WAKRAT

WAKRAT
250px Wak Rat. Left to right: Tim Commerford, Mathias Wakrat and Laurent Grangeon.
Background information
Origin	Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Genres	Alternative rock
Years active	2015–present
Associated acts	Rage Against The Machine Audioslave
Website	http://wakratband.com
Members	Tim Commerford Mathias Wakrat Laurent Grangeon

WAKRAT is a trio composed of Tim Commerford (Rage Against The Machine/Audioslave), Mathias Wakrat and Laurent Grangeon. The heavily alt-punk-influenced group are currently finishing up their debut album, and recently released a video of a song called "Knucklehead".

History

Commerford met drummer, Mathias Wakrat through his Rage Against The Machine bandmate, Zack de la Rocha. "We both share the same enthusiasm for riding mountain bikes," says Commerford. "We'd talk for many hours about mountain biking, and one day he was like, 'Oh yeah, I play drums'." Grangeon and Wakrat met through a mutual friend.With the addition of guitarist, Laurent Grangeon, the punk-and-hardcore-influenced band was formed, and are currently completing their debut album.

"I am enjoying myself right now on a musical level more than I've enjoyed myself in my entire career...it's a beautiful thing," says Commerford.

The band played their first show at the Viper Room in Los Angeles on September 14th, 2015. Rage Against the Machine bandmates, Tom Morello and de la Rocha, as well as Audioslave bandmate, Chris Cornell came to support Commerford. One month later, they opened for Royal Blood at The Observatory in Santa Ana, CA.

Musical styles and influences

Wakrat draws influences from hardcore, punk, and jazz music and can be best compared to Helmet-meets-Skrillex, The Prodigy, and Bad Brains. Commerford describes the album as "punk, fast, and spastic with odd time signatures", featuring electronic sounds and spoken word.

Members

• Tim "Timmy C" Commerford - vocals, bass
• Mathias Wakrat - drums
• Laurent Grangeon - guitar, vocals

Discography

"Knucklehead" single was released on September 27, 2015.

File:Album2.png

The intense, spastic track features Commerford screaming, "Gimmie the gun/Fuck the knife/I'm alright". "I've been dealing with some very deep, dark family stuff that left me in tears," says Commerford about the song. "I spent a lot of time crying in the last year and feeling trapped and alone. That's what 'Knucklehead' is about. Sometimes the dark spawns incredible things, and the music came from that. I went through some deep shit that I hope I never go through again, but look what came from it: this incredible opportunity in music that i love. The scream at the end of the song makes me feel like I'm just putting my face in a pillow and screaming my guts out."

The band will be releasing their full-length album later this year.

External links

• Official website
• Spotify: http://spoti.fi/21xL3lQ
• WAKRAT on iTunes
• WAKRAT on Facebook
• WAKRAT on Twitter
• WAKRAT on Instagram