PHOENIX — Valley Bar’s retro interior design was the perfect setting for psychedelic rock band Post Animal’s entrancing show on Sunday, July 23. Their music and the atmosphere of the rain outside were the perfect combination for a show that made the crowd exude happiness and dance throughout the entire set.
The show was opened by Femny and Stef Chura. Stef Chura had a female lead singer /guitarist, as well as a female bassist. Their music echoed underground vibes, and it had a reminiscent sound of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs.
When Post Animal came on stage, they began their set with an electrifying new song. The crowd was quickly out of their seats to dance, and filled up the previously barren space by the stage. “Swamp Fruit”, the next song, brought ambiance that made for the perfect transition.
Jake Hirshland (Guitarist/Keyboardist/Vocalist) bolstered the crowd as he complimented their presence saying, “Beautiful, Phoenix, Arizona!”. There’s always something special about hearing a band say the name of your hometown.
The entrancing guitar in the following song, “Alabaster”, took you somewhere else; it’s truly a psychedelic must-hear! The crowd was feeling the band’s energy, and head banging was in full swing.
The band played fan favorites, including “When I Get Home”. After Hirshland let the crowd know they had nowhere to sleep that night and were looking to crash at someone’s place, Javi Reyes (Guitarist) said, “Let’s talk!”
Post Animal brings a modern touch to classic psychedelic rock with heavy drums and powerful guitar solos. Each member plays their role perfectly as they synchronize with each other. Their music is just as good live as it is on their records, with the added bonus of an impressive energy worth the experience. Undeniably, they are a band you will want to listen to and make sure to come out to see next time they are in Phoenix!
Post Animal burst onto the scene in 2015 with their album Perform the Most Curious Water Activities. Ever since then, they have been working hard releasing more music including their psychedelic hit, “When I Get Home”. “Special Moment” is their latest release. The psychedelic-rock band hails from Chicago and consists of Dalton Allison, Jake Hirshland, Joe Keery, Javi Reyes, Wesley Toledo and Matt Williams.
Post Animal are currently on their headlining tour across North America. They are bringing their tour to Phoenix, Arizona, July 23 at Valley Bar. They are definitely a band you will want to see!
Dalton Allison (Vocalist/Bassist) tells us more about the band, music, tour, influences and more in their email interview below…
What brought Post Animal together, and how long has the band existed?
Originally Matt, Jake and I all met in Chicago through mutual friends back in 2015. We were lucky enough to have all ended up being in Chicago at the right place and the right time and just kept adding onto ourselves when we found somebody who we loved playing with.
What influenced the band name? Were there other choices before ‘Post Animal’ became the final one?
I’m sure we had a bunch of names being thrown around before but Jake used ‘Post Animal’ to describe an idea that came out of a book a friend was reading while we were hanging at his family’s farm house and we never felt a need to change it since.
If you could describe your music in one word, what would it be?
Funny
You just started your current headlining tour on June 1st. What aspect of the tour are you most excited about?
I think we’re all excited to travel across the USA and into parts of Canada. There are a lot of places on this tour that none of us have ever been.
What are your favorite songs to perform? Is there a certain lyric from any of your songs that is especially meaningful to you?
I think we all really like to play the newer songs because the writing has been much more collaborative, but a lot of the lyrics are more individually specific in a vague way, if that makes sense, so I’m not sure if there are any choice lyrics. We all love to back each other up though so even if it doesn’t mean much to us individually the connection is still there as a group.
Having played in Tucson, was playing in Arizona different than playing anywhere else?
At this point in time we’ve only played in Tucson but from what we’ve seen people are very nice and hospitable. We’re very lucky to get the opportunity to come back and are ready to rock with everyone again.
Is there anything about working in the music industry that caught you by surprise?
We still have a lot to learn about all this so pretty much everything at this point is a surprise. There are a lot of things that are going on behind the scenes that we never really knew about so we’re very lucky to have friends that are guiding us along the way.
Post Animal (Click to Enlarge) Photo Credit: Kristina Pedersen
With your guitarist Joe Keery playing the role of Steve Harrington in Stranger Things, how did the success of the TV series affect the band?
The series has affected the band in a very positive way and we’re thankful for all the support we have gotten from people who were introduced to our music by his role in the show.
What past and current artists/bands inspire you?
Between all of us there are a lot of different influences but I think some of the shared are: The Beatles, Black Sabbath, Stevie Wonder, Ty Segall/Fuzz, Pond, King Gizz, Oh Sees, The Eagles, Fleetwood Mac, Metallica, Kendrick Lamar, Frank Ocean, Heart,
She’s been a best friend of ours even before the band and we’ve always been wowed by her art. She has a real unique art style and we can just throw an idea at her and it comes out as a masterpiece. She’s done all of our album and merch artwork so far and we couldn’t be happier with her work.
What aspects of life influence your music the most?
I think emotions are definitely the cornerstone of music. The way that feelings evolve depending on your current state and the way that they change with personal growth and experimentation has been the biggest influence on most of our music. That being said, we definitely aren’t trying to take ourselves too seriously and are glad that we get to use our band as an outlet.
What is your favorite part of the music process and why? (i.e songwriting, recording, touring, performing, etc.)
We all love writing and recording but I don’t think anything quite tops performing live to a responsive crowd. There is something special about all standing on a stage together and plucking, yelling, and banging at the same time while people watch.
What would the ultimate success for Post Animal look like to you?
I think all we really want out of the band is the opportunity to travel and perform for people. We are humbled by the opportunities we’ve had so far, so if we could make a living out of it on any scale that would be more than we could have ever hoped for. Playing the festival circuit would be a dream.
What do you plan to do after the tour is over?
We have a new album we’re trying to get released sometime this fall and then we have some new ideas we’re ready to try out for some new material after that. I think we’ll take a small break at the end of the summer to cool off but we’re definitely excited to keep things going and try to make the most of the opportunities we’re getting.
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