Flint’s Avalon Black Is The New Band That Rocks My Soul: The Adventures Of SuperFandrea

Avalon Black is one of those bands whose music stopped me in my tracks and invited my ears to enjoy the melodies. They're fairly new, but they have a ton of talent, and I'm excited to follow their journey.

The first time I heard this band I was at work at The Machine Shop. I don't remember who they were opening for, I just remember there was a general liking for their music between both my Machine Shop and Banana coworkers. Machine Shop bartender Ashley and I were both seemingly hit simultaneously with the good feels about their sound, because we looked at each other and said something along the lines of "I really dig this band" at the exact same time. Fast forward to the two days they played back to back shows opening for Pop Evil. That was the set of shows that brought SuperFandrea back out to play. Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you - Avalon Black, one of my new favorites.

First, let's talk about their bass. Yep. I said it. Bass first. I love the bass guitar, it adds that little bit of extra groove that fills and rounds the edges of music. Bassist Taylor VanBrockdorff has some funky skills and the way the band blends the bass with the guitars is outside of the usual experience. For example; check out the video below of the song called The Ultimate Price. This is the song that became my instant favorite because of the way they incorporate the bass into the music. (Video Betsy Buckler via YouTube). Not included in this post, but easy to find on their Facebook page is a song called Worth And Worthless which also really highlights his talent.

Also, highlighted in this video at about the three-minute mark are the skills of guitarist Kris Kress. This guy is one of those guitarists that impresses me simply because of his skill - he just shreds. Like - he doesn't try to get all "gimickey" and do anything insane or wild on stage to get people to cheer and to be memorable, he simply shows up and kicks the ass. He's pretty laid back too, and an awesome person to make jokes and drink beer with.

Seth Adams, the other guitarist in the band, is just as solid, and he and Kris compliment each other's style. I feel like the coordination between the two is a very smooth, effortless, and natural.Their sound is very unique and I feel like a lot of that has to do with the way these two work together. Seth has got this old school meets modern day vibe. Watching him play, it's very clear that he really feels the music in his soul and that love for the music comes out larger than life on stage. Not necessarily in terms of getting wild or crazy, the dude just jams. I feel like he could have possibly been frozen in time from the 70's and just now released back into the wild.

Michel Krupp. He's the drummer, and he's a ham. He rocks it out for sure and ALWAYS looks like he's having the greatest time of his life while doing so. The "beatkeeper" and mood setter of the band had best damn well be having a great time, because if not it will surely come through as a lackluster, empty and void performance. Not the case with this dude. All the energy - all the time. His drumming provides a raft of rhythm for the rest of the music to float on top of, and nothing gets drowned out.

Finally, we make our way to singer Jordan Orvis. My goodness, this dude has some pipes on him! Sometimes it's hard for me to imagine a person hitting the notes he consistently hits because I'm a lady with a pretty deep voice. (My singing could give Freddy Krueger nightmares). On that two night run at The Machine Shop with Pop Evil, I heard Jordan hit all of the notes flawlessly both nights. We've all seen bands that write music in notes that they can't always hit. Not the case here. This dude has a beautiful voice and controls it very well! It doesn't seem like he's straining or reaching. This is just the set of pipes he was given, and he uses them in a way that brings delight to my life.

Check out the video below of two of their songs from a recent performance at The Machine Shop. Video from Flint Underground via YouTube.

Overall, I think this band has the potential to do some amazing things. They have good attitudes and are seemingly grateful to be playing music. These dudes have soul. When they walk into a room together, you can feel the mood of the room change. They're like the Power Rangers of music. They roll into a room like:

...except it's more like "Five working together to rock out and melt faces and high five and drink beer"!

I bought their EP, and am looking forward to new recordings. The band has been posting on their Instagram page that they're in the studio working on new stuff, and I can only forecast growth and even better music on deck. If you see Avalon Black playing in an area near you, do yourself and your musical soul a favor and buy a ticket.

UPDATE: The band will be at The Machine Shop in December with Red Sun Rising and Mercy Beach! Get more details here.

Dear Avalon Black,

SuperFandrea appreciates your music.

Check out some of SuperFandreas other favorites like Sons Of Texas, Tripp N Dixie, and Citizen Zero.