Exploring the Sound: Granted Earth

Granted Earth is a three-member band with an in-your-face sound that combines sludge-metal, post rock and other influences. The band has released two albums since forming in 2009 and is about to record their third.

The group’s unique sound comes from Monterey natives Jon Ugale on drums and vocals, his wife Becky Ugale on guitar and Mallory Mickel on bass. Patch had a chance to chat with the trio that’s set to compete in on Thursday, Jan. 26. Check out what they had to say about their music, below.

Gilroy Patch: What would you say uniquely defines your sound?

Mallory Mickel: All of our songs tend to follow a pattern of intensity, followed by the bottom giving way to whimsical melodies transporting you to a distant place, only to be interrupted by the intensity being thrown right back in your face when you least expect it. The element of surprise is something I think sets our sound apart.  Not in a math-rock, ADD sort of way, but in a really emotionally-moving way.

Jon Ugale: We find harbor in a genre that your average person would classify as some kind of metal music, but it’s much more than that. Post-metal is the preferred name for a growing sub-genre which moves away from common metal conventions.  Sludge music is known to be more ambient and less aggressive, with a philosophical approach to writing tunes. Granted Earth chooses to use aggressive lyrics, however, with these elements to feed the image of a fragile world in midst of human extinction. We follow a certain path and make it our own.

Patch: What are the strengths of your band?

Becky Ugale: The strength of the band is the tight bond we have, as well as the commitment we make to our music. Mallory holds it down on bass, adding flare and depth to our tunes.  Jon drums and sings with a great deal of passion that comes through in the music, giving our sound tons of texture and feeling.

Mal: Our drummer/vocalist Jon is absolutely insane! You would have to see him to believe the intensity he plays with. And our guitarist Becky writes really savage and catchy riffs that all of our songs are built around and also plays her solos with incredible emotion that captivates you and brings you to another level. 

Patch: Do you think the fact that your band is still fairly new could put you at a disadvantage in comparison with bands, like Nyceria, that have been together longer?

Mal: Hopefully it puts us at an advantage if the panelists think we have a new and creative sound that they believe is well-deserving of some recording time! Especially since we put out two records in the short time we have been together, and already have lots of new material that needs to be recorded.

Jon: Disadvantages can be advantages sometimes, just like less can be more. Nyceria and the other bands sound great! We are stoked to play with them regardless the outcome and hope they feel the same.

Patch: You don’t see the gender ratio favoring women too often in sludge-metal bands. Do you think having two women and one man in the band could work in your favor during the competition?

Mal: Some people encourage us to use this to our advantage, but it kind of makes us uncomfortable.  We are just musicians and hope that we will be viewed as equals and judged for our music and performance, not our genders. Becky and I wore mini-skirts for a Halloween show once—that will never happen again.

Becky: We didn't plan it out like that. We feel that if Jon would just wear a wig we could be that chick band we always wanted to be... just kidding.  

Jon: I think we all agree that we'd be stoked if people appreciated our music regardless of what our genders may be.

Patch: Out of all your songs, what are a few that you’re most proud of?

Mal: I’ve always loved Galvanized, the last track on our debut and instrumental album, for the way it starts out so painstakingly slow but reaches such an epic climax it leaves you wondering, 'What just happened.' One of our newest songs called A Day in Eternity is probably my favorite because it’s so progressive and bad-ass. I believe it captures all of our signature techniques and motifs in one song. 

Becky: I think that in general, we are proud of all the songs we’ve written. We like some more than others like anybody would. We are also proud of our new material we have yet to release because it most represents what we have accomplished so far, as well as the type of direction we are headed in musically. If we had to pick favorites, we would say Galvanized from our first release and From Above because these songs most portray the heavy, yet ambient feel of our sound.

Patch: Have you played at 9Lives before?

Jon: Yes, we had the opportunity to play at the Nine Lives Club in December 2011, along with some of our good friends. The sound engineer and staff are all kind and helpful. They really try to make you feel and sound the best you can. The 9Lives stage just feels right, and it’s become one of our favorite venues.

Patch: Is this your first time competing in Battle of the Bands?

Mal: It's our first time entering this one at 9Lives, but Rebecca and Jon won the Rock Wars held by Your Music Magazine in 2007 with their previous band Mnemonic Device.

Patch: What’s your strategy for success? Do you have any pre-performance rituals?

Mal: Whiskey and coke, always.

Jon: Do what we do best and be ourselves. We get together and do extreme jumping jacks, followed by finger flicks, and super stretches. 

Patch: What do you hope that the audience will take away from your music?

Mal: I hope they take away a refreshing feeling of hearing some heavy-ass music that made them feel something in some way, rather than being impressed by how fast we play or how math-y and unpredictable our music is.

Becky: I hope that the audience will be able to connect with the sound we put out and feel inspired by it. 

Patch: How does your style of music differ from that of your competitors?

Becky: We are a trio as opposed to the other bands having four and five.  Another thing is Jon's vocals are generally sparse, and more of a textural backdrop at times. Therefore, our dynamics may be a bit different.  We try to hold on to our roots and still write instrumental songs as well, bringing out a post-rock side in our music. 

Patch: What well-known bands do you think your music is comparable to?

Mal: Sometimes post-metal elements of Isis with the dark, psychedelic side of Tool along with stoner elements found in Queens of the Stone Age or Kyuss, and progressive-metal elements such as those found in the music of Swedish band Opeth—basically all of our core favorites.

Jon: We dig sludge and grunge bands like Kylesa or the Melvins. Post-Rock and ambient vibes would come from our liking of Red Sparowes, Russian Circles or If These Trees Could Talk. A few metal, black metal and doom bands too.

Patch: Do you have a message for your fans or competition?

Jon: We want everyone, our fans and the bands, to all drive safe. We all come from a far and appreciate the gas you will burn to get there. We will be setting up a couple car pools from Monterey to assure that some of our friends who can't drive can still attend. 

Mal: It’s a trek for most of you so if you have the chance to make it out, it would mean a lot!  We hope we’ll see you soon.