thePULSEBy Alex Kantarelis
What I’ve learned from traveling the world, playing punk and hardcore shows, is that very few places have it as good as Worcester. This city lives for its music, and it’s not afraid to show it. Just look at The Palladium on any given weekend night, with a massive line wrapped down the street. Even with our clubs dominating a majority of the scene, it’s the house shows that are my personal favorites. One band has been a major standout in this bare bones Worcester punk scene, and it’s called Cleansing Wave.
The four-piece, female-fronted, thrashy punk band ignites the crowd with energy. Ben Basset’s lightning-fast D-beats complement the grungy bass of Andy Turcotte and the frantically distorted guitar of Ryan Jarvis to create a sound that will peel the skin from your face. Vocalist Melissa Grandmason drenches her voice in reverb, which sits on top of the music like its own instrument, giving the band an overall eerie sound. It never slows down, and it never sacrifices anything in its songs. Cleansing Wave plays 100 percent full force at all times, and it’s awesome to hear.
The band got its start two years ago, playing its first show at Hotel Vernon, and everyone who attended would agree that Cleansing Wave totally stole the show. Grandmason’s energy and reverb-laden vocals really stood out from the rest of the band and made things that much more intense. The band killed all the lights of the Shiproom, leaving only green lights and a fog machine on stage, which made the set that much crazier and became a signature move.
“That was something that added to the whole live aspect of it. It got people more riled up to see us play,” Basset said. A typical house show doesn’t have many lighting options, but the band’s green lights really get the audience in the right state of mind to go completely crazy. “You know you’re playing a good [house] show when you get hit in the face with someone’s beer.”
After a few local shows around Massachusetts, a self-released demo and a split 7-inch with the band G.A.S.H., the band released its first EP in the spring of 2012. The self-titled 7-inch came out in May (Twerp Records), just in time for the group to embark on its first East Coast tour. Band members spent two weeks bringing their energy to every punk basement ~ and the occasional club ~ on the East Coast. The rest of 2012 was spent continuing to bring their ferocious live set to any place that would take them.
As 2013 rolls in, the band just released a new split 7-inch with California’s Midnight Brain, another female-fronted, thrashy punk band. Having a female singer does get Cleansing Wave a bit of extra attention, since it’s a rarity. The attention has all been positive, as Grandmason knows how to bring it as the centerpiece of the band, especially with the added reverb affect on her vocals. Cleansing Wave plans to record its first LP and has most of the work done for it already, and as spring turns to summer, the band will hit the road for another tour. Keep your eyes open, because this band kicks ass.
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
facebook.com/pages/Cleansing-Wave/249061871800292
reverbnation.com/cleansingwave
