Student band starts the scene
The Palouse has a new musical force on the horizon.
Charcoal Squids is a five-piece band that formed in 2014, and the group set out to climb the local music ladder in Moscow and beyond. They’re already making a name for themselves, playing shows in town, and music fans in the Palouse should start paying attention.
Halle Gilbert | Courtesy
From left, Maddie Marx, Josh Bacha and Zach Zerrade of the Charcoal Squids. The self-described “aggressive
clean indie music” band will play at the Pizza Pit at 8 p.m. Saturday.
Charcoal Squids is made up of front man Josh Bacha on guitar and vocals, vocalist Maddie Marx, bassist Zach Zerrade, guitarist Kevin Green and drummer Mason Donaldson.
The odd name, Zerrade said, came from left field after Bacha watched a documentary about squids. It stuck after that, and now Zerrade said the group is like a squad of squids.
The group started to form five months ago with a few songs written by Bacha and Green. Zerrade and Donaldson joined shortly after, followed by a short stint with another female vocalist before Marx joined. With their solidified lineup, the band began playing shows in Moscow at houses and apartments, Bacha said.
The group plays a self-described variant of “aggressive clean indie music,” molded by a wide variety of influences, including The Decembrists, The Oh Sees and more. Upon first listen, it’s clear the wide variety of influences manifests itself into a dynamic, rich sound. Tinges of genres ranging from folk to punk to alternative and more are all evident within their sound, which makes their music both accessible and easy to listen to while being unique at the same time.
Charcoal Squids is currently planning to release an extended play, EP, in the coming weeks titled “Yellow Bicycle,” which will be their first official release.
Josh Bacha | Courtesy
In terms of where the band could be headed, Bacha sounded optimistic and motivated. They’re currently aiming to conquer the Palouse and surrounding areas and subsequently break into Missoula’s music scene, hopefully followed by Seattle, Portland and more in the distant future.
“We want to get as far as we possibly can go,” Bacha said. “We have been brainstorming some ideas for a small tour on the west coast this next year or so … We have made great leaps and bounds over the past couple of months, and it only appears to be getting better from here.”
Anyone interested in hearing music from Charcoal Squids can check them out at their official band page on Facebook. The group also has a SoundCloud account featuring a few demos of songs they’ve written and recorded.
They will also play a show at the Pizza Pit, Saturday. Be sure to keep those eyes open for their debut EP coming out in the next couple of weeks.
Masen Matthews can be reached at [email protected]