“The Hardrock Haven Band of the Month is a band we firmly believe needs to be heard. Each month, one Hardrock Haven staff member has their opportunity to pick a band they feel is going to break soon; a band that is deserved of nationwide attention; and lastly, a band that just kicks ass.” … Derric Miller.

Hardrock Haven is proud to continue into our second year for our feature installment — Band of the Month — and this time around we journey to Boston, MA in the good old USA to meet White.

When you hear White for the first time, they instantly give you a feeling that you’ve been listening to them all your life. Despite having formed just three years ago, they sound so bona fide classic, so spontaneously accomplished, that you can’t help but right away accept them as the peers of vintage acts that shaped rock music as we know it today, with the kind of timeless style and flair that never went away, refuses to go way, and perhaps never will to away. But having all the classic rock weaponry in their arsenal, from space-rocking riffs akin to early Led Zeppelin to nuanced blues solos reminiscent of Free, this band, thankfully, doesn’t stop at being simply an artful imitation of rock’s past glory, cunningly managing to blend the highly personal into the tradition, making their almost-classic grooves to rock and reel in resonance with this decade. Listening to them you know that they could have been the best cover band in the world if they wanted to, and feel grateful that they are not, having learnt the most important lesson the old masters of rock can pass on to any musician – that in this music you have to sound like yourself.

The word began to spread about White outside of their home turf of Boston, MA, with the release of their first album, “The Size of Our Souls” in early 2007, which put some of their old heroes to shame with the way these newcomers were re-interpreting the classic rock message and giving it new life. Singer Jonny P’s startling voice is what jolts you first on this record, when it hits out with raucous punch on the first track “No Love Lost”, making you think his is the most intense and vivid voice to have seeped through from the underground scene during this decade. There is vehemence, vigor, and stunning natural ability to how he sets fire to those thumping tracks turning them into explosive statements full of purpose and aplomb. And when at times he fools you into thinking that his vocal range has reached its limit, he then shrewdly decides to push it further, to which it submits with ease and gorgeous fluidity, setting the highlights of the album, "Nobody Loves You” and “She Got Me Down” ablaze. His range is extensive, and his skill and sheer emotion transmit a hedonistic, sensual vision of rock as a direct, immediate and free genre it was always meant to be.

All these vocal sparklers are balanced by guitarist Jim Foster whose nuanced phrasing is rigorously old-school – from the way he sustains his singing blues notes to how he retains the perfect sense of shape and articulation within his solos even when melodic intensity takes him outside of the usual thematic designs. Keyboard player Eddie King whose parts sound sumptuous and sophisticated at the same time, adds a perfectly modulated undercurrent of expert polish to the proceedings, brining balance and a touch of chic to the band's rip-roaring sound. The rhythmic locomotion of drummer Delany and bassist Billy Egan completes this extraordinary outfit which in the end manages to sound tight like a bunch of session dudes on $500 an hour, and completely unique and fresh at the same time.

Never the ones to waste time, White have been busy writing and recording new material throughout 2008, and are now putting finishing touches to their second album which is expected to be released this summer. Some of the tunes can be heard on their MySpace page, and make for an exciting and intense listening. They show that White are now seeking out new challenges, exploring the direction of classic hard rock and clear-cut melodic songwriting. Coming from a band which is always interested in a range of genres, the new album promises to be a melting pot of classic styles and modern trends, and, as before - full of energy, content, and their own individuality. The poetic, literate lyrics ranging in subject matter from the war in Iraq to the timeless theme of relationships, add to the riveting experience of following the development of this band, which deserves recognition as much as the classic rock heroes they have learnt from. After all, growing your own originality from a contact with the tradition is no mean feat, and more than it takes to become a great band, which White has managed to achieve while displaying a lot of elegance, confidence and style along the way.

“Yes, we are psyched to be your band of the month. We are happy to say that we are close to completing this new record,” said Foster. “It is an exciting time for us right now and we're happy to be able to share some new material with you. “

http://www.myspace.com/whiteband