Source is on the road in support of their 2nd album “Totality” and opened for 10,000 Days Tool Tribute Saturday at The Concourse in Knoxville. As the lead singer approached the mic, he enticed the sparse crowd, scattered throughout the venue to come closer. He explained that a portal would open up right in front of the stage and transport them to a place of eternal enlightenment. Well, there was no portal, but 30 seconds into the first song, everyone knew they were in for a treat. Just a few people in attendance had even heard of the band. But by the end of the set virtually everyone in the room was a fan of the progressive metal band from Boulder, Colorado.
Source was started in 2014 by Benjamin Gleason who’s influences include Tool, Opeth, Mastodon and Frank Zappa among others. Justin Mirarck joined in 2017. “Justin fit in right away” Gleason explains. “He’s the most diverse drummer I’ve ever played with. Source references a lot of different styles of music, and Justin’s able to take us there stylistically”. The newest member of the trio is Riley Selleck, a super talented bassist who has an incredible presence on stage. He replaced the previous bass player in 2018. “Riley has been such a great addition because he adds so much to the way we’re performing some of our older songs and writing new ones.”
Gleason says, “The idea behind Source is to continue the tradition and style of making heavy music with deep, emotional content. Music that makes you think, makes you analyze yourself and your life. A lot of metal music comes off as more technical and less emotional, I mean the emotion is there but it’s often lost on a lot of people. We’re influenced by bands like Tool because their music has such emotional depth. I mean even without the vocals, you can still feel the emotion they’re conveying. I think that’s why so many people can relate to our music, it’s the style, technique and sheer volume, all channeled into a purpose.”
“Our first record was full of super long, prog rock songs, and a certain number of people really get that,” Gleason explained. “But with our new album ‘Totality’, I challenged myself to write shorter, more accessible songs so we can turn people on to the emotional impact metal music can have. Everyone interprets songs differently, but what we hope the take away from this album is, if you embrace your suffering as something that gives life meaning, you can use it to make transformations that create joy in your life.”
Source performed a solid set of technically tight and emotionally inspired rock music Saturday night. And while you can compare their music to Tool, they definitely have a sound and style all their own. Definitely keep an eye on these guys and don’t miss out the next time they come to town.
