The local rock band Raised By Wolves is taking the Calgary music scene by storm.
Formed earlier this year by singer Lochlan Walker and guitarist Zak Kelly, the relatively new band plays hard rock with influences from bands like A Day To Remember and Alter Bridge.
Also part of the band are bass guitarist Tristan Walker, Lochlan’s brother and an Olympic luger, and drummer Dekker Parrott.
On Oct. 16 they released their first single, Don’t Let This, with the help of Mark Troyer at Evergreen Sound in Calgary, and with over 300 views on YouTube in just over a week, the band is excited about the response they’ve gotten.
“In the 10 years of doing music, this is the farthest we’ve ever gotten (in the industry),” said Lochlan Walker.
Even though some of the members just met, all of them grew up “just outside of Cochrane”, which has helped them become close to one another.
“Right away we all just got along,” said Kelly. “We’ve never been worried about (bad) chemistry.”
Although the local rock scene is admittedly small, the band loves the fan base that has been supporting them.
“We’ve been playing a few shows here in Calgary and we’ve gotten a really good response,” said Lochlan. “People come out and they just love to listen to the music.”
With the help of another local band, The Path Less Travelled, with whom they have a close working relationship, Raised By Wolves was put in touch with Troyer to help produce their single.
“(The Path Less Travelled) put out an entire album with (Mark) and we liked the way it sounded so we thought we’d give it a try and we liked the way (our song) came out,” said Lochlan.
They admit it wasn’t an easy process but it was one they enjoyed.
“It was a long process but it was fun,” said Kelly.
“One of the biggest things was that we had to make sure everybody was happy, so there was a lot of going back and re-recording (parts) to make sure everything was done properly,” said Lochlan.
The band has recently been asked to play at the Back To Your Roots II event at the Blind Beggar Pub in Calgary on Dec. 12 at 8 pm. The event features local bands covering a famous band that inspires them, and it also allows them to a play a few of their original songs as well.
“Raised by Wolves had first played at an open jam at our venue where I was blown away by their talent,” said Erin Hall, the Blind Beggar Pub’s booking manager.
According to Hall, Scott Bennett “actually hand picked Raised by Wolves” for the event as he was the organizer.
Although this won’t be their first performance at this venue, it will definitely be one of the biggest for Raised By Wolves, which is why they are thrilled to be in the show.
“We decided to go with A Day To Remember because it’s one of the bands that influences us as a whole,” said Lochlan.
“It’s really cool (because) we get to throw in a few original (songs) so people get to hear our music (and) they also get to hear that we’re good at covers (of other band’s songs) too,” said Kelly.
The band recently featured in a soon-to-be released video and podcast to help promote the event and the venue.
“Our objective is to keep original music alive by creating a scene that's exciting, welcoming and affordable for fans as well as a financial gain and growth opportunity for the artists themselves,” said Hall.
Raised By Wolves is also announcing they’ve been working on a second single in preparation for the event.
“It’s optimistic to say but we are trying to get a second single out by that show,” said Lochlan.
Anyone interested in attending the event at the Blind Beggar Pub or wanting more information about the band and its single is asked to contact the band through their Facebook page or personal website, http://www.raisedbywolves.band/.
