Now Ritual

It wasn’t as if The Strange Boys weren’t doing well. Quite the opposite, actually. The Austin-based garage rockers, fronted by Ryan Sambol, were making serious waves during their short stint. Yet in 2012, with very little to say about the matter, they broke up. The following year, Sambol had assembled Living Grateful, and went in a different direction. Despite some excellent music, the time span for that band was even shorter.

Austin Chronicle writer Kevin Curtin‘s recent short piece about Sambol shed some light on why things didn’t pan out further for either band. A lot of responsibility goes into leading a band, and Sambol didn’t really feel comfortable with it. It wasn’t long before he began performing as a solo artist, while maintaining a flexibility in his craft; writing originals, and arranging traditional pieces or covers, which can all be done either as solo performances or with accompaniment.

Today marks the release of three of Sambol’s works on Punctum Records:  Sambol’s first solo album, Now Ritual, and a 7-inch vinyl release, After Lunch; and a 12-inch vinyl from Living Grateful, Peace Mob. All three are available at Sambol’s show tonight at Studium, 908 E. 5th St. Doors open at 9 p.m. Recommended.

– Photography by Madeline Harvey.

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