Wrackethead — 8 November 2023 on Rocket Shop Radio Hour
Monochrome photo by Abbey BK
Wrackethead joined guest host Abbey BK on ‘Rocket Shop,’ Big Heavy World’s weekly local Vermont music radio hour on 105.9 FM The Radiator. Catch up with them at instagram.com/wrackethead
Text by Keagan Lafferty
Five guys in their twenties walked into a studio, arms full of drum parts, guitars, cables, mics, and various musical gear. They had a swagger that immediately captivates; they’re relaxed, friendly, and witty, and their music has the power to put one in a trance before taking the listener on a musical voyage. Wrackethead is a revival of the sound of the 90s, with a modern original twist.
Wrackethead is a Burlington-based band that blends hard rock, grunge, and unique personal styles to create a dynamic and fascinating sound. The group consists of talented members who are heavily involved in the Burlington music scene, appearing in other bands and projects in the area.
Henry Stowell, vocals, is the lyricist behind the band, and his creativity is unmatched. He’s friendly, charismatic, and his performance proves that he’s a songwriting genius, which is only enhanced by his powerful grunge vocals.
Stowel is from Massachusetts, and spent summers in the Colchester area growing up. He went to UVM for the first part of college before going to San Diego, California, and he moved back to Vermont about a year ago. Since being back, he’s immersed himself into the Burlington music scene, and emphasized the support that exists in the culture. “I always knew there was a scene here, but I never knew to what extent it was,” said Stowell. “It's been a great time just getting my foot in the door here.”
Stowell’s main musical inspiration is Alice in Chains, with Layne Staley as his favorite singer of all time. “That phase has not left my life,” said Stowell. “It's not really a phase anymore. It's kind of me.” Other inspirations of Stowell’s include Jeff Buckley and Pearl Jam.
Stowell has released seven solo songs on all streaming platforms, and brought those songs to play with Wrackethead. He wants to continue with both solo and band projects in the future.
Christian Linberg, the guitarist, brings a unique energy to the show with continuous movement, jumping around and never staying in one place. He considers himself a producer first and musician second. Linberg owns his own studio in Colchester, NEPS Studios, which is a subdivision of New England Poet Society. The studio offers professional recording, production, and live sound services.
After spending his entire life dreaming of opening his own studio, he finally had the capacity to do so and did it without thinking twice. “As cliche as it sounds,” said Linberg, “helping bring other people's visions to life makes me feel pretty damn good.” He emphasized that starting the studio was difficult financially; “blowing all my savings,” said Linberg, “that's really what it came down to;” but investing in quality equipment was fully worth it. “It was really just about having an ounce of blind faith in myself.”
Linberg grew up with heavy rock ‘n’ roll influences, inspired by bands including Talking Heads and Sex Pistols. He credits his parents for exposing him to music and allowing him to explore his interests. “When I was very small, probably four or five years old, my dad put me on a heavy rock and roll diet,” said Linberg. “I'm lucky to have had parents that kind of let me chase what I was interested in.”
Jimmy Martucci, drummer, is articulate and clever, keeping the beat with very long hair and a calm presence. Along with Wrackethead, Martucci plays in countless other Burlington-based bands; “it would be easier to tell you the band's Martucci isn't in,” said Linberg. Martucci is in Moondogs, a psychedelic jam band; Rangus, a trans-led punk group in Burlington; and The Hive, a jazz-rock jam band.
Martucci has a diverse musical background; his father, Vinnie Martucci, is a professional jazz pianist, exposing Martucci to traditional swing and bebop. “I of course rebelled heavily and I refused to play it for a long time,” said Martucci. “And that's when I really got into Led Zeppelin and heavier stuff. Hard Rock from the late 60s and early 70s.”
Martucci’s favorite influences include Cream, Queen, Soungarden, Chris Cornell, Led Zeppelin, Nirvana, and Dave Grohl. Martucci also re-discovered the power of jazz in musicians like Art Blakey and Dennis Chambers.
Andrew Greenberg, bass, is thoughtful and amiable, providing the flawless rhythm every song needs. He plays in two other Burlington-based bands; The Hive, with Martucci; and Frankie and the Fuse, a pop-rock band. He likes the genre variety that he gets to experience with Wrackethead; “it's kind of like a fun fusion project which is really fun, just scratches an itch that I get to jam,” said Greenberg.
