What if Black Sabbath played Afrobeat? In short, that's the underlying vibe to the self-titled debut by Here Lies Man. The L.A. based quintet is founded and conceptualized by Marcos Garcia of Antibalas, bringing his erudite experience of World rhythms and music to the more riff-based foundations of heavy rock. The results are an incredibly catchy and refreshing twist on classic forms, without sounding forced and trite like some sort of mash-up attempt. Here Lies Man merges and expands musical traditions organically, utilizing the talents of drummer Geoff Mann (son of jazz musician Herbie Mann and a former Antibalas member) and a host of skilled musicians to make Garcia's vision a reality.  

"These repetitive guitar figures that happen in Afrobeat music are pretty close to heavy rock guitar riffs," Garcia explains. "It's based on the clave. It's the musical algorithm that the rhythms revolve around. That's what gives it integrity and is part of this musical conversation going on. I knew I wanted it to be psychedelic and heavy, and I wanted to be expanding on a musical tradition than pretending to be creating something new." The recording and band came together in the somewhat spontaneous fashion for which L.A. is famous. Garcia and Mann laid down the foundations and the band quickly expanded the recording and live shows soon followed.  

Animal Noises will be available on 12" vinyl and download on November 24th, 2017 via RidingEasy Records.