CMW Performances:
May 6 at The Hideout
May 8 at the Phoenix Concert Theatre
Sal Costa and The Smashing Satellites are at CMW promoting the new single off the upcoming full-length release that’s due to come out this summer. The single, What It’s All About (Aluzion Records) offers an uplifting message in anthemic, electro-rock style. It’s a follow up to the single Waterfall that came from their debut EP, SonicAluzion (A-Side,) released last fall.
But strictly speaking, “they” is really “he” as Sal (the former lead guitarist for My Darkest Days) explains. “Smashing Satellites is essentially me in the studio,” he says. A producer, he takes on all the roles when he’s creating music, although the band version is what he keeps in mind. “I had made the records with the vision of it being played live,” he explains. In the studio, Sal likes to be in control of all aspects of the sound. “I work best alone,” he admits. The live version includes guitarist Devon Lougheed, bassist Mick Valentyne and drummer Mykey Thomas.
Recorded or live, the results are a nice, fat sound that’s atmospheric and approaches symphonic in parts, with a lot of attention paid to the vocals in contrast with many pop bands. “Vocals are such a huge part of being an artist,” Sal says. “Growing up, listening to the Eagles, the Bee Gees, Michael Jackson – all these great singers – it’s because they didn’t have the technology to fuck with the vocals afterwards.” While he admires the creativity and other aspects of the music of his generation, he’s aware of the pitfalls of absolute reliance on modern recording technology. “They’re not necessarily great singers because they can fix anything,” he says. Sal actually began by singing back up, but then he came to a point where he wanted to listen to his voice singing his own songs. “I’ve gone to a bunch of different vocal coaches. But, it’s like self-discovery to a certain extent,” he says of the process of growing as a singer.
The band’s EP got some attention and a road trip. “We did a Canadian tour with Moist on their comeback tour – that was November/December,” he says. The Smashing Satellites also did a recent tour of U.S. radio markets and are looking to put together another road trip after the release of the full-length album later this year.
Despite the rush of early successes, Sal’s sanguine about the music industry as it exists today. “It’s hard to make a giant wave. You make a bunch of smaller waves.”
You can listen to their new single “What It’s All About” HERE
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