Greenberg found his own musical inspirations in high school, consisting of grunge and alternative rock. He experimented with genres on guitar in high school as he found his sound. “It's kind of taking me down this wave-like winding path of figuring it out,” said Greenberg.
Dave Hobart plays lead guitar for Wrackethead, and while his persona is cool and calm, his solos are powerful and intense, hypnotizing the listener. He also plays in Burlington-based jam band Blackwater. He was initially inspired to play guitar in high school by Jimi Hendrix and Stevie Ray Vaughan. After coming to college, Hobart explored more rock and punk, including Nirvana and Black Sabbath. “[Punk] stuff comes out on the guitar, which I really like expressing because it's loud and angry,” said Hobart.
The earliest formation of the band began in 2021 as a duo with Greenberg and Linberg. Linberg brought his bass to UVM, and Greenberg asked if he could mess around on it, quickly developing his skills and buying a bass of his own. “I started focusing completely on that,” said Greenberg. When Stowell moved back to the area, he messaged Linberg on instagram, joining the band before Martucci and Hobart joined later on and Wrackethead was officially established in February of 2023.
Wrackethead’s first song, “Dance With Me Tonight,” has a rock intro guitar riff, developing into a catchy and energetic grunge anthem. The song was written by Stowell and released under his solo work. “They all just added their awesome talents to it,” said Stowell of the band. “I'm super happy with how we all came together and wrote it together. I wrote the beginning of it, but everyone made it ours.” Linberg replied with a compliment: “you're being too generous,” said Linberg. “You are the driving force.”
Wrackethead’s songwriting process varies, but is generally collaborative. Stowell typically writes songs solo, with band members contributing their own pieces to it. “Every time it's gotten better, I can't lie,” said Stowell. “We're making all these songs ours.” Stowell’s writing consists of a stream of consciousness, and he tries to practice singing and songwriting every day. The band also writes songs that come together very quickly while they jam; “it's an interesting thing, because it's kind of nonverbal,” said Linberg.
Wrackethead is currently in the process of recording songs to release using Linberg’s studio and production skills. Stowell makes backing tracks on GarageBand for his songs, then the band records over that. “[We’re] easily able to just overdub them,” said Martucci. “[Linberg] has an electric kit as well, so I didn't have to bring anything in. [NEPS Studio] is a perfect space if you want to get something done quickly.”
Wrackethead’s next song is currently in the recording process; “What is Now?” has a calm and captivating intro guitar riff with deep and harrowingly emotional vocals. The verses are slow and poignant, with a bold chorus full of intense passion that encourages the listener to ponder their deepest sentiments.
Wrackethead’s next song, “Desensitized,” begins with a ponderous guitar riff, and the style is inspired by Primus and Tool. It’s the embodiment of grunge in one song; heavy, distorted, and wonderfully large. The group finished out the show with one last high energy hard rock song containing a guitar solo so impactful that it gave listeners a glimpse of enlightenment.
The group is working on an upcoming album, containing six to nine songs. It is currently untitled and still in the recording process, with Wrackethead planning to promote and play the album live.
The future of Wrackethead includes live shows along with their recorded projects. Stowell hopes to expand performance experiences for the band “I just want to keep playing shows and whoever wants to listen, I just want us to be heard by people,” said Stowell. “That's kind of my vision.”
While it’s a dream for every Burlington musician to play at Higher Ground, including Wrackethead, the members emphasized the value of the local scene including smaller venues like Radio Bean, various bars, and basements. “Everybody shows up to everything,” said Greenberg. “It gives me fulfillment because we just get to play what we love and then be around people who love it, too. So that feels amazing.”
They love the feeling that concerts give them, the support from fans, and the connection that it creates among bandmates. “As long as we're playing together, and we're playing live, it feels more for us than it does for anybody else,” said Greenberg . “We're just playing and expressing ourselves. Long term, the goal is to just play, wherever that may be.”
Wrackethead on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wrackethead/
Henry Stowell on Spotify (including songs played by Wrackethead): https://open.spotify.com/artist/1qQ8UNT3Ux1xgEPUXZZ8wC?si=gD0SxBGeQ4aFpgBxuWHx5A