Sianvar | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Sacramento, California, United States |
| Genres | |
| Years active | 2013–2019 |
| Labels | Blue Swan Records |
| Members | Will Swan Donovan Melero Sergio Medina Joseph Arrington |
| Past members | Michael Littlefield Michael Franzino |
| Website | Official Facebook |
Sianvar (pronounced: sea-en-var) was an American progressive rock band from Sacramento, California, formed in 2013. The group currently consists of lead vocalist Donovan Melero, guitarists Will Swan and Sergio Medina, and drummer Joseph Arrington. The band is signed to Swan's independent record label Blue Swan Records. They released their debut self-titled EP on January 5, 2014 and their debut full-length studio album, Stay Lost , in August 2016. The band announced an indefinite hiatus on April 8, 2019.
The band announced their formation on July 23, 2013. The group's first iteration consisted of Dance Gavin Dance guitarist Will Swan, Hail the Sun drummer and vocalist Donovan Melero, Stolas guitarist Sergio Medina, and A Lot Like Birds bassist Michael Littlefield and drummer Joseph Arrington. [3] They signed with Swan's independent record label Blue Swan Records. [4]
The group released their debut single "Sick Machine" on November 11, 2013. [5] On January 5, 2014, they released their eponymously titled debut EP through Bandcamp. [6] Sianvar performed their first concert on January 8, 2014 in San Francisco, California. In support of the release, the band toured with other musical groups such as A Lot Like Birds, Tilian Pearson, Strawberry Girls, Stolas, The Venetia Fair, My Iron Lung, EROS, Idlehands, Artifex Pereo, and Eidola.
Michael Littlefield departed from the band in February 2015, subsequently being replaced by A Lot Like Birds guitarist Michael Franzino. [1] Sianvar began tracking for their debut full-length studio album in July 2015. On June 26, 2016, the band announced their debut studio album, Stay Lost , its track listing, and release date. Two days later, the group released the lead single "Omniphobia", accompanied with its music video, which premiered on Alternative Press. [7] The band released the single "Psychosis Succumbing" on July 14. [8] The band embarked on their headlining Stay Lost Tour beginning at the Red House in Walnut Creek, California on August 4, 2016. [9]
Sianvar embarked on a second headlining tour in support of Stay Lost in January 2017 with Icarus the Owl and Frameworks. [10]
Sianvar toured as a supporting act on Dance Gavin Dance's headlining 2018 spring tour along with Erra and I See Stars, from May 26 to June 21, 2018. [11]
On August 11, 2018, it was confirmed that recording sessions for the band's second full-length studio album had begun at Interlace Recording Studios in Portland, Oregon, with producer Kris Crummett. [12]
On September 11, 2018, Michael Franzino announced his departure from the group, stating that he wanted to focus on his own music career. [13] Will Swan announced that he would be recording bass guitar for the band's second studio album. [14] On September 27, they revealed that they would be moving forward as a four-piece band. [15]
The group embarked on a headlining tour, performing their debut studio album Stay Lost in its entirety, with support from Ghost Atlas and Wolf & Bear, from January 11 to January 19, 2019. [16] Former A Lot Like Birds bass guitarist and vocalist Matthew Coate served as a touring member pursuing bass guitar on the trek.
On April 8, 2019, the band revealed that they were going on an indefinite hiatus from touring and releasing music. [17] The announcement read, "All Sianvar music releases and activities have been postponed indefinitely." It continued, "This isn't a permanent goodbye, though it could be a while before we meet again". During the hiatus, Swan joined American post-hardcore band Royal Coda while Donovan Melero and Sergio Medina formed the post-hardcore duo Nova Charisma and signed to Equal Vision Records. [18]
Two unreleased demo recordings from the group's recording sessions for their second studio album were repurposed for Dance Gavin Dance's ninth studio album Afterburner , one of which was its lead single "Prisoner ".
Sianvar's musical style has been praised for its use of progressive rock, post-hardcore, and psychedelic elements. They have often been labelled post-hardcore, math rock, and experimental rock.
Dance Gavin Dance is an American rock band from Sacramento, California, formed in 2005. The band currently consists of vocalist Jon Mess, lead guitarist Will Swan, rhythm guitarist Andrew Wells, and drummer Matthew Mingus. The band formerly included lead vocalists Jonny Craig, Kurt Travis, and Tilian Pearson. The lineup has changed several times since their inception. Swan and Mingus are the only band members who have appeared on every studio album.
