It was only right for the newest local Kalamazoo band to premier their debut album “Velvet Moon” at Kalamazoo’s own Bell’s Brewery.
Celestial, the band spearheaded by the group’s lead writer and vocalist, Brian Ritzer, brought psychedelic rock to Bell’s on January 26th to play their debut album. The band features 6 members including Brian Ritzer, Jeremy Cronk, Amanda Savitski, David Bauman, Michael Failing, and Colin McKernan.
The group grew up listening to rock music and drew lots of inspiration from the music they heard.
“Everything I play is for Black Sabbath,” said the group’s guitarist, David Bauman when asked if the music he listened to inspired him.
It isn’t rare for the group to take inspiration for the band to take inspiration from their interests. In this band’s case, the popular Nintendo game Zelda: Breath of the Wild inspired the group’s lead writer to write the album’s title track “Velvet Moon.”
In Zelda, every so often there is a “Blood Moon.” During a blood moon, enemies are stronger, and many dead enemies are summoned. Blood moons are very unsettling for the player and cause the player to be alert and on edge. The name “Velvet Moon,” encapsulates some of the uneasiness and anxiety during a blood moon.
This first album was mainly written by the group’s founder, Ritzer. Most of the songs were written previously so other groupmates were not involved in the writing process, however, the group is excited to be able to work collaboratively on any future projects.
“We’re not a Santana,” the group said when asked about how much they valued teamwork and collaboration.
The 10-track album features a collection of psychedelic guitar riffs and beautiful bass lines throughout the entire album. The album was much more work than the team had anticipated. Despite Ritzer having many songs on backburner, the project took roughly 15 months for the group to complete.
Tracks like “Predictable Directions,” and “Overture,” feature hypnotic bass lines that keep you hooked throughout the song. The title track “Velvet Moon” is a great song featuring wonderful drums and guitar. The track is also one of the many great examples of Ritzer’s vocals. The album has great range and is accessible to a large variety of listeners.
The band is active on Instagram @celestial_band_mi and has music on all major streaming services as well as Bandcamp. As of now the album is on CD but should be making its way to streaming services and the CD should be available for purchase on the band’s Bandcamp profile, Celestial confirmed.
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