possible because of the band’s independence from the mainstream, which has served it well throughout its career. Left to its own compass, the band has journeyed far, touring the world with similarly exotic groups like Ozomatli and CKY, and playing and recording in Kingston, Jamaica, a locus of reggae culture.

Guitarist-vocalist Nate Bergman is having a good time on the tour—which included a shows last month in Anaheim, San Diego and San Francisco.

“It’s been great. We just got finished playing a show in New Orleans last night. That place is one of our favorite cities.” After the performance, the group enjoyed the town’s legendary night life.

“It was great to go out and enjoy the scene. It seems like the place has really started to come back from the hurricane.”

Not afraid of the eclectic, the band’s latest album is called Superczar and the Vulture. Bergman explains the title. “The name really stems from some lyrics in the record which deal with kind of a larger-than-life group of characters. It’s a fantasy, like pulp fiction.”

“At the time Henry [Upton], our bass player, wrote a lot of the lyrics and he was really into politicians like Vladimir Putin, and how wild foreign politics can be with these larger-than-life heads of states.”

While the title, Superczar and the Vulture, is wacky, Bergman assures me it’s only a title. “It’s just a fantasy piece, there’s no message behind it.”

Lionize recorded its latest album in a different manner than usual. First, the band composed the songs and spent months rehearsing before going into the studio to record the album. The polishing and perfecting paid off . . . the final creation has an organic energy technology can’t replace.

“It took about 10 days to record,” Bergman says. “We just got a bunch of takes of us playing. It’s very organic. It’s a great representation of our live show. If you see us play live and listen to our record, it’s the same. There’s no Auto-Tuning or digital enhancement.”

Lionize did a lot of homework to make sure the album is all-natural, something Bergman believes every musician should aspire to.

“I think artists really need to get away from everything being processed and compressed. You see a band play live and they don’t live up to their recording.”

With so many angles to the band’s music, it doesn’t always fit in, but for Lionize being that original is the perfect fit. Bergman is certainly enjoying it all.

“I think we are always the odd band out. People will pick up on how we’re doing reggae and funk, but then we go on a ska tour and we seem very metal and rock. Wherever we go, we’re a sore thumb.”

www.lionizemusic.com

SOUNDING OFF

Lionize bassist Henry Upton shared with CULTURE his views on medical cannabis: “It seems clear at this point that marijuana has a myriad of medical applications. There’s no compelling justification I have heard for prohibiting marijuana use among potential patients . . . If marijuana were a guest at your house party there would be nothing new or interesting to discuss. We know how it grows. We know what it does. We know the positives and negatives. Why there continues to be a debate about marijuana’s legitimacy as medicine, or as a simple lifestyle choice, is staggering . . . Just let people have their marijuana. Educate them. Preach moderation in all things. It would create a lot of jobs, keep a lot of nonviolent offenders out of overcrowded prisons and make Jersey Shore much funnier.