Kurt Travis is an American singer, songwriter, and musician from Sacramento, California. He is currently part of the American post-hardcore bands Royal Coda and Push Over and the math rock duo Gold Necklace, and was formerly a vocalist in the rock bands Dance Gavin Dance and A Lot Like Birds.
A Lot Like Birds was an American post-hardcore band formed in Sacramento, California. The band released four albums and received considerable media attention from music sites. Since the release of 2011's Conversation Piece, A Lot Like Birds signed to Equal Vision Records and released their third studio album on October 29, 2013. The band announced their final show on their Facebook page on February 17, 2018.
Stolas was an American post-hardcore band from Las Vegas, Nevada formed in 2011. The band consisted of Carlo Marquez, and Sergio Medina. The band was signed as the first band on Blue Swan Records in 2013, a record label launched by Will Swan of Dance Gavin Dance. They have released one EP, Losing Wings (2012) and three studio albums, Living Creatures (2013), Allomaternal (2014), and Stolas (2017). The group signed to Equal Vision Records in 2016.
Tilian Pearson, also known mononymously as Tilian, is an American singer-songwriter, musician and record producer born in Clearwater, Florida. Since 2012 he was the third clean vocalist for the post-hardcore band Dance Gavin Dance until his dismissal from the band in June of 2022 due to multiple allegations of sexual assault. Pearson began his music career as the lead vocalist and guitarist in the progressive rock band Tides of Man, releasing an extended play and two studio albums before leaving in 2010.
Hail the Sun is an American post-hardcore band from Chico, California. Formed in 2009. the band currently consists of lead vocalist and drummer Donovan Melero, lead guitarist Shane Gann, rhythm guitarist Aric Garcia, and bass guitarist John Stirrat. They are known for their eclectic progressive rock and math rock style, along with traditional elements of screamo and post-hardcore. They released their debut studio album, POW! Right In the Kisser! (2010), and EP, Elephantitis (2012), independently before signing to Blue Swan Records the following year. The group released their sophomore studio album, Wake, in 2014. In 2016, the band departed from the label, signing to Equal Vision Records and released their third studio album, Culture Scars on June 17, 2016, which charted at number 38 on the Billboard Top Rock Albums chart.
Will Swan is an American songwriter and musician born in San Francisco, California. He is most prominently known as the lead guitarist and co-founder of the American post-hardcore band Dance Gavin Dance and as the founder of his record label Blue Swan Records. He is also a guitarist in the metal band Secret Band, progressive rock band Royal Coda, and is a former guitarist in the now defunct five-piece supergroup Sianvar.
Strawberry Girls is an American rock band from Salinas, California, formed in 2011. The band is currently composed of guitarist Zac Garren, drummer Ben Rosett, and bassist Ian Jennings. All three members are multi-instrumentalists and record producers.
Blue Swan Records is an American record label based in Sacramento, California. The label was founded by American musician and Dance Gavin Dance guitarist Will Swan and has hosted a variety of post-hardcore, metalcore, and progressive rock bands. In 2021, the label signed a publishing contract with BMG Rights Management and partnered with Rise Records.
Stay Lost is the debut full-length studio album by American post-hardcore band Sianvar, released on August 5, 2016, on Blue Swan Records. The album serves as a follow-up to the band's 2014 debut EP, Sianvar. It is the band's only studio album to feature bass guitarist Michael Franzino and is the final release before the group announced its indefinite hiatus in April 2019.
Artificial Selection is the eighth studio album by American rock band Dance Gavin Dance, released on June 8, 2018, on Rise Records. It is the follow-up to the band's seventh studio album, Mothership (2016) and is their third consecutive studio release with the same line-up. The album was produced by Kris Crummett, Erik Ron, and Dryw Owens, and was self-produced by Dance Gavin Dance, making it the first release by the band to feature more than one producer.
Royal Coda is an American rock band based in Sacramento, California, founded by lead guitarist Sergio Medina. They are known for their amalgamation of progressive rock, psychedelic rock, and post-hardcore. The band currently consists of lead vocalist Kurt Travis, guitarists Sergio Medina and Will Swan, bass guitarist Steffen Gotsch, and drummer Joseph Arrington.
