What song gets you going in the morning? What song rattles that mind of yours? In the new song “All Fired Up”, the band Signal 13 take major action in getting the listener off the couch and ready to rock. It’s a contained heat, but the bluesy hues and the metallic-sounding percussion rolled into one makes for a solid rock song. Signal 13, a band out of Baltimore, Maryland, rocks that chip right off their shoulders and kicks this song into high gear. Rowdy and fun, “All Fired Up” may have the fire contained, but a band like this can’t stay caged for long.
WEBSITE: https://signal13band.com/
Fame and fortune, death and sorrow, we’re on borrowed time, until tomorrow, lead singer Vicky Starr slays in the opening lines. The undercurrent of acoustic guitar that melts into a louder, bluesy electric guitar happens quickly. Vicky Starr sings with angst, with a weathered soul from a life-lived. She continues with the future is now, there is no turning back, put one foot forward, or put one foot back. The music bed is ripe with click-click-click percussion that opens up into the brassy cymbals. The bass guitar, flowing, but as always seems to be the case in rock songs, not getting top billing. The electric guitar breaks out and get the solo spotlight and the song feels very now, very modern rock.
Still, there is a nod to the past, and echoes of bands like fellow Maryland-state rockers, KIX (based in Hagerstown), Great White and Joan Jett seep into the well from which Signal 13 draws upon. The more this song plays, the more you spin it, the harder it is to extinguish the exceptional energy. Signal 13 is playing a different game than any other indie rock band and they are playing to win. My gut tells me that this song is going to keep them on a lot of radars. I think the chorus is catchy, and memorable. I also loved the way Vicky Starr’s voice blends with the backing vocals, and the instrumentation. She’s tethered to every instrument in the band. Listening to this song, I felt free, a bit unleashed.
APPLE MUSIC: https://music.apple.com/us/album/all-fired-up-single/1523243044?i=1523243045&ign-gact=3&ls=1
What strikes me the most in “All Fired Up” besides Vicky Starr’s essence, is the blues patterns in the guitar work. More often than not in modern rock, we’re hearing shorter guitar solos and more emphasis on mixing. It’s always changing, that’s for sure. “All Fired Up” seems to catapult the classic rock sound to 2020 and bounce even farther into the future. I think the next few years are going to be key for a band like Signal 13. “All Fired Up” is from their April 2020 debut release, Destination Unknown, and is the third single. It follows “Dirty” and “Stay With Me”. It’s a very impressive debut. They really come out of the gate, well, fired up. You can’t knock this band down. Signal 13 is Vicky Starr (vocals), Johnathan Lassier (guitar), Chris Starr (guitarist), Patrick Jenkins (bass guitar) and Johnny Sexx (drums).
John McCall
The music of Signal 13 has been heard all over the world in partnership with the radio plugging services offered by Musik and Film Radio Promotions Division. Learn more https://musikandfilm.com