Burn Sand Burn at the hi-dive

A band doesn't always fit into a specific musical category even though it's associated with one by default. Burn Sand Burn (due on Thursday, August 20, at the hi-dive) often plays with metal bands, but anyone able to listen honestly can hear that these guys do not bother to play...

By Tom Murphy

August 20, 2009

[
        {
          "name": "Air - MediumRectangle - Inline Content - Mobile Display Size",
          "component": "12017618",
          "insertPoint": "2",
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "2"
        },{
          "name": "Editor Picks",
          "component": "17242653",
          "insertPoint": "4",
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "1"
        },{
          "name": "Inline Links",
          "component": "18838239",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 8,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "7",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Air - MediumRectangle - Combo - Inline Content",
          "component": "17261320",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 8,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "7",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Inline Links",
          "component": "18838239",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 12,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "11",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Air - Leaderboard Tower - Combo - Inline Content",
          "component": "17261321",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 12,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "11",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        }
      ]

A band doesn't always fit into a specific musical category even though it's associated with one by default. Burn Sand Burn (due on Thursday, August 20, at the hi-dive) often plays with metal bands, but anyone able to listen honestly can hear that these guys do not bother to play within strict boundaries. Sure, there's the melodic, anthemic hard rock in the songwriting, but at that same core of the act's sound is an urgency and desperation more akin to punk rock. And yet Burn is not purely about volume and aggression, either. Inside each of the songs are moments of surf rock's blurry edges, an amped psychedelic flavoring and a tinge of the blues. While those elements could result in an unholy dilettante-ish mess, this foursome has forged it into something refreshingly original in the heavy-rock underground.

KEEP WESTWORD FREE... Since we started Westword, it has been defined as the free, independent voice of Denver, and we'd like to keep it that way. Your membership allows us to continue offering readers access to our incisive coverage of local news, food, and culture with no paywalls. You can support us by joining as a member for as little as $1.

Tom Murphy is a writer, visual artist and musician from Aurora, Colorado. He was a prolific music writer for Westword and a documenter of the Denver music scene.

Follow:

Twitter: @simianthinker