Irontom are, quite literally, “ones to watch”. The Los Angeles-based quintet consisting of Zach Irons (guitar), Harry Hayes (vocals), Dane Sandborg (bass), Dan Saslow (keys), and Dyl Williams (drums) recently wrapped the Ones to Watch tour, where they shared the bill with Vinyl Theatre and Finish Ticket. Since coming off the road, they have been in the studio working on their debut album with AWOLNATION’s Aaron Bruno serving as producer. Irontom’s sound marries much of today’s indie-rock trends with the free spirited vibes of the ‘60’s and 70’s, as if The Strokes and Arctic Monkeys came up during the Woodstock era.
If you’ve been lucky enough to catch Irontom live within the last year, you may have noticed their latest release, Irontom Compilation, being peddled at their merch table. Irontom Compilation consists of most of the songs they have released since their inception in late 2012. Most songs from 2012’s Loose EP and 2013’s Nitro EP made the cut, as well as an AMAZING cover of Gorillaz’ “Feel Good Inc.”. Most notably included on Irontom Compilation are Irontom’s three singles, “Your Mother”, “In The Day and The Dark”, and “The Minista”. The video for “The Minista” has a ton of star power behind it: David LeRoy Anderson, Academy Award winning makeup artist (Men in Black, American Horror Story), collaborated with Irontom to provide the video’s special effects and makeup, and the one and only Charlie Sheen makes a cameo appearance at the end. Sheen’s quite the Irontom fan himself, saying “It’s like Led Zeppelin and The Beatles had a baby, and it was raised by wolves”. If a public endorsement from Charlie Sheen isn’t enough to at least slightly pique your interest in Irontom, I don’t know what else will.
Outside of Irontom Compilation, Irontom has also released their latest single “Be Bold Like Elijah”. This song made it’s first appearance during Irontom’s Ones to Watch tour setlist, and will hopefully make an additional appearance on their upcoming album.
The guitar work courtesy of Zach is one of the band’s signatures. The son of Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Jack Irons (Red Hot Chili Peppers, Pearl Jam), Zach grew up on the road with his father and learned to play from his father’s former bandmate John Frusciante. Zach has molded these influences to fit Irontom’s sound, and the results make him one of the best young guitarists out there today. Songs like “Goin Slow” and “Boy Born” allow Zach to completely let loose and jam out, especially when performed live; at the last Irontom show I attended, Zach went on a soaring two minute solo during the song’s outro.
However, Irontom does not rely on Zach’s talent alone. Each member brings something to the table, be it Dyl and Dane’s rollicking rhythm section, Dan’s twinkling key parts, or Zach’s guitar skills. Harry’s explosive vocals shine brightest during Irontom’s live set. He injects so much passion and /ENERGY/ into his role as a frontman that it’s impossible to ignore his stage presence no matter how hard you try. Whether it’s through headphones or during a live show, Irontom’s music is so electrifying and kinetic that you’ll end up feeling like one of those old 5 Gum commercials even if you’re a first time listener.
Irontom’s debut album is planned for released this year. Stream Irontom Compilation below, and catch Irontom on tour with AWOLNATION and Death From Above 1979 this summer!