Royal Coda is the eponymous debut full-length studio album by American post-hardcore band Royal Coda, released on April 27, 2018, on Blue Swan Records. The album was produced by Dominic Nastasi and Mike Watts. It is the only release to feature the original trio of lead vocalist Kurt Travis, guitarist Sergio Medina, and drummer Joseph Arrington before guitarist Will Swan joined the three musicians the following year.
Eidola is an American rock band from Salt Lake City, Utah, formed in 2011. The band consists of lead vocalist, composer and multi-instrumentalist Andrew Wells, guitarist Sergio Medina, bass guitarist James Johnson, guitarist and unclean vocalist Matthew Dommer, and drummer Matthew Hansen. They self-released their debut studio album, The Great Glass Elephant, in 2012. The group signed to Blue Swan Records in 2014 and released their second and third albums, Degeneraterra (2015) and To Speak, To Listen (2017). In December 2017, lead guitarist Brandon Bascom left the band and was replaced by Royal Coda guitarist Sergio Medina.
Wolf & Bear is an American post-hardcore band from Sacramento, California. Formed in 2013, the band consists of vocalists Marcus Cisneros and Tyler Watt, lead guitarist Cameron Nunez, rhythm guitarist Louie Baltazar, and drummer Jacob Koval. The band originated in the Central Valley hardcore punk music scene, later signing to Blue Swan Records and releasing a split with post-hardcore band Adventurer in May 2016 and their debut studio album, Everything Is Going Grey, in October 2017.
There’s A Place I Want To Take You is the second studio album by American recording artist Kurt Travis, released on May 17, 2019, through Blue Swan Records and his own label, Esque Records. It also serves as a follow-up to his debut studio album, Everything Is Beautiful (2014). The album's lyrical content deals with heartbreak and emotional turmoil while, sonically, Travis pursued folk-inspired songwriting, using elements of indie rock, electronica, dream pop, and power pop. It was produced by Mike Watts and recorded at VuDu Recording Studios in Port Jefferson, New York and features a guest appearance from singer-rapper Andrés on two tracks.
Compassion is the second full-length studio album by American post-hardcore band Royal Coda. It was released on November 7, 2019, on Blue Swan Records, and serves as a follow-up to their self-titled debut studio album. It is the band's first album to feature guitarist Will Swan and was produced by Kris Crummett.
Afterburner is the ninth full-length studio album by American rock band Dance Gavin Dance. Released on April 24, 2020, on Rise Records, the album serves as a follow-up the group's eighth studio album, Artificial Selection (2018). Recording sessions for the album took place over a three-month period between August and October 2019 with producer Kris Crummett at Interlace Audio in Portland, Oregon, while the vocals were recorded with producer Drew Fulk in Los Angeles, California. The album is considered a musical progression for the band, as the group experimented with funk, Latin, rap, and metalcore which accompany their post-hardcore and experimental rock style. It is the group's final studio album to be released during bass guitarist Tim Feerick's lifetime before his death in April 2022.
The Architect is the fourth full-length studio album by American rock band Eidola, released on September 17, 2021 through Blue Swan Records and Rise Records. The album serves as a follow-up to their third studio album, To Speak, To Listen (2017), and is their first to not feature rhythm guitarist Brandon Bascom, who departed from the band in December 2017 and was replaced by Royal Coda guitarist Sergio Medina. It is also the band's first release since their record label Blue Swan Records partnered with Rise in February 2021. The album was produced by Ian Cooperstein and Kris Crummett with recording sessions taking place at Interlace Audio in Portland, Oregon.
Gold Necklace is the self-titled debut studio album by American progressive rock duo Gold Necklace, composed of American musicians Kurt Travis (vocals) and Brandon Ewing. The album was released on November 12, 2021 through the independent record label Kill Iconic Records, a label owned by Hail the Sun frontman Donovan Melero. Produced by Josh Benton, the album was written and recorded at Pus Cavern Studios in Sacramento, California between March and July 2021. Joseph Arrington wrote, performed, and recorded drums for the album. Gold Necklace is a progressive rock and jazz-fusion album with influences of funk, soul, R&B, and jazz